Even though Google decided to take away the ability to mute individual tabs with Chrome 71’s release, it’s still one of the features that I want back. Although you can still mute a site by right-clicking the tab, it becomes inconvenient if you have multiple tabs open with the same website but different media. To fix this, I went digging and found three unique ways to mute a tab on Chrome. Let’s see how.
Table of Contents
The Traditional Way
Before I show you a better way to mute tabs on the Chrome browser, let’s see how Google wants us to mute tabs. Start playing music or a video in Chrome. Right-click the tab that’s playing the music and you will see an option to mute the site. Click Mute Site and the audio will be muted. This works but the problem remains, if you have multiple tabs with the same website, all the tabs would be muted regardless.
1. Tab Muter- Mute a Tab on Chrome
Tab Muter is a nifty Chrome extension that allows you to mute a tab with a single click. Once you install it, just click the extension icon on the active tab that has sound playing. It will immediately mute the tab. It works irrespective of the website open in the tab. You can have multiple tabs open with the same website and this Chrome extension would only mute the tab you are on . Tab Muter is free and available on the Chrome Web Store.
Pros
- Works independent of websites and only mutes a specific tab
Cons
- Lacks an option mute using keyboard shortcuts
- Can’t adjust the volume
Download Tab Muter (free)
2. Mute Tab Shortcuts
Mute Tab Shortcuts is similar to the last extension but adds a key feature, keyboard shortcuts. I am a sucker for finding hidden keyboard shortcuts as I like to use the mouse as little as possible. Mute Tab Shortcuts add three keyboard shortcuts that would allow you to mute/unmute tabs.
Here’s the list of keyboard shortcuts-
- Mute/Unmute current tab – Alt + Shift + M
- Mute all except current one – Alt+Shift+N
- Mute/Unmute all tabs – Alt + Shift + Comma
Pros
- Mute Chrome Tabs with keyboard shortcuts
Cons
- Unable to adjust volume of tabs
Download Mute Tab Shortcuts (free)
3. Volume Control for Google Chrome
Muting a tab is sorted with the two extensions above. However, if you wish to control the volume of each tab separately then you need Volume Control extension. It gives you a dial to turn down or turn it all the way up to 600%. This comes in handy when I play The Office in the background without it becoming distracting. Adjusting the volume of one tab doesn’t affect the others and you can crank the volume for some sites that have terribly low volume.
Pros
- Ability to mute or turn the volume up to 600%.
Cons
- No keyboard shortcuts. Have to use the Dial to mute a tab.
Download Volume Control for Google Chrome (free)
How to Mute a Tab on Chrome
Now you know how to mute a tab on Chrome. The native method works and though it’s a one-click process, it only mutes a website. It doesn’t offer granular control. These three Chrome extensions offer just that, the ability to mute individual tabs in Chrome. Plus, you can also control volume which is sweet. What do you think? Do you like these Extensions? If you have a better alternative, let me know on Twitter.
Also Read: How to Group and Change Tab Color on Chrome
