---
title: Manage Browser Tabs | Lightcone
description: Open, switch, and close browser tabs for multi-tab workflows.
---

Lightcone [browser sessions](/guides/computers/index.md) support multi-tab management. Open tabs to compare data across sites, fill forms that span multiple pages, or monitor dashboards side by side. Each tab has its own URL and page state, and you can target actions at specific tabs without switching.

Tab management is only available for `kind: "browser"` sessions.

## List open tabs

```
from tzafon import Lightcone


client = Lightcone()


session = client.computers.create(kind="browser")


result = client.computers.tabs.list(session.id)
print(result.result)  # List of tabs with id, url, title, is_main_tab
```

```
import Lightcone from "@tzafon/lightcone";


const client = new Lightcone();
const session = await client.computers.create({ kind: "browser" });


const result = await client.computers.tabs.list(session.id!);
console.log(result.result);
```

## Open a new tab

```
client.computers.tabs.create(session.id, url="https://example.com")
```

```
await client.computers.tabs.create(session.id!, { url: "https://example.com" });
```

The new tab becomes the active (main) tab automatically.

## Switch between tabs

```
# List tabs to get IDs
tabs_result = client.computers.tabs.list(session.id)


# Switch to a specific tab by ID
client.computers.tabs.switch("tab_abc123", id=session.id)
```

```
const tabsResult = await client.computers.tabs.list(session.id!);


await client.computers.tabs.switch("tab_abc123", { id: session.id! });
```

## Close a tab

```
client.computers.tabs.delete("tab_abc123", id=session.id)
```

```
await client.computers.tabs.delete("tab_abc123", { id: session.id! });
```

You cannot close the last remaining tab in a session.

## Target a specific tab for actions

Most actions accept a `tab_id` parameter to target a specific tab without switching:

```
# Take a screenshot of a background tab
client.computers.screenshot(session.id, tab_id="tab_abc123")


# Type into a background tab
client.computers.type(session.id, text="hello", tab_id="tab_abc123")
```

```
await client.computers.screenshot(session.id!, { tab_id: "tab_abc123" });
await client.computers.type(session.id!, { text: "hello", tab_id: "tab_abc123" });
```

## Example: compare two pages

```
with client.computer.create(kind="browser") as computer:
    # Open first page
    computer.navigate("https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)")
    computer.wait(2)


    # Open second page in a new tab
    client.computers.tabs.create(computer.id, url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript")


    # Wait for load, then screenshot the second tab
    computer.wait(2)
    result = computer.screenshot()
    print(f"Tab 2: {computer.get_screenshot_url(result)}")


    # List tabs to get the first tab's ID
    tabs = client.computers.tabs.list(computer.id)
    # Switch back to the first tab
    first_tab = tabs.result  # contains tab IDs
```

```
const session = await client.computers.create({ kind: "browser" });
const id = session.id!;


try {
  // Open first page
  await client.computers.navigate(id, {
    url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)",
  });


  // Open second page in a new tab
  await client.computers.tabs.create(id, {
    url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript",
  });


  // Screenshot the second tab (now active)
  const result = await client.computers.screenshot(id);
  console.log("Tab 2 screenshot:", result.result?.screenshot_url);


  // List tabs and switch back
  const tabs = await client.computers.tabs.list(id);
  console.log("Open tabs:", tabs.result);
} finally {
  await client.computers.delete(id);
}
```

## Tips

- **Tab IDs come from `tabs.list()`** — always list tabs to discover IDs
- **New tabs become the main tab** — actions without `tab_id` target the main tab
- **Tab list may be eventually consistent** — wait briefly after creating a tab before listing
- **Use `tab_id` on actions** to interact with background tabs without switching

## See also

- [**Computers**](/guides/computers/index.md) — session lifecycle, actions, and configuration
- [**Dashboard monitoring**](/use-cases/dashboard-monitoring/index.md) — monitor multiple dashboards with tabs
- [**Automate a browser**](/guides/automate-a-browser/index.md) — single-tab browser automation walkthrough