Link Opens a New Tab Instead of Switching to Existing One

Problem

You open a link from the Command Panel or sidebar, but instead of switching to the tab you already have open, a new tab appears, even though the site is already open in your browser.

This usually comes down to one of two things: SupaSidebar isn’t currently watching your tabs, or the URL it saved doesn’t match the URL your browser ended up on. Work through the checks below in order.

First, the quick checks

1. Update to the latest version

Switching to an existing tab relies on tab tracking and URL matching that were stabilized in version 0.19 and later. If you’re on an older build, the feature may not work reliably.

Open the SupaSidebar menu bar icon and choose Check for Updates, then install whatever it offers. The latest version is always recommended.

2. Check browser permissions

To find and switch to an open tab, SupaSidebar needs Automation permission for the browsers you use, and Accessibility permission to bring the right window forward. If either is missing, it falls back to opening a new tab.

• Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Automation and make sure SupaSidebar is enabled for your browser.
• Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Accessibility and make sure SupaSidebar is enabled.

If you granted a permission while SupaSidebar was running, quit and relaunch it. For stuck toggles or repeated permission prompts, see Reset Permissions.

Make sure tab switching is actually on

SupaSidebar can only switch to an existing tab when it’s actively watching your open tabs. Whether it is depends on the mode you picked in Preferences -> Tabs & History:

If you use Recents mode

In Recents mode, the Background Tab Sync toggle is what lets SupaSidebar see your open tabs and switch to them instead of opening duplicates. It’s on by default, but if you turned it off to save battery, tab switching stops working.

1. Open Preferences -> Tabs & History
2. Select the Recents card
3. Under Recents Settings, turn on Background Tab Sync

With this on, SupaSidebar keeps a lightweight background check of your tabs. With it off, the app shows a warning that it cannot switch to existing browser tabs, by design.

If you use Live Tabs mode

You’re already covered. Live Tabs mirrors every open tab in real time, so switching to an existing one works without any extra setting.

If you use None mode

In None mode, SupaSidebar isn’t tracking tabs at all, so every link opens fresh. Switch to Live Tabs or Recents in Preferences -> Tabs & History to get tab switching back.

Still opening a new tab? It’s probably a redirect

If tab switching is on and a new tab still opens for one specific site, the cause is usually a redirect.

SupaSidebar matches tabs by comparing the exact URL path. Some websites redirect after loading. For example, x.com redirects to x.com/home, and github.com redirects to github.com/dashboard. Since the path you opened (/) differs from the path the browser ended up on (/home), SupaSidebar doesn’t recognize them as the same tab.

Save the link with Smart Save

Use Smart Save (Cmd Shift S) while you’re on the page. This saves the actual URL the browser is showing (for example x.com/home instead of x.com), so tab reuse works correctly the next time you open it.

Use Live Tabs to switch directly

Instead of typing the URL, search for the tab by its title using the Live Tabs scope in the Command Panel:

1. Open the Command Panel (Cmd Ctrl K)
2. Type /tabs then press Tab to enter the Live Tabs scope
3. Search by page title (for example “Home / X”)
4. Press Return to switch to that exact tab

This finds the open tab regardless of URL redirects.