How do I switch between new tab extensions without turning them on and off?
By Mutables, who make Hallway. Updated
Short answer
In Chrome alone you can’t: the only way to switch is to turn extensions on and off at chrome://extensions. Hallway does that part for you. Click its toolbar button and pick one, and the next new tab opens it, or switch with the Alt+Shift+N shortcut or the button’s right-click menu.
What switching means in Chrome
Chrome has no switch for new tab extensions. To change which one opens, you turn off the one that has the new tab so another can have it. With three or four installed, that’s a trip to chrome://extensions and a row of toggles every time.
Hallway does the same thing in one step. It turns on the one you pick and turns off the other new tab extensions in your list. If anything fails halfway, it puts every extension back the way it was.
Switching by hand
Without an extension, chrome://extensions is the place.
- Chrome
Open chrome://extensions, turn off the new tab extension you’re using now, and make sure the one you want is on. If more than one is still on, the one installed last keeps the new tab, so turn the others off.
- Chrome
The puzzle piece in the toolbar opens the Extensions menu, which links to the same page.
- Edge
Edge works the same way, at edge://extensions.
With Hallway
How to switch with Hallway
- Add Hallway to Chrome and pin it from the puzzle piece in the toolbar, so its button is always in view.
- Click the Hallway button and pick a new tab extension. The next new tab you open shows it.
- To switch and open a tab at once, hold Ctrl (or ⌘ on a Mac) as you click. With the list open, the number keys 1 to 9 pick a row.
- Press AltShiftN to switch to the next one in your list and open it. Or right-click the Hallway button and choose Switch to.
Worth knowing
- The shortcut goes through your list in order and skips Chrome’s own page. Drag rows in the popup or in Hallway’s settings to change the order.
- If AltShiftN does nothing, another extension may already use it. Pick a different shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
- After a switch, Chrome may ask “Change back to Google?”. Click Keep it to keep your pick.
- Hallway turns off only the new tab extensions in your list. They keep their settings, and the rest of your extensions are left alone.
Questions
Is there a keyboard shortcut to switch new tab extensions?
Yes, with Hallway: Alt+Shift+N switches to the next new tab extension in your list and opens a new tab. You can change it at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
How fast is a switch?
About 120 milliseconds from the click to the next new tab showing the new page, in our tests.
Can I switch back to Chrome’s own new tab?
Yes. Chrome default is always in Hallway’s list. Picking it turns off the new tab extensions in your list.
Do I have to set anything up?
No. Hallway asks Chrome which of your extensions replace the new tab and lists them. If one is missing, you can add it by hand in Hallway’s settings.
Related guides
-
Why does Chrome only let one new tab extension work at a time? Chrome gives the new tab to one extension, the one installed last. Why the others do nothing, what Chrome lets you do, and how to pick which one opens. -
Can my new tab page change on a schedule, one for work and one for evenings? Show one new tab extension during work hours and another in the evening and at weekends, or a different one each day. How Hallway’s schedule works. -
How do I switch between new tab page extensions in Microsoft Edge? Edge shows one new tab extension at a time. How to switch between them at edge://extensions or in one click, and what to do when Edge turns one off.
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