Search open tabs in Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opera browsers

Working with multiple tabs makes it easier to collect information from different resources while doing online research. Though sometimes, it becomes overwhelming to have too many tabs opened. You search for something in a tab, keep reading it, and then switch to something else in a different tab. After opening a couple of tabs, you won’t be able to look at the title of a tab that lets you know what information it holds. Also, it becomes difficult to search for a specific word or phrase in a particular tab. To overcome these issues, most modern browsers nowadays offer a ‘Search Tabs‘ feature that lets you search across all the opened or recently closed tabs.

The Search Tabs feature allows you to:

See a list of open tabs across all browser windows.
Find a specific tab in a list of all open tabs and recently closed tabs.
Know when a specific tab has been opened or closed by seeing the timestamp (feature available in Chrome and Edge).
Search both title and content of open pages (a feature available in the Opera browser).

How to search open tabs in Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Opera browsers

Let’s look at how to search open tabs in different browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera.

How to search open tabs in Microsoft Edge

Go to Microsoft Edge.
Click on the ‘Tabs actions menu’ icon located in the top-left corner of the browser window.
Click on the Search tabs option. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl + Shift + A key combination.
A pop-up window will appear listing all open tabs and recently closed tabs. The window also shows a search bar on top.
Type the desired word or phrase in the search bar.
Use up and down keys on the keyboard to move between the search results.
Press Enter to go to the tab. You can also use your mouse to go to the desired tab.

Read: Microsoft Edge not restoring previous Tab session.

How to search open tabs in Google Chrome

Go to Google Chrome.
Click on the ‘v‘ icon in the top-right corner.
You will see a pop-up window listing all open tabs and recently closed tabs. The window shows a search box on top.
Type the word or phrase in the search box. Search results will appear.
Use up and down arrow keys to move between the search results.
Press Enter or use your mouse cursor to go to the required tab.

Read: Reset or Refresh Firefox browser settings to default

How to search open tabs in Mozilla Firefox

Go to Mozilla Firefox.
Open a new tab and place your mouse cursor in the address bar.
Select the tabs icon at the bottom of the menu that appears.
You will see a list of all open tabs, with a ‘Switch to Tab’ button in front of each listing.
Use the address bar to locate a specific tab.
Click on the tab title or the ‘Switch to Tab’ button to go to the desired tab.

Note: Firefox doesn’t give you the option to look at your recently closed tabs while using the Search Tabs feature.

How to search open tabs in Opera Browser

Go to Opera Browser.
Click on the Search icon in the top-right corner. Alternatively, you can press the Ctrl Space key combination.
A list of recently closed and open tabs will open up in a popup window.
The windows show a search bar on top. Type the desired word/ phrase in the search bar.
Use up/ down keys to move between the search results.
Go to the desired tab either by pressing Enter or by using your mouse cursor.

How do I search tabs in Windows?

You can search tabs in Windows 11/ 10 using your browser’s built-in feature. All modern browsers now come with a Search Tabs feature that allows searching across multiple open tabs, as well as closed tabs. If you use Edge or Chrome as your default browser, press Ctrl + Shift + A key combination to access the Search Tabs features. In Mozilla Firefox, click on the address bar and tap on the Tabs button in the bottom of the window that appears. Opera users may search open tabs by clicking the Search icon present on the top-right corner of the browser window.

What happens if I have a lot of tabs open?

If you have a lot of tabs open in your web browser, your system may experience performance issues. This is because each tab consumes a fraction of your system’s RAM. The more tabs you open, the more RAM they utilize and your system will run out of RAM to manage other tasks. This may result in slowing down, freezing, or crashing your PC.