Popup Tab Switcher: Fast Keyboard Navigation

Popup Tab Switcher: Fast Keyboard Navigation is a lightweight Google Chrome extension designed to mimic the system-level Alt+Tab (Windows) or Cmd+Tab (macOS) application switching behavior directly within your browser. It solves a major limitation in Chrome by keeping track of your tabs in Most Recently Used (MRU) order instead of their static physical layout. The extension is open-source and hosted on ⁠GitHub. Core Functionality

The OS-Style Popup Menu: Pressing the default shortcut triggers an overlay popup showing your recently active tabs.

Cycling Controls: You navigate the list by holding the modifier key (e.g., Alt) and repeatedly tapping the navigation key (e.g., Y). Releasing the modifier key instantly opens the highlighted tab.

Smart Tab Closing: When you close your current tab, the extension overrides Chrome’s default behavior (which just opens the physical tab next to it) and instead routes you to your previously active tab. Default Shortcuts & Customization

Default Hotkey: Out of the box, the extension uses Alt + Y to open the switcher menu.

Replacing Ctrl+Tab: For a smoother experience, the developer provides documentation on how to override Chrome’s native, linear Ctrl + Tab shortcut and map it directly to this extension. Known Limitations

Because of Google Chrome’s strict extension security permissions, the popup overlay face a few technical restrictions:

Restricted Pages: The popup cannot render on official chrome:// system pages (like Settings, History, or the New Tab Page), nor will it function on the Chrome Web Store. On these pages, it will fast-switch you to your last tab blindly without showing the visual popup.

Focus Requirements: The popup will not activate if your cursor focus is currently trapped inside the browser’s URL address bar or certain developer tool panels. If you’d like, let me know: What operating system you are on (Windows or Mac)?

Whether you want instructions on how to bind it to Ctrl+Tab?

If you want to compare it against other extensions like QuicKey or Easy Tab Switcher? I can tailor the exact configuration steps to your setup! Reddit·r/productivity