WakeTab is a free Chrome extension that stops background tabs from going idle — keeping your chosen sites running as if they're always in focus, even when you switch to another tab. wake up
Most browsers throttle or pause background tabs to save resources. That's great for general browsing, but it breaks music players that stop mid-song, dashboards that stop refreshing, or web apps that disconnect the moment you click away. WakeTab fixes this by making those tabs think they're always visible and active.
What it does:
- Keeps whitelisted sites running in the background — audio, video, timers, and data refreshes keep going
- Suppresses focus-loss events so sites that detect tab switching don't pause or throttle themselves
- Optionally prevents your computer from sleeping with a single toggle (useful for downloads or long renders)
- Only affects the sites you choose — everything else behaves normally
How to use it:
- Go to the site you want to keep active
- Click the WakeTab icon and toggle it on for that site
- Reload the page — it will now stay active no matter which tab you're in
Works well with YouTube Music, Spotify Web, Notion, live dashboards, online chat tools, and any web page that tends to pause or disconnect when it loses focus. All settings are stored locally on your device. No tracking, no servers, no accounts.
1. Open the Chrome Web Store page and click "Add to Chrome".
2. Confirm by clicking "Add extension" in the popup.
3. Navigate to the site you want to keep active in the background (e.g. YouTube Music, a dashboard, or a chat app).
4. Click the WakeTab icon in the Chrome toolbar.
5. Toggle on "Keep this site active" for the current site.
6. Reload the page — it will now stay active even when you switch to another tab.
7. To prevent your computer from sleeping, enable the "Keep computer awake" toggle in the popup or Settings page.
8. Manage your active site list anytime from the Settings page via the extension icon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free and no account is required.
Any site you choose — add it from the popup while you are on that page.
No, only the sites you explicitly add are affected. All other tabs behave normally.
Yes, it is designed for exactly these kinds of sites that pause or disconnect in the background.
Yes, enable the "Keep computer awake" toggle in the popup or Settings page.
No. All settings are stored locally on your device and nothing is sent to any server.
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