Chrome has no built-in setting to auto refresh a tab on a repeating timer. For a timer that survives each reload, use an extension: in Tab Automation, add Refresh Page, set Repeat, and click Save & Run.
You can also paste a console script for a quick experiment, but the first reload removes that script. A hard refresh is different again: it bypasses cache for one reload.
Does Chrome have a built-in auto refresh setting?
No. Chrome Settings has no “reload every N seconds” control. Recurring reloads require page code, a script you run yourself, or an extension.
If a tab reloads when you return to it, that may be Memory Saver. Chrome can discard an idle tab to save memory, then load it again when selected. That is not a repeating timer you configured.
Set up auto refresh in the side panel
You’ll need Tab Automation installed. Custom automations are free; Explorer unlocks the full Dashboard. Google Search is coming soon. The side-panel tour covers first-time setup.
- Open the dashboard, queue, status page, or other tab you want to keep current.
- Open Tab Automation from its toolbar action. The extension opens in Chrome’s side panel.
- Click New Automation. Under Tab & Startup, turn off Always start this automation in a new tab, then pick the open tab.
- Click Add Step, then choose Refresh Page.
- Turn on Repeat at the End block; it is off in a new automation. Its initial wait is 30 seconds, set to Fixed. You can choose No wait, Fixed, or Random range, in seconds from 0 to 3600 where allowed.
- Click Save & Run.
The automation reloads the page, waits, and starts another cycle. Pause stops the current run until you Resume it. Remove Automation deletes it.
Repeat can also stop after a set number of cycles or after a duration. Turn on Stop after a duration when you want the timer to finish on its own. Turn Repeat off to run once. The End block controls another cycle; it does not reload the tab itself. See Repeat.
Refresh intervals (every 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 5 minutes)
Set the requested wait between completed cycles in Repeat, using seconds from 0 to 3600. The time spent running the steps comes in addition to this wait.
| Requested wait | Repeat setting |
|---|---|
| 5 seconds | Fixed 5; subject to Chrome’s alarm limit below |
| 30 seconds | Fixed 30 (the default) |
| 1 minute | Fixed 60 |
| 5 minutes | Fixed 300 |
| A varying wait | Random range |
These are not exact reload intervals. Tab Automation schedules positive Repeat waits with extension alarms. In an installed extension, Chrome limits alarms to at most once every 30 seconds and may delay them further. A five-second setting therefore does not promise a reload every five seconds. Unpacked development builds are exempt from that limit, so their timing can differ.
Charts may continue fetching data after Chrome considers the page loaded. If the next reload interrupts them, increase the wait; the dashboard guide explains what to check.
Auto refresh without an extension
For a temporary test, open DevTools, select Console, and paste:
setInterval(() => location.reload(), 30000);The delay is 30,000 milliseconds, or 30 seconds.
The first reload removes the timer. location.reload() reloads the current document; the new page does not contain the interval you pasted into the console. This example gives you one delayed reload, not recurring refreshes.
Hidden tabs add another limitation: Chrome can throttle page timers. An extension timer lives outside the page, so it can call chrome.tabs.reload after the document has been replaced. See the focused guide to auto refreshing a background tab.
If you own the site, you can build refresh behavior into the page. That changes the site for its users; it is still not a Chrome setting.
Hard refresh, cache, and timed reloads
A hard refresh bypasses cached files for one reload. It does not create a timer.
In Tab Automation, optional Bypass cache belongs to the Refresh Page step. Enable it when a normal reload keeps showing a cached shell. Leave it off when the page updates correctly without downloading cached resources again.
For a heavy status board, allow enough time for charts to finish loading before the next cycle. The dashboard guide explains that tradeoff.
Permissions and privacy
Tab Automation requests sidePanel, tabs, alarms, storage, unlimitedStorage, scripting, notifications, offscreen, downloads, and debugger, plus access to page origins.
The tab picker uses tabs to list open-tab URLs, titles, and favicons. scripting supports actions on pages and elements you choose. notifications supports alerts, and offscreen supports sound and screenshot image processing. Host access also POSTs webhook destinations you saved in Settings. downloads is used when you explicitly export retained files from the Dashboard; screenshot capture itself saves the PNG in local Results. unlimitedStorage supports retained local output. Screenshot capture and supported pointer and text-input actions use the required debugger permission and display Chrome’s debugging notice while attached. Screenshots stay on this computer.
The extension does not request browsing history. Automation settings are stored in chrome.storage.local; retained datasets, files, and page metadata live in the local Results database. Read the privacy policy for the full permission and data-handling explanation.
When to pause or use a different setup
- Chrome must stay open. Extension alarms do not fire after you quit Chrome. Running automations are rescheduled when Chrome starts again.
- Some tabs cannot be automated. Chrome UI pages, extension pages, and the Chrome Web Store are excluded.
- You choose the tabs. Tab Automation does not reload every tab in a window by itself. Use one automation per tab for multiple recurring timers.
- A timer does not inspect content. Add If / Else, Wait Until, and Send Alert only when you need checks, notifications, or a webhook. Reload until text appears is that recipe. The auto refresh vs page monitor guide shows when each one fits.
- Browser support is limited. The extension targets desktop Chrome and Chromium-based browsers such as Edge, Brave, and Opera. The same behavior has not been verified in every browser. Firefox, Safari, and mobile are not supported.