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 Start.
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
- 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 and pick the open tab. It becomes Go To Web Page.
- Click Add Step, then choose Refresh Page.
- Configure Repeat at the End block. A new automation starts with a 30-second Fixed wait. You can choose No wait, Fixed, or Random range, in seconds from 0 to 3600 where allowed.
- Click Start.
The graph runs, reaches Repeat, waits, and begins the next cycle. Pause stops the current run until you Resume it. Remove Automation deletes it.
Repeat can also stop after a set number of cycles. Turn Repeat off when you want the graph to run once. The End block controls another cycle; it does not reload the tab itself.
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.
That timer dies on the first reload. setInterval is page JavaScript. location.reload() replaces the page. The new document does not have your interval. You paste it again, or you stop using the console for a wait you wanted to leave running.
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, scripting, notifications, offscreen, and downloads, 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 and offscreen support alerts and sound. downloads is used when Take a Screenshot saves a PNG.
The extension does not request browsing history. Automations and their page metadata are stored locally in chrome.storage.local. Read the privacy policy for the full permission and data-handling explanation.
Limits to know before you start
- 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 or notifications. The auto refresh vs page monitor guide shows when each one fits.
- Browser support is limited. Desktop Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Opera can install the Chrome Web Store listing. Firefox, Safari, and mobile are not supported.