If you've ever absentmindedly loaded a website that you already had open, don't worry - you're not alone. Google has long had a flag that could help with that, though it's now experimenting with an improved UI containing a 'Switch to this tab' button for it.

The stable implementation.

Chances are that you didn't know this flag (chrome://flags/#omnibox-tab-switch-suggestions) existed in the first place. In its current stable implementation (see above), it's only distinguished by a tiny icon and some 'Switch to tab' text. However, its main flaw is that it essentially prevents you from loading a second tab with the same site. Regardless of whether you hit 'enter' or move your cursor down and click on the suggestion itself, it would just jump to the tab with the site already open. In other words, this flag meant that you basically couldn't have two tabs with the same site, even if you wanted to.

The version in the Dev and Canary channels, pictured in the hero image, is a good improvement on the flag. In this new implementation, hitting 'enter' simply loads the site, even if you already have a tab with it loaded. The 'Switch to this tab' button sits at the end of the suggestion bar and serves not only as a reminder that you already have a tab with the same site open, but also as a quick way to jump to the tab with that site open if you'd like to do so.

This flag's update is definitely an improvement, as it makes the flag legitimately usable for many more people. Again, the flag you'll need is chrome://flags/#omnibox-tab-switch-suggestions, and it's currently only available on Dev and Canary.

Source: Chromium Gerrit

Via: +Francois Beaufort