# Simple Tab Groups for Firefox: setup, features, and limits

> Simple Tab Groups is a Firefox WebExtension for creating, switching, backing up, and restoring tab groups across windows. It suits users who need container support and group-level navigation, but Private Browsing is unsupported and overlapping tab managers can conflict.

**Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups** — Create, modify and quick change tab groups. Inspired by the Tab Groups app :)

- Repository: https://github.com/Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups
- Website: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/simple-tab-groups/
- Stars: 1,400 · Forks: 125
- Language: JavaScript
- License: MPL-2.0
- Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/drive4ik-simple-tab-groups

## Why Simple Tab Groups Exists in Firefox

Simple Tab Groups addresses a specific browser-management problem: tabs spread across several Firefox windows become difficult to scan, select, and restore. The project is inspired by the Tab Groups app and is intended for users who divide their open pages into named collections for work, research, communication, or personal projects.

The add-on is not limited to changing colors or labels in the Firefox tab strip. Its group selection model extends across browser windows. According to the README, choosing a group in another window brings that window to the foreground with that group selected. A particular tab inside the group can also be selected in a background window. This supports workflows in which different Firefox windows hold prepared sets of tabs that are not currently visible.

Several focused plugins expose common operations. The README lists Create new group, Create new tab, Create new tab in temporary container, Delete current group, Group notes, Load custom group, and Open Manage groups. Keeping these as separate plugins gives users direct entry points for particular tasks rather than requiring every operation to pass through one management screen.

The broader feature set includes colored group icons, sorting, drag and drop, tab filtering, custom icons, and a dark theme. Simple Tab Groups also remembers the last active tab after a group change. Its popup opens with `F8` by default, although Firefox's extension shortcut settings can change that key. Together, these features make it a broader workspace for tab organization rather than a basic group-labeling utility.

## Cross-Window Groups and Firefox Containers

Cross-window behavior is central to Simple Tab Groups. Selecting a group outside the active Firefox window brings the appropriate window forward with that group loaded. The README also says that a specific tab can be selected in a background window. This offers direct access to prepared tabs, although the exact visual behavior and any browser-version-specific restrictions are not explained further in the README.

The add-on integrates with Firefox Multi-Account Containers. Its permission list includes `contextualIdentities` and `cookies`, which support container-related tab operations. The Create new tab in temporary container plugin creates a tab in a temporary container, while the development notes state that tabs can be caught by containers. These features are separate from ordinary Firefox tab groups because they involve contextual identities as well as the add-on's own groups.

The Manage groups interface currently supports a grid according to the README. Users can search and filter tabs, drag tabs and groups, and sort groups through the popup context menu. A browser-button context menu can undo a group removal. This undo operation is narrower than restoring a complete backup, so it should not be treated as protection against every form of data loss.

Simple Tab Groups can import data from Panorama View and Sync Tab Groups. It can also import backup groups from the old Tab Groups add-on. These migration paths may be valuable to Firefox users replacing an earlier organizational tool, but they do not imply compatibility with every group manager. The README explicitly warns that the extension may conflict with programs that perform similar tab-management functions.

## Building Simple Tab Groups from Source

The README provides a development build sequence from the `addon` directory. Run the documented commands from the repository checkout:

```bash
cd addon
npm install
npm run build
```

`npm install` installs the add-on package dependencies. `npm run build` creates a development build in the `dist` directory. The README does not document the Firefox menu path for loading this directory as a temporary add-on, so it does not provide a complete installation tutorial for that step.

For ongoing development, the README documents a watch script:

```bash
npm run watch
```

`npm run watch` watches for file modifications and runs the development build. This is intended for developers changing the extension rather than users looking for a one-time installation command.

A ZIP package can be created with:

```bash
npm run build-zip
```

The package name and version come from `manifest.json`, and the resulting ZIP is placed in the `dist-zip` directory. Its filename follows the documented `<name>-v<version>-(dev|prod).zip` format. The repository has no GitHub releases, and the README does not document an automated publication process for those ZIP files. Users interested in the distributed add-on can use the Mozilla Add-ons URL published in the README instead.

## Backups, Restoration, and STGHost Integration

Simple Tab Groups can back up and restore tabs, groups, and settings through a JSON file. This is a broader operation than undoing a deleted group because it covers the combined state of tabs, groups, and settings. The README does not publish the complete JSON schema, so developers integrating the format would need to inspect the repository rather than assume compatibility from the example of the backup plugin.

The `downloads` permission is listed for automatic backups. The README does not state the default interval, retention count, destination policy, or failure behavior for an automatic backup, so those details should not be assumed. The optional `STGHost` component extends the Windows backup workflow by using `nativeMessaging` to create backups in any folder.

The Windows limitation is explicit. Simple Tab Groups remains a Firefox extension, while `STGHost` is a host-side component used only for the stated native backup path. The README does not establish `STGHost` as mandatory for ordinary group management or browser-local backups. It also does not document installation of that host utility in the build tutorial, leaving a separate setup step for any workflow that depends on arbitrary-folder backups.

