Tab Resize Alternative Chrome Extension (2026)

Last updated: April 17, 2026

Managing multiple browser tabs efficiently is a common challenge for developers and power users. While the Tab Resize extension has been a popular choice for split-screen window management, many alternatives offer enhanced features, better performance, or native solutions that don’t require additional extensions. This guide explores the best options available in 2026.

Understanding Tab Management Needs

Developers typically need to view multiple tabs simultaneously, whether comparing documentation, monitoring debug outputs, or working with code alongside test results. The Tab Resize extension provides this by splitting the browser window into multiple panes, each showing a different tab. However, several alternatives can achieve similar results with different approaches.

Native Chrome Split-Screen Features

Chrome includes built-in functionality that doesn’t require any extension. You can snap windows to either half of your screen using native window management:

Windows: Press Win + Left Arrow or Win + Right Arrow to snap windows
macOS: Hold and drag windows to the edge of the screen, or use Ctrl + Cmd + Arrow keys
Linux: Most window managers support similar snap functionality

For actual tab splitting within a single window, Chrome’s native approach involves using multiple windows instead of split panes. While less elegant than Tab Resize, this method uses fewer resources and doesn’t depend on third-party extensions.

Popular Extension Alternatives

Tile Tabs WE

This WebExtension-compatible alternative offers similar functionality to Tab Resize with additional features:

// Tile Tabs WE configuration example
{
 "layout": "grid",
 "columns": 2,
 "rows": 2,
 "matchRules": [
 {"pattern": "*://*.github.com/*", "tile": 1},
 {"pattern": "*://*.stackoverflow.com/*", "tile": 2}
 ]
}

The extension supports various layouts including grid, horizontal, vertical, and cascade. It also includes match rules that automatically tile specific websites when you open them.

Sidewise

Sidewise takes a different approach by organizing tabs into a sidebar tree structure. This is particularly useful for users who work with many tabs and need hierarchical organization:

Collapsible tab groups in a vertical sidebar
Drag-and-drop reordering
Session saving and restoration
Keyboard shortcuts for quick access

Window Splitter

A lightweight alternative focusing specifically on window splitting without additional features. If you need simple 2-pane splitting without the complexity of other options, Window Splitter provides exactly that with minimal overhead.

Building a Custom Solution

For developers who want full control, building a custom tab management solution using the WebExtensions API is viable. Here’s a basic example of a custom split-screen implementation:

// manifest.json
{
 "manifest_version": 3,
 "name": "Custom Tab Splitter",
 "version": "1.0",
 "permissions": ["tabs", "windows"],
 "background": {
 "service_worker": "background.js"
 }
}

// background.js - Split window into two panes
async function splitWindow(windowId, direction = 'horizontal') {
 const window = await chrome.windows.get(windowId);
 const width = window.width;
 const height = window.height;
 if (direction === 'horizontal') {
 // Create two horizontal panes
 await chrome.windows.create({
 url: 'about:blank',
 width: Math.floor(width / 2),
 height: height,
 left: 0,
 top: 0
 });
 await chrome.windows.create({
 url: 'about:blank',
 width: Math.floor(width / 2),
 height: height,
 left: Math.floor(width / 2),
 top: 0
 });
 }
}
chrome.action.onClicked.addListener((tab) => {
 splitWindow(tab.windowId, 'horizontal');
});

This basic implementation creates new windows rather than splitting existing ones, but it demonstrates the API capabilities available for building custom solutions.

Session Management Alternatives

Beyond simple splitting, several extensions focus on comprehensive session management:

Session Buddy: Save, restore, and organize browsing sessions
Tab Session Manager: Similar functionality with additional sync capabilities
OneTab: Collapse all tabs into a single list to reduce memory usage

These don’t provide split-screen functionality but address the underlying problem of tab overload from a different angle.

Performance Considerations

When choosing an alternative, consider the impact on browser performance:

Extension	Memory Impact	CPU Usage
Tab Resize	Medium	Low
Tile Tabs WE	Medium-High	Medium
Sidewise	Low	Low
Native Chrome	None	None

Native solutions and lighter extensions consume fewer system resources, which matters when running multiple development tools simultaneously.

Keyboard-Centric Approaches

Power users often prefer keyboard-driven solutions. Several extensions focus on keyboard accessibility:

Vimium: Provides keyboard navigation for all tabs
Surfingkeys: Comprehensive keyboard shortcuts including tab manipulation
Shortkeys: Customizable keyboard shortcuts for various browser actions

While these don’t provide visual splitting, they dramatically improve tab navigation speed.

