How to Show Gmail’s Unread Count on a Pinned Chrome Tab

Pinning your Gmail tab in Chrome keeps it out of the way, but it also hides the tab title, which is where Gmail normally shows your unread count. You can get that number back by installing a small Chrome extension that reads Gmail’s title and displays the count as a badge on the pinned tab’s icon.

Applies to: Google Chrome on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux, with a Google account signed into Gmail. No specific Chrome version is required.

How do you show Gmail’s unread count on a pinned tab?

1. Open Gmail in Chrome and sign in to your account.
2. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for a Gmail unread badge extension, such as “Gmail Unread Count Badge” or “Gmail Taskbar Unread Badge.”
3. Click Add to Chrome, then confirm by selecting Add extension.
4. Reload your Gmail tab so the extension can read the current unread count.
5. Right-click the Gmail tab and choose Pin tab. The tab shrinks to just its icon.
6. Check the icon. A small badge showing your unread count should now appear over the Gmail favicon.

The badge updates automatically as new mail arrives or as you read messages, so you always know your unread count at a glance without unpinning the tab.

FAQ

Why doesn’t Gmail show unread count on a pinned tab by default?

Gmail normally displays the unread count in the browser tab’s title text, like “(3) Inbox.” Pinning a tab removes the title text and shrinks it down to only the icon, which hides that number unless an extension redraws it onto the icon itself.

Does this work with multiple Gmail accounts?

Some extensions struggle when you have more than one Gmail tab or account open in the same Chrome profile, since they read the count from the page title generically. If you rely on multiple accounts, test the extension with each account pinned separately to confirm the count matches.

Will this work with a Gmail Progressive Web App instead of a tab?

Yes, several extensions and native OS badge support also work with Gmail installed as a desktop PWA, showing the unread count on the taskbar or dock icon rather than a browser tab.

One glance is all it takes

A pinned Gmail tab saves space, and an unread-count badge means you don’t lose track of new mail in the process. Install the extension once, pin your tab, and you’ll see your inbox status without ever needing to click into it.

Related:

• 50 Chromebook Tips and Tricks
• Chrome’s ‘Pinned Tabs’ Coming to Android
• Chrome Flags: Unlock Experimental Features