Organize your editor tabs into named groups per demand (ticket, task, feature), just like Google Chrome tab groups.
Click a group in the side bar and only its files stay visible — switch to another group and its files come back instantly.
Works in VS Code and Cursor.
Features
Tab Groups side bar — a dedicated view in the Activity Bar lists your groups and their files.
Per-demand context — create a group (e.g. AEV-1234), open the files you need; they are added to the active group automatically.
Instant switching — each group lives in its own editor group; the active one is maximized and the others are hidden with their tabs still loaded (no reopening, no language server reprocessing).
Same file in several groups — a file can belong to as many groups as needed.
Chrome-like behavior — closing a tab removes the file from the active group.
Drag and drop — drag files between groups, or from the Explorer into a group.
Add from anywhere — right-click an editor tab or a file in the Explorer and choose Add to Tab Group....
Loading state — while a group is being switched, the view shows progress and further clicks are ignored.
Status bar — shows the active group; click it to switch.
Per workspace — every project keeps its own groups.
Usage
Open the Tab Organizer view in the Activity Bar.
Click + and type the group name (for example the ticket number).
Open files as usual — they go to the active group.
Create another group for another demand and open its files.
Click a group to switch: only its files stay visible.
The first group you create adopts the tabs that are already open, so nothing is lost.
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
tabOrganizer.switchMode
editorGroups
editorGroups: one editor group per tab group, the active one maximized (instant). closeTabs: closes the other groups' tabs and reopens the selected group's files (slower, single editor area).
tabOrganizer.autoAddToActiveGroup
true
Add files opened in the editor to the active group.
tabOrganizer.includePreviewTabs
false
Also add preview (italic) tabs; otherwise a file is added once its tab is kept open.
tabOrganizer.removeClosedTabsFromGroup
true
Remove a file from the active group when its tab is closed.
Known limitations
The VS Code API cannot hide individual tabs, so editorGroups mode hides whole editor groups. Splitting the editor ("Open to the Side") shows every group again; click the group to hide the others.
Each switch evens the editor group widths: extensions cannot read whether a group is maximized, so the layout is normalized before maximizing.
In closeTabs mode, tabs with unsaved changes are kept open when switching.
Requires VS Code 1.88 or later (editor group maximization).
