To auto refresh a background tab in Chrome, use a timer outside the page. Start an automation on the tab in Tab Automation, then switch tabs or windows. The extension can reload that assigned tab while you work elsewhere.
A timer pasted into the page console will not keep this running: Chrome can throttle page timers in hidden tabs, and the first reload removes the script.
Start the timer, then leave the tab
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 tab you want current — a queue, a status page, a board you glance at.
- Open the Tab Automation side panel.
- Click New Automation. Under Tab & Startup, turn off Always start this automation in a new tab, then pick that tab.
- Add Refresh Page and turn on Repeat. It is off by default; enabling it uses a 30-second Fixed wait.
- Click Save & Run. Switch to another tab, or another window, and keep working.
When the alarm fires, Tab Automation reloads the assigned tab with chrome.tabs.reload. The tab does not have to be active.
Optional Bypass cache belongs to the Refresh Page step. Use Pause or Remove Automation when you no longer want the background reload.
Why the console method fails in the background
For example, this console command requests a reload after 30 seconds:
setInterval(() => location.reload(), 30000);It has two separate problems:
- Chrome throttles page timers in hidden tabs.
- A successful reload replaces the document, so the interval disappears even if the tab remains active.
An extension alarm runs outside that document, so replacing the page does not remove the schedule. Chrome can still delay the alarm; see the Repeat timing limits. The full one-tab auto-refresh guide compares the extension, console, and hard-refresh methods.
Discarded is not the same as hidden
A hidden tab still has a loaded page; it is simply not the active tab. Memory Saver can instead discard an idle tab to free memory. Its tab remains visible, but Chrome loads the page again when you return.
That one reload is not evidence that an auto-refresh timer was running. Tab Automation does not disable Memory Saver or pin the tab.
If the assigned tab closes, the automation can become parked. Use Restore to reopen its saved URL. See the multiple-tabs guide for parked and bulk controls.
Check whether background refresh is working
With Show automation status on tab icons enabled in Settings, a loaded background tab shows a blue play badge while its automation is running and an amber pause badge while paused. You do not have to select the tab for the badge to update. Blue includes the wait between refreshes; it does not prove a reload completed or page content changed. See tab status indicators for the legend and display limits.
- Start the automation and note the Repeat wait.
- Switch away for longer than one complete cycle.
- Open Activity and look for completed Refresh Page steps. Return to the tab to check the page itself.
- If it is still loading, lengthen the wait before assuming the timer failed.
A heavy dashboard may need more time than a simple status page. A background reload also does not prove that a value changed: an automation containing only Refresh Page and Repeat never inspects page content.
For content checks and alerts, use the choices in auto refresh vs page monitor. For Chrome-open limits, permissions, and privacy, use the one-tab setup guide and privacy policy.