Chrome Tab Groups Not Syncing? Turn On This Sync Setting

Chrome tab groups not syncing between your computers almost always comes down to one box. Open Settings, then You and Google, then Sync and Google services, then Manage what you sync. If Customize sync is selected, make sure Saved tab groups is turned on, and do the same on the other computer. Then look for the group behind the grid button at the left end of the bookmarks bar, not in your open tabs.

Before you start

• Devices: two or more computers running Chrome on Windows, Mac, or Linux. This guide does not cover Chrome on Android or iPhone, where the settings live in a different place.
• Browser: Google Chrome. Not version-specific.
• Account: the same Google Account signed in on every computer, with sync turned on, not just signed in.

Where does a synced tab group actually show up?

Check this first, because a lot of people are looking in the wrong place. A tab group from another computer does not open by itself in your tab strip. Chrome treats it as a saved group and parks it in two spots:

• The bookmarks bar, behind a small grid button at the far left. Click it and a list of your saved groups appears, including the ones made on other computers.
• The three-dot menu, under Tab groups. Same list.

If the group is there, nothing is broken. Click it, and Chrome reopens the tabs. If the list is empty or the group is missing, keep going.

Why does this happen?

There are three common causes. Each one has a tell, so you can find your branch without trying every fix.

• Saved tab groups is switched off in Customize sync. The tell: on Manage what you sync, the Customize sync option is selected, and the Saved tab groups toggle is grey. This is by far the most common cause. Chrome does not send a group to your Google Account without it, so the other computer has nothing to receive.
• Sync is on for one computer but not the other. The tell: the computer that made the group shows the group in its own grid button, but the second computer shows Turn on sync or a plain Sign in in the profile menu. Being signed in to Google is not the same as syncing.
• The group is syncing, but the bookmarks bar is set to hide it. The tell: the group appears under the three dot menu, Tab groups, but not in the bookmarks bar. Two switches on the Appearance page control this.

Fix 1: Turn on Saved tab groups in Manage what you sync

Do this on every computer, not just the one where the group is missing. Sync is a two-way street. One computer has to upload the group, and the other has to be allowed to download it.

1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu, then Settings.
2. In the left column, click You and Google.
3. Click Sync and Google services.
4. Click Manage what you sync.
5. If Sync everything is selected, you are done on this page. Move to the next computer.
6. If Customize sync is selected, scroll the list and turn on Saved tab groups.
7. Keep History and Open tabs turned on as well. Google files tab groups under History and tabs, so those two need to stay on for groups to travel.
8. Repeat on the other computer.

If your Manage what you sync page shows one switch called History and tabs instead of the separate History, Open tabs, and Saved tab groups rows, that is the same setting under a different layout. Turn that one switch on.

Fix 2: Turn on sync, not just sign-in, on the second computer

1. Click your profile picture at the top right of Chrome.
2. If the menu says Turn on sync, click it and confirm.
3. If it only offers Sign in, sign in with the same Google Account you use on the other computer, then turn on sync when asked.
4. Go back to Manage what you sync and confirm Saved tab groups is on here too.

Fix 3: show synced groups in the bookmarks bar

These two switches sit near the bottom of the Appearance page, below the tab search switch, so you may need to scroll.

1. Open Settings, then Appearance.
2. Turn on Show tab groups in bookmarks bar.
3. Turn on Automatically pin new tab groups created on any device to the bookmarks bar.

With both on, a group made on your other computer lands on your bookmarks bar as a coloured pill as soon as it arrives. With only the first one on, it still syncs, but you have to open the grid button to find it.

Give it a minute, then check again

Sync is not instant. After changing a sync setting, open a new window on the second computer and click the grid button again. The group usually shows up within a minute or so. You do not need to reinstall anything or sign out.

What does not fix this

• Reinstalling Chrome. Your sync choices live in your Chrome profile, not in the program files, and a normal reinstall keeps the profile. You come back with the same Customize sync choices, and the box is still off.
• Making the group again on the first computer. Chrome already saved it locally. Re-creating it just makes a second local group. Nothing leaves the computer until Saved tab groups is on.
• Turning on only Open tabs. Open tabs sync sends the tabs you have open right now to the History page’s other devices list. It does not carry saved groups. The Saved tab groups toggle is its own row for that reason.
• Bookmarking the tabs. Bookmarks sync fine, but a tab group is not a bookmark folder. It will not appear under the grid button, and it will not reopen as a group.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the tab group show on my laptop but not my desktop?

Because the desktop is not allowed to download it. Open Manage what you sync on the desktop and turn on Saved tab groups there. The setting is per computer, not per account, so fixing one machine does not fix the other.

Do tab groups sync if I am signed in but sync is off?

No. Signing in gives you your Google services in the browser. Sync is a separate switch that sends your browser data, including saved groups, to your Google Account. Click your profile picture and look for Turn on sync.

Where did my synced tab group go? It is not in my tabs.

It is behind the grid button at the left end of the bookmarks bar, and under the three dot menu, Tab groups. Chrome does not open synced groups automatically on a computer. Click the group to reopen its tabs.

Does closing a tab group delete it?

No. A closed group is kept as a saved group in the bookmarks bar grid and the Tab groups menu, and it stays synced. To remove it for good, right-click the group and choose Delete group.

Conclusion

Tab groups only travel when Saved tab groups is turned on in Manage what you sync, on both computers. Once it is, look for the group behind the bookmarks bar grid button rather than in your open tabs. The two Appearance switches decide whether it also pins itself to the bar.

Related

• How to save Chrome tab groups for later
• How to restore closed Chrome tabs
• Send a tab to your other devices in Chrome