Auto Tab Discard
Check Chrome's Memory Saver first
Before reaching for Auto Tab Discard, open Chrome Settings → Performance and enable Memory Saver. Chrome's built-in version automatically discards inactive tabs after a configurable period, does the same job, and requires no extension. For most users it's sufficient.
Auto Tab Discard offers more granular control — precise timers, per-domain whitelisting, manual discard buttons — but if you just want idle tabs to stop consuming RAM, the built-in option gets you there without adding a third-party extension.
How Duotang handles memory differently
Auto Tab Discard works on individual tabs — it monitors each tab's idle time and discards them one by one. When you come back to a discarded tab, it reloads from its URL. Your scroll position, form state, and in-page work are gone.
Duotang's memory saving is workspace-level. Close a workspace window and every tab in it unloads simultaneously — no timer, no per-tab configuration. Reopen the workspace and Chrome restores those tabs from where they were. You're not managing idle time on individual tabs; you're parking entire projects.
Duotang also has a Minimize feature for hibernating individual tabs within a workspace when you don't need them loaded right now, similar to manual tab discarding.
They solve different problems
Auto Tab Discard is for people with too many tabs in a single window who want automatic memory management. Duotang is for people who work across multiple projects and need to switch between them without losing their work. The memory benefit in Duotang is a side effect of the workspace architecture, not the goal.
When Auto Tab Discard is the right choice
- You keep many tabs open in one window and want them automatically discarded when idle
- You need fine-grained control — per-domain whitelists, custom timers
- You don't need workspace organization, just memory management
- Chrome's built-in Memory Saver doesn't give you enough control
When Duotang is the right choice
- You want to switch between projects without tabs reloading
- You work in apps where reloading from a URL means starting over — Notion, Gmail, ChatGPT, Figma
- You want memory savings as a consequence of closing workspace windows, not timer-based discarding
- You want named workspaces alongside any memory benefit
Workspace switching that keeps tabs alive — free, no account.
Install Duotang