I Built a Chrome Extension to Copy Open Tabs as Markdown, Plain Text, or URLs

I often keep several tabs open while researching, writing, debugging, or collecting references.

Sometimes I do not want to save those tabs permanently. I just want to copy the current window’s tab list and paste it into a note, issue, document, message, or draft.

That is why I made Copy Tab List, a small Chrome extension focused on one simple task: copying the tabs open in the current Chrome window.

Chrome Web Store: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/copy-tab-list/gechnfblecefhmdgfahpmeicdgmdoabn

Product hub: https://ressurd.github.io/tools-and-products/

The Problem

When you have several tabs open, sharing or documenting them can be annoying.

You may need to:

Send a list of references to someone
Paste research links into a note
Move browser tabs into a task or issue
Keep a quick record of what you were looking at
Copy just one tab title and URL without manually selecting both

Doing this manually means switching between tabs, copying titles, copying URLs, and formatting everything yourself.

Copy Tab List is meant to remove that small repeated task.

What Copy Tab List Does

Copy Tab List shows the tabs open in your current Chrome window and lets you copy them in a few simple formats.

The extension does not save tab data. It does not collect tabs in the background. It does not scan your browsing history.

It only reads the current window’s tab titles and URLs so it can show them in the popup and copy them when you click a copy button.

Main Features

Current features include:

View the current Chrome window’s tab list
Copy all tabs as Markdown
Copy all tabs as plain text
Copy all tab URLs only
Preview the copy output before copying
Switch the preview between Markdown, plain text, and URLs only
Copy a single tab from its row
Clipboard copy only happens after clicking a copy button

Example Output

Markdown output:

- [Example Page](https://example.com/)

Plain text output:

1. Example Page
https://example.com/

URLs-only output:

https://example.com/

Individual tab copy uses a simple plain text format:

Example Page
https://example.com/

Why I Built It This Way

I wanted this extension to stay small and focused.

There are already bookmark managers, session managers, read-it-later apps, and note-taking tools. Copy Tab List is not trying to replace those.

Instead, it is useful when you just want to move your current browser context somewhere else.

For example:

A Markdown note
A GitHub issue
A project document
A chat message
A research log
A task manager entry
A temporary draft

Sometimes the goal is not to save tabs forever. Sometimes the goal is just to copy the current context quickly and continue working.

Privacy and Local Behavior

Copy Tab List is intentionally simple.

It uses the tabs permission to read tab titles and URLs from the current Chrome window. This is needed to display the tab list and generate the copy output.

The extension does not request host permissions.

It does not:

Save tab lists
Store copied tab data
Scan full browsing history
Collect page content
Run background automatic collection
Use cloud sync
Use analytics
Use a remote backend
Use advertising

Clipboard writing happens only when you click a copy button in the popup.

Who It Is For

Copy Tab List may be useful if you:

Share research links often
Write notes from multiple open tabs
Prepare issue reports or documentation
Move browser context into a task manager
Want Markdown links without manually formatting them
Need a lightweight tool that does not save sessions or manage tabs

It is not meant to replace a bookmark manager, session manager, or read-it-later app.

It is just a small copy utility.

What Is Not Included Yet

The current version does not include:

All-window copy
Selected-tabs copy
Saved sessions
Saved presets
Cloud sync
Account login
Analytics
Background tab collection

The goal for now is to keep the extension focused:

Open the popup, review the current window tabs, copy what you need.

Links

Chrome Web Store: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/copy-tab-list/gechnfblecefhmdgfahpmeicdgmdoabn

Product hub: https://ressurd.github.io/tools-and-products/

If you try Copy Tab List and have feedback, bug reports, or small feature ideas, I would be happy to hear what would make it more useful without making it too heavy.