To open multiple tabs at once in Chrome, put the links in a bookmark folder and choose Open all from its right-click menu, or set them as startup pages under On startup. For links on a page, Ctrl-click (⌘-click on Mac) or middle-click each one to open it in the background. If you open the same sets every day, a tab manager like LB TAB Layers opens a whole project’s tabs with one click on ▶.
Monday morning: mail, calendar, the project board, two documents and the chat. Opening them one by one takes only a minute — but it is the same minute every day, and it is easy to forget one. Here are the ways to open many tabs at once, from the simplest to the most organized.
1. Open all bookmarks in a folder
- Put the pages you want in one bookmark folder.
- Right-click the folder in the bookmarks bar or bookmark manager (Ctrl+Shift+O, ⌘+Option+B on Mac).
- Choose Open all, Open all in new window or Open all in Incognito window.
This is the most flexible built-in method. Its weak spots: the new tabs pile on top of whatever is already open (so you can end up with duplicates), and you have to keep the folders tidy yourself.
2. Startup pages
Go to Settings → On startup → Open a specific page or set of pages and add the sites you want. Use current pages adds every tab you have open right now. Chrome opens them each time it starts.
Good for a fixed morning routine. Less good if your day changes: there is only one set, and it opens only when Chrome starts.
3. Open links from a page in the background
- Ctrl-click (⌘-click on Mac) or middle-click a link to open it in a new background tab. Do it on several links in a row — search results, a reading list, a table of tickets — and they line up next to your current tab.
- Shift-click opens a link in a new window.
- Ctrl+Shift-click (⌘+Shift-click) opens it in a new tab and switches to it.
4. Reopen a whole window you closed
If the set of tabs you want is one you just closed as a window, Ctrl+Shift+T (⌘+Shift+T) brings the whole window back. More in how to reopen closed tabs.
Comparing the built-in methods
| Method | Best for | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Bookmark folder → Open all | Any set you have bookmarked | Opens duplicates of tabs already open; folders need upkeep |
| Startup pages | The same pages every morning | One set, only at startup |
| Ctrl-click / middle-click | Links on the page in front of you | One click per link, every time |
| Ctrl+Shift+T | A window you just closed | Only recent windows, in order |
5. One click per project with LB TAB Layers
LB TAB Layers works like method 1, but with the upkeep built in. You keep tabs in groups in Chrome’s side panel — each one a Chrome bookmark folder — and open them from there:
| To… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Open every tab in a group | Press ▶ on the group. Only the saved tabs that aren’t already open are opened, in the background, so you don’t get duplicates |
| Open a group in its own window | Group’s … menu → Open in new window |
| Open one saved tab without leaving your page | Middle-click it — it opens next to your current tab in the background |
| Close the set again | Press ■. The tabs close; the group stays saved |
Clicking a group’s name only expands or collapses it, so you won’t open twenty tabs by accident.
Build a set once, open it every day
- Open the pages you want in the set.
- Press Alt+T (Option+T on Mac) to open LB TAB Layers. The pages appear under Solo Tabs.
- Click Group all into a new group (the folder-plus button above Solo Tabs) and name it, for example “Monday start”.
- Press ■ when you are done. Next time, press ▶.
Collect links first, open them later
Another pattern: while reading, right-click interesting links and choose Save to TAB Layers, then pick a group such as “To read”. Nothing opens yet. When you have time, press ▶ on that group to open them all at once — and ■ to close them when you are done. (A link saved this way is named after the text you had selected, or its address if nothing was selected; double-click it in the panel to rename it.)
Which method should you use?
- The same pages every time Chrome starts — startup pages.
- A handful of links on the page in front of you — Ctrl-click or middle-click them.
- A set you already have as a bookmark folder — Open all, if you don’t mind tidying the folder yourself.
- Several sets you switch between during the day — groups in LB TAB Layers, opened with ▶ and closed with ■.
Many people combine them: a short startup set for mail and calendar, and project groups for everything else.
A tip for large groups
Opening fifty tabs at once uses a lot of memory. Split big groups into subgroups — “Daily”, “Weekly”, “Reference” — and open only the one you need. For the closing side of the routine, see close all at once, open all at once.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How do I open all bookmarks in a folder at once in Chrome?
Right-click the folder in the bookmarks bar or bookmark manager and choose Open all, Open all in new window or Open all in Incognito window.
Q. How do I open several links in new tabs without leaving the page?
Ctrl-click (⌘-click on Mac) or middle-click each link. They open in background tabs next to the current one.
Q. How do I open the same set of tabs every morning?
Set them as startup pages under Settings → On startup, or save them as a group in LB TAB Layers and press ▶ whenever you need them — not only when Chrome starts.
Q. Does ▶ in LB TAB Layers open duplicate tabs?
No. It opens only the saved tabs that are not already open. Open in new window, on the other hand, opens the whole group in a fresh window.
▶ See it in action
Managing bookmarks and tabs together in the sidebar. (The video shows the Japanese UI.)
One click, every tab you need.
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