Close tabs on a schedule

Tab Scheduler can close tabs for you at a set time. You choose a website link and a time, and every open tab that matches the link is closed, whether you opened it yourself or a schedule did. It helps when you want to stop a distraction at a fixed hour or clear work tabs at the end of the day.

How closing tabs on a schedule works

A close schedule looks for tabs whose address matches your Website Link. When the close time comes, each matching tab is closed. If notifications are on, you see a short message when a tab is closed.

How a tab matches depends on URL Filtering. When you choose Close matching tabs, this option is ticked for you.

• With URL Filtering on, a tab matches when its address contains your link. So youtube.com also matches www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc.
• With URL Filtering off, the address must be the same as your link. Only http or https and a slash at the end are ignored.
• With URL Filtering off, you can also use *. *example.com* matches any address that contains example.com, www.example.com/* matches addresses that start with it, and *example.com/page matches addresses that end with it. A link of only * closes every tab.

With minute-based frequencies such as Custom Minute, the time counts from when each matching tab opens. A 15 minute close schedule closes each matching tab 15 minutes after it was opened.

How to schedule tabs to close

1. Click the Tab Scheduler icon in your browser toolbar and choose Settings.
2. Enter the link in Website Link, such as youtube.com.
3. Choose how often it should run in Select Frequency, for example Every Day.
4. Set Schedule Type to Close matching tabs.
5. Fill in the close fields. Set Close Time, and add a Close Date for One Time, days in Close on days for Every Week, or a day in Close on day for Every Month. For Custom Minute, enter a number in Close Minute instead.
6. Check the boxes in More options. Keep URL Filtering ticked to match any address that contains your link, or untick it for an exact match. You can also tick Do not close pinned tabs, Do not close active tab or Close only incognito tabs.
7. Click Save Schedule.

When to use closing tabs on a schedule

• No videos during work. Choose Every Week, tick Monday to Friday in Close on days, set Close Time to 9:00 and enter youtube.com with URL Filtering ticked.
• Tidy up after work. Choose Every Day at 18:00 for app.example.com. Tick Do not close pinned tabs so the pinned tabs you always keep stay open.
• A quick check only. Choose Custom Minute with 15 in Close Minute for a news site. Each tab of that site closes 15 minutes after you open it.

Good to know about closing tabs on a schedule

• Pinned tabs that match are closed too, unless you tick Do not close pinned tabs.
• Do not close active tab keeps the tab you are using at that moment open.
• Tab Scheduler can close tabs in incognito windows only after you turn on Allow in Incognito for the extension in your browser's extension settings. Tick Close only incognito tabs if you want normal tabs left alone.
• If you want a warning first, tick Warn me 60 seconds before closing. It works with fixed times such as One Time, Every Hour, Every Day, Every Week, Every Month and Every Year, but not with minute intervals.
• If a link of only * closes the last tab in a window, the browser window closes as well.
• Your computer must be awake and the browser must be running at the close time. Turn on Power Mode to stop the computer from going to sleep. If the browser was closed at a fixed close time, that close is skipped, because Run on browser start if missed at scheduled time only applies to opening tabs.
• The free plan includes up to 5 schedules. Premium allows unlimited schedules.