Auto Tab Discard

Auto Tab Discard a lightweight extension that uses the native method (tabs.discard) to unload or suspend browser tabs to significantly reduce the memory footprint of your browser when many tabs are opened.

If you like to use many open tabs at once, this extension could help you to keep your browser fresh with low memory usage by parking (hibernating) inactive tabs to save up to 80% of the used memory. This also helps portable devices to save battery.

Features:

1. Speeds up your browser and minimize the memory usage: Inactive, idle or forgotten tabs can be auto-suspended after a configurable period of time or be suspended manually from the toolbar popup.
2. Tabs (domains) can be whitelisted to avoid automatic suspension.
3. Suspended tabs are retained after closing and reopening browser (using your browser's session restore functionality)
4. Tab's favicon displays the suspension status (If the icon has opacity it is discarded)
5. Tabs are being restored with all information kept intact (like scroll position or the content of text boxes) when it becomes visible again
6. When a tab is discarded, no JavaScript code or dom event is active. Basically, the tab is paused.

Options: There are a few options to customize when a tab gets discarded:

1. Pinned tabs
2. When there is a media source playing inside a tab
3. When the computer is connected to a power source
4. When there is a form element (with changes) that has not yet been submitted.

Notes:

1. To prevent automatic tab discard, set the period to zero in the options page