Tabwell vs Tab Session Manager: a current checklist
The Tabwell vs Tab Session Manager question is most useful when framed as a format-fidelity audit. Tabwell's current importer supports the documented v6-style JSON shapes used by its migration code: an array or sessions object, window maps, optional group arrays or maps, and older inline group information on tabs. It normalizes recognized Chrome colors, falls back to grey for unknown colors, preserves a collapsed flag when supplied, and creates one imported Tabwell snapshot per source session. That makes the source export itself the evidence: inspect whether it actually contains group IDs, titles, colors, collapsed state, tab order, and pinned flags before expecting those fields to survive. Separately, a native Tabwell snapshot records the current window and rebuilds its group structure through chrome.tabGroups. This page shows how to audit the round trip without asserting what another extension's newest release does internally.
Inspect the export before importing
Make a copy of the JSON and look for session names, window maps, tab URLs and titles, tab indexes, pinned flags, group IDs, group titles, colors, and collapsed flags. The current Tabwell importer reads windowsInfo first and falls back to windows. It can read groups from an array, an object map, or older inline tab data.
Know the normalization rules
- Recognized Chrome colors are retained; unknown values become grey.
- A missing group title becomes Group.
- A collapsed flag is retained only when the source value is explicitly true.
- Tabs with no recognized group reference remain ungrouped.
- Empty sessions do not produce snapshots.
These are Tabwell importer rules, not claims about every Tab Session Manager version. Use a sample export from the exact version you run.
Validate the restored result
After import, compare snapshot count, names, tab count, order, pinned state, and native group fields with the JSON. Restore a disposable snapshot into a clean window and confirm the visible result. Keep the source export until the audit passes.
Ongoing Tabwell behavior
New Tabwell snapshots stay local and can be exported to JSON. There is no cross-device sync. Periodic auto-snapshots provide a recent recovery point; closing Chrome does not create a new one. Snapshots, tab titles, and URLs stay in local IndexedDB. Billing and license requests use Tabwell's billing service and Polar without sending tab data. Optional redacted crash diagnostics can be enabled; they are off by default. See the privacy policy. The importer is available during the local 14-day Pro trial and remains a Pro feature. Current prices, purchase options, and terms are listed on the pricing page.
FAQ
Which Tab Session Manager export shapes does Tabwell accept?
The current importer accepts an array of sessions or an object with a sessions array, reads windowsInfo or windows maps, and can normalize group data from arrays, maps, or older inline tab fields.
What happens to an unknown group color?
Tabwell maps recognized Chrome colors directly and uses grey as the fallback for an unknown or missing color.
How can I check import fidelity?
Compare the source JSON with the imported snapshot, then restore a disposable sample. Check session names, tab count and order, pinned state, group title, color, and collapsed state.
Does importing upload the file?
The import is processed locally and snapshots are written to IndexedDB. Billing and optional diagnostics have separate data flows described in the privacy policy.
Is the importer included in Free?
It is a Pro feature available during the local 14-day Pro trial. Current prices, purchase options, and terms are listed at https://tabwell.org/pricing.html.