The Great Suspender vs Save and Close: Suspending Tabs or Saving Them
The Great Suspender was a popular tab suspender until Google removed it from the Chrome Web Store in 2021 after flagging it as malware. Today Chrome has Memory Saver and Edge has sleeping tabs built in. Suspending keeps tabs open but idle. Saving and closing a set takes it out of the window until you want it back. They solve different problems.
Your Current Challenges
The Great Suspender disappeared and suspended tabs looked lost
Unsure which built-in setting replaces a tab suspender
Idle tabs still crowd the tab strip even when they're asleep
Suspended tabs reload and lose what you typed
Not sure whether to suspend, save or simply close
Use Cases
Former Great Suspender users looking for a safe replacement
Laptop users who keep Chrome or Edge open all day
Researchers who park sources for later in the week
Anyone who wants fewer tabs in the window, not just idle ones
How NexaTabs Helps
For suspending tabs, use the browser's built-in feature: Memory Saver in Chrome or sleeping tabs in Edge. The Great Suspender itself is no longer an option. In February 2021 Google removed it from the Chrome Web Store and disabled it for existing users, flagging it as containing malware after the extension changed ownership. If you want fewer tabs in the window, not just idle ones, save the set and close it instead.
1. What happened to The Great Suspender
- It suspended tabs you weren't using and reloaded them when you clicked back.
- In 2020 the extension changed hands, and a later version was reported to load remote code. Microsoft removed it from Edge Add-ons, and in February 2021 Google removed it from the Chrome Web Store and turned it off in Chrome.
- If you still have suspended pages from it in your history, their original addresses were part of the suspended page URL, so many people recovered tabs from History.
2. The built-in alternatives
- Chrome: Settings -> Performance -> Memory Saver. Chrome deactivates tabs you aren't using and reloads them when you return. You can choose a level (Moderate, Balanced or Maximum) and add sites to Always keep these sites active.
- Edge: Settings -> System and performance -> Performance -> Automatically put tabs to sleep, with a time setting and a list of sites to keep active.
- Chrome notes that some tabs may not be deactivated, for example tabs playing audio or video, sharing your screen, with partially filled forms, or pinned tabs.
3. Suspending vs saving and closing
- Suspending: tabs stay in your tab strip, idle until you click them. Good for things you'll come back to soon.
- Saving and closing: the whole set leaves the window and is stored so you can reopen it later. Good for projects you won't touch until tomorrow or next week.
- Neither replaces the other. Many people keep the built-in setting on and save the sets they're done with for today.
4. A simple rule
- Back within the hour -> leave it open and let Memory Saver or sleeping tabs handle it.
- Back tomorrow or later -> save the set with a name and close it.
- Done for good -> close it, keeping only the links worth bookmarking.
5. An optional Save and Close tool
NexaTabs is a free Chrome and Edge extension. Its Save and Close feature stores every open tab in a named workspace and clears the window in one action, and you can reopen the workspace in one click or switch with Alt+Q. NexaTabs doesn't suspend tabs; it saves and closes them, so it works alongside Memory Saver rather than replacing it. Workspaces are stored locally in your browser, with no NexaTabs account or cloud sync. It is free forever in its present form.
Honest limits
We don't publish memory or speed numbers, because results depend on the sites you use and your device. Suspended and reopened pages reload, so unsaved form input may be lost either way. Save and Close restores saved URLs and is not a guarantee against every crash or deletion.
Step By Step Guide
1. If The Great Suspender is still listed in your extensions, remove it.
2. Turn on Memory Saver in Chrome (Settings -> Performance) or sleeping tabs in Edge (Settings -> System and performance -> Performance).
3. Add sites that must stay live, such as mail, chat or music, to the always-active list.
4. Look at your tab strip and spot the sets you won't need again today.
5. Save each of those sets with a clear name and close it.
6. Reopen a saved set when you return to that work, instead of keeping it open all week.
7. Once a week, delete or archive saved sets for finished work.
Why NexaTabs
NexaTabs is optional. Keep Memory Saver or sleeping tabs on. When the real problem is a crowded window, NexaTabs Save and Close stores a set as a named workspace and clears it in one step, stored locally in your browser on Chrome and Edge.
Benefits
A built-in, maintained way to put idle tabs to sleep
A shorter tab strip once finished sets are saved and closed
Clear rules for when to suspend and when to save
Less worry about closing tabs, because the set is saved first
No dependence on an extension that was removed from the store
Turn on the built-in setting, then park one set
Switch on Memory Saver or sleeping tabs first. Then pick one set of tabs you won't need until tomorrow, save it with a clear name and close it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Great Suspender still available?
No. Google removed it from the Chrome Web Store in February 2021 and disabled it in Chrome, saying it contained malware. Remove it if it is still listed in your extensions.
What is the best built-in alternative to a tab suspender?
Chrome Memory Saver and Edge sleeping tabs. Both put tabs you aren't using to sleep and reload them when you click, and both let you keep chosen sites always active.
Is Save and Close the same as suspending tabs?
No. Suspending leaves tabs in the window but idle. Save and Close stores the whole set in a workspace and removes it from the window until you reopen it.
Can I use Memory Saver and NexaTabs together?
Yes. Memory Saver handles tabs you'll be back to soon, and NexaTabs workspaces hold the sets you want out of the window for a while. Keep the built-in setting on.