To auto refresh a dashboard in Chrome, leave the dashboard tab open, add Refresh Page, and set a Repeat wait long enough for the board to finish loading.
Use this for a status board, queue, or metrics page that needs a fresh load to show updates. If the dashboard already updates itself, check whether a reload would interrupt the view you need.
Set up the dashboard reload
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 in Chrome. Sign in if it needs a session. Get it to the view you actually watch.
- Open the Tab Automation side panel.
- Click New Automation. Under Tab & Startup, turn off Always start this automation in a new tab, then pick the dashboard tab.
- Add Refresh Page.
- Turn on Repeat, which is off by default. Its initial wait is 30 seconds, set to Fixed. Turn