Help Center
Everything you need to know about using RainbowTabs.
Getting Started
How do I install RainbowTabs?
For Chrome: visit the Chrome Web Store and click "Add to Chrome". For Firefox: visit Firefox Add-ons and click "Add to Firefox". The extension icon will appear in your browser toolbar.
How do I color a tab?
Right-click anywhere on a page and select "Set tab color" from the menu, then pick a color. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+C to open the color picker overlay.
Can I add a label to a tab?
Yes! When picking a color (via the overlay or context menu), type a label in the "Label" field. The label appears as the tab group title in Chrome, visible right in the tab bar.
Auto-Rules
What are auto-rules?
Auto-rules automatically color tabs based on their URL. If a tab's URL contains a matching text fragment, it gets colored automatically — no manual action needed.
How do I create an auto-rule?
Click the RainbowTabs icon in your toolbar, go to the "Auto-Rules" tab, and click "+ Add auto-rule". Enter a URL fragment (e.g. "github.com"), a label, and pick a color.
How specific should URL fragments be?
As specific as you need! "github.com" matches all GitHub pages. "github.com/myrepo" matches only that repo. "BaseAdministration/6425" matches a very specific page.
AutoGroup
What is AutoGroup?
AutoGroup automatically groups all tabs from the same domain together. If you have 3 tabs open from github.com, they'll be grouped into a "github.com" group.
How do I enable AutoGroup?
Click the RainbowTabs icon, go to "Settings", and toggle on "AutoGroup by domain". Tabs with 2+ from the same domain will be grouped automatically.
Does AutoGroup override my manual colors?
No. Manual colors and auto-rules always take priority over AutoGroup. AutoGroup only applies to tabs that don't already have a color assigned.
Cloud Sync
How do I sync my rules across devices?
Click the RainbowTabs icon, go to "Settings", and click "Sign in with Google". Your auto-rules will sync to the cloud and be available on any device where you sign in.
What gets synced?
Only your auto-rules are synced. Tab colors are per-browser (since tab IDs are local). Your rules are the valuable part — they recreate your color setup on any machine.
Does it work offline?
Yes! Everything works locally even without internet. Sync happens in the background and silently skips if you're offline.
Firefox Differences
How does RainbowTabs work differently in Firefox?
Firefox doesn't have a Tab Groups API, so RainbowTabs uses Container Tabs instead. When you color a tab, it reopens in a colored container. You'll see a colored underline on the tab.
Will I lose my session when coloring a Firefox tab?
Containers have separate cookies, so you may need to log in again in the new container. This is a Firefox limitation. Chrome tab groups don't have this issue.
Still need help?
Open an issue on GitHub or email us at support@rainbowtabs.app