TabMaster Bridge

Set Up the TabMaster Bridge Extension

TabMaster Bridge is the companion extension that links your browser to the TabMaster desktop app. It has one job: keep your open tabs in sync and carry out the actions you trigger in the app. Install it once per browser and you are done.

Get TabMaster BridgeDownload the Mac app

The extension alone does nothing — it needs the TabMaster desktop app on the same Mac. The app is free to try, no card required.


Install it in each browser

The extension is per-browser: TabMaster only manages browsers that are running it. Chrome, Brave, Chromium and other Chromium forks install from the Chrome Web Store and share the same extension id, so the app recognises them all. Edge needs one extra click.

Google Chrome

  • Open the TabMaster Bridge listing and click Add to Chrome.
  • Confirm the permission prompt — the extension needs to read your open tabs to sync them.

Microsoft Edge

  • TabMaster Bridge is distributed through the Chrome Web Store, so Edge asks you to opt in first.
  • Open the listing in Edge and click Allow extensions from other stores in the banner at the top, then Add to Chrome.

Brave, Chromium & other Chromium browsers

  • Install straight from the Chrome Web Store — these browsers share Chrome's extension id, so the app recognises them with no extra setup.
  • Any Chromium browser that can install the extension works; the app picks up its name automatically.

Two settings worth knowing

Incognito tabs

Chromium hides incognito tabs from extensions by default, so TabMaster's incognito filter stays empty until you allow it. Open your browser's extensions page, find TabMaster Bridge, open its details, and turn on Allow in Incognito — called Allow in InPrivate in Edge. Per browser.

Even with it on, incognito tabs stay out of the recently-closed list so their URLs are never written to disk, and auto-stashing skips them unless you opt in.

What it can and can't see

The extension reads the titles and URLs of your open tabs plus open/close/activate events, and captures a thumbnail of each window's active tab. That is the whole list. It talks only to the app on your own Mac over a loopback socket on 127.0.0.1:47615, never to a server.

Read the privacy policy →

Check that it connected

  • 1
    Press Cmd+G (or click the menu bar icon) to open TabMaster — your tabs should be listed straight away.
  • 2
    Open the ☰ menu beside the search box → Browser Extension to see every connected browser, its extension version, and how many tabs and windows it reports.
  • 3
    If the palette warns that the extension is not connected, make sure a Chromium browser with TabMaster Bridge enabled is actually running — reconnection is automatic.
Requires v1.0.1 or newer
Updates automatically
Loopback only

Extension FAQ

Do I need the extension in every browser?

Yes — the extension is per-browser. TabMaster only sees browsers that are running it, so install it in each Chromium browser whose tabs you want to manage. The app tells you which browsers are connected under the ☰ menu → Browser Extension.

Does the extension send my browsing data anywhere?

No. It connects only to the TabMaster app on the same Mac, over a loopback-only local socket on 127.0.0.1:47615 that never touches the network. It contains no analytics, ads or trackers, and runs no remote code.

How does the extension update?

Store installs update themselves — Chrome usually picks up a new version within a few hours. To force it, open your browser's extensions page and click Update. TabMaster shows an "extension out of date" notice for any browser running older than 1.0.1; those tabs still work, but some features (like recently-used sorting) need the newer version.

Why does TabMaster say the extension is not connected?

Either no browser is running it yet, or the extension is installed but disabled. Open a Chromium browser with TabMaster Bridge enabled and the banner clears on its own — the extension reconnects automatically with backoff, so you never have to restart anything in a particular order.

TabMaster says it could not start its browser bridge. What now?

That message means the app itself could not open its local port — almost always because another process already holds it. Quit whatever is using port 47615, then restart TabMaster. This is not an extension problem, and reinstalling the extension will not fix it.

Can I install it from source instead?

Yes — the extension ships in the app's repository and can be loaded unpacked for development. It pins the store's public key, so an unpacked install resolves to the same extension id and the app accepts it exactly like a store install.

Got the extension? Get the app.

TabMaster searches, groups, stashes and previews tabs across every Chromium browser at once, from your menu bar. Free to try, no card and no account.

Download for macOS