Advanced Custom Tab Manager: A Practical Walkthrough

The basic split-window example above is a useful starting point, but a production-quality custom tab manager needs a few more pieces. Here is an expanded implementation that moves the active tab into one of the two new windows and cleans up the original:

// background.js. move current tab into split layout
async function splitCurrentTab(windowId) {
 const currentWindow = await chrome.windows.get(windowId);
 const tabs = await chrome.tabs.query({ active: true, windowId });
 const activeTab = tabs[0];
 const halfWidth = Math.floor(currentWindow.width / 2);
 const screenHeight = currentWindow.height;
 const screenTop = currentWindow.top;
 const screenLeft = currentWindow.left;
 // Left pane. reuse current window
 await chrome.windows.update(windowId, {
 width: halfWidth,
 left: screenLeft
 });
 // Right pane. new window with the active tab
 const rightWindow = await chrome.windows.create({
 tabId: activeTab.id,
 width: halfWidth,
 height: screenHeight,
 left: screenLeft + halfWidth,
 top: screenTop
 });
 return rightWindow.id;
}
chrome.action.onClicked.addListener((tab) => {
 splitCurrentTab(tab.windowId);
});

This approach moves the tab rather than duplicating it, preserving page state and scroll position. The windows.update call resizes the original window to occupy the left half of the screen while the new window takes the right half.

Using Tab Groups as a Tab Resize Alternative

Chrome’s native tab groups feature, introduced in Chrome 89, offers a compelling alternative to visual splitting for many workflows. Groups let you visually separate related tabs with color labels and collapse them to save space on the tab strip.

For developers working on a feature branch, a typical workflow might look like this:

Open your GitHub PR tab, your local dev server, and your test results tab
Select all three tabs, right-click, and choose “Add tabs to new group”
Name the group after the feature (e.g., “auth-refactor”) and assign a color
Collapse the group when switching contexts, expand it to resume

You can automate this via a small extension that groups tabs by domain or URL pattern:

// background.js. auto-group tabs matching a pattern
chrome.tabs.onCreated.addListener(async (tab) => {
 // Wait for the tab to have a URL
 await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
 const updatedTab = await chrome.tabs.get(tab.id);
 if (updatedTab.url && updatedTab.url.includes("github.com")) {
 const existingGroups = await chrome.tabGroups.query({ title: "GitHub" });
 if (existingGroups.length > 0) {
 await chrome.tabs.group({ tabIds: [tab.id], groupId: existingGroups[0].id });
 } else {
 const groupId = await chrome.tabs.group({ tabIds: [tab.id] });
 await chrome.tabGroups.update(groupId, { title: "GitHub", color: "green" });
 }
 }
});

This requires the "tabGroups" permission. The result is that every new GitHub tab automatically lands in a labeled group, making it easy to collapse and expand the entire set with one click.

Vertical Tab Managers: A Different Take on Screen Real Estate

Horizontal tab strips become unwieldy past 15–20 tabs. Vertical tab sidebars address this by using the side of the screen instead, leaving more vertical space for page content. Several extensions bring this to Chrome:

Tree Style Tabs (via Firefox port concepts): Shows tab hierarchy in a collapsible tree, useful when you open many related pages in sequence
Workona: Organizes tabs into workspaces with a sidebar, particularly popular for remote workers juggling multiple projects
Toby: Replaces the new tab page with a visual workspace where you can drag tabs into collections

None of these replicate Tab Resize’s visual splitting, but they solve the core problem of finding the right tab quickly. For developers who rarely need two sites visible simultaneously but constantly lose tabs in a crowded strip, a vertical manager often delivers more value than a splitter.

Choosing Based on Your Screen Setup

Your monitor configuration should inform which alternative you adopt:

Single 1080p monitor: Native window snapping plus a vertical tab manager is usually sufficient. Splitting a 1920px-wide window into two 960px panes makes most sites readable, and you avoid the overhead of a third-party splitting extension.
Single ultrawide (3440px+): Tab Resize or Tile Tabs WE genuinely shine here. Three-column layouts are practical, and the extra pixel budget means split content is never cramped.
Dual monitor setup: Opening tabs in separate windows on each monitor typically outperforms any in-window splitter. Assign one monitor to documentation or monitoring dashboards and keep the other for active editing.
Laptop screen (1366×768 or 1440×900): Splitting is rarely worth it at these resolutions. OneTab or session managers reduce clutter more effectively than trying to fit two sites side by side.

Making the Right Choice

Consider your specific workflow when selecting an alternative:

Simple split-screen needs: Use native window snapping or Window Splitter
Complex layouts: Tile Tabs WE provides the most flexibility
Tab organization: Sidewise or session managers work better
Performance priority: Stick with native features or lightweight alternatives
Custom requirements: Build your own solution using the WebExtensions API

The best choice depends on your specific use case, but 2026 offers more options than ever for efficient tab management without relying solely on Tab Resize.

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