Users who depend on backups should first determine whether they need browser-managed exports or the optional `STGHost` path. These are not equivalent integrations. The former is described as JSON backup and restoration; the latter adds native messaging and a Windows-specific host utility.

## Permissions, Conflicts, and Unsupported Private Windows

Simple Tab Groups requests permissions that touch broad parts of Firefox tab handling. The `tabs` and `tabHide` permissions cover tab management and hiding. `storage` saves groups locally, while `sessions` preserves session information such as the last used group. `unlimitedStorage` supports restoring large numbers of tabs after a window closes. `downloads` supports automatic backups, and `notifications` reports operations such as moving a tab to a group.

The add-on also lists `<all_urls>` access for tab thumbnails and for catching, moving, or reopening tabs in the required containers and groups. It lists `webRequest` and `webRequestBlocking` for those tab-routing operations. Optional `bookmarks` permission can be used to create bookmarks. Optional `nativeMessaging` connects the Windows backup role performed by `STGHost`.

These permissions follow from features that extend well beyond visual grouping. They are still relevant to organizational review because the extension can hide tabs, inspect URLs, move tabs between containers, reopen them, and store substantial tab state. The README does not provide a narrower permission mode for installations that do not need containers, backups, bookmarks, or native messaging.

Two boundaries are especially important. The README says that Private or Incognito Mode is specially not supported. Users whose main workflow depends on private windows cannot treat Simple Tab Groups as a drop-in solution there. The README also names Tab Open/Close Control, OneTab, Tiled Tab Groups, Totally not Panorama, Panorama Tab Groups, and Panorama View as potentially conflicting add-ons. Running overlapping tab managers may produce unpredictable control over visibility, restoration, or group ownership.

## Gesturefy Actions and External Add-on IDs

Simple Tab Groups accepts messages from the Gesturefy add-on. The README says to enter the following add-on ID in Gesturefy:

```text
simple-tab-groups@drive4ik
```

Gesturefy must also have `Parse message` set to `On`. Although `text` is used for the identifier, this value is configuration data rather than an executable example.

The documented action list gives direct access to operations such as `add-new-group`, `rename-group`, `delete-current-group`, `open-manage-groups`, and `create-backup`. It also supports traversal through groups with `load-next-group`, `load-prev-group`, `load-first-group`, and `load-last-group`. Additional actions handle unloaded and non-empty groups, history traversal, custom groups, discarding groups, reloading tabs, and creating a temporary tab.

This integration makes Simple Tab Groups usable with gesture-driven navigation rather than requiring keyboard or pointer input in the Firefox popup. However, the exact gesture mappings belong to Gesturefy configuration. Simple Tab Groups supplies message actions and its add-on ID, but the README does not define which physical gesture should invoke each action. An incorrect Gesturefy configuration should be investigated in that add-on rather than treated as a missing Simple Tab Groups command.

## Maintenance, Compatibility, and the MPL-2.0 License

The repository is not archived, and its last push was on 2026-10-15. This confirms a recent repository change, but the absence of GitHub releases means it does not establish a regular release schedule. The README does not list supported Firefox versions, a compatibility matrix, or an upgrade policy. Compatibility therefore needs to be checked against the actual add-on listing and the Firefox installation in use.

The repository includes translation resources and links to a separate translation contribution page. This adds a localization maintenance path, but the README does not say whether translations are reviewed automatically or which Firefox locales are supported by the current source tree. It also does not document how migrations affect saved groups or backups when the internal data format changes.

Simple Tab Groups is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. For developers who modify and redistribute the extension, that license defines the applicable file-level obligations. Users installing the compiled add-on have a different relationship to the source code, and organizations should assess their own compliance needs separately. This article does not interpret the license as legal advice.

The practical upgrade cost is clearest for developers: they must rebuild after source changes and may need the optional Windows host utility for native backups. For end users, the absence of repository releases and explicit version compatibility documentation makes the published add-on listing the more relevant source for current availability.

## Conclusion

Simple Tab Groups fits Firefox users who need named groups, cross-window switching, container handling, keyboard-driven management, and JSON backups. It does not fit users who require Private Browsing support or who already run one of the add-ons listed as conflicting. Before adoption, verify compatibility with the installed Firefox version, check organizational restrictions on browser permissions, and determine whether another extension already manages tab hiding or group restoration.

## FAQ

### How do I build Simple Tab Groups from the repository?

From the repository, run `cd addon`, `npm install`, and `npm run build`. The README says the development build is placed in the `dist` directory.

### Does Simple Tab Groups support Firefox Private Browsing?

No. The README explicitly states that Private or Incognito Mode is not supported.

### Can Simple Tab Groups switch tab groups across browser windows?

Yes. According to the README, selecting a group in another window brings it to the foreground, and a specific tab within that group can be selected in a background window.

## Sources

- [Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups on GitHub](https://github.com/Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups)
- [Issues](https://github.com/Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups/issues)
- [License: MPL-2.0](https://github.com/Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [Project website](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/simple-tab-groups/)
- [README](https://github.com/Drive4ik/simple-tab-groups/blob/master/README.md)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/drive4ik-simple-tab-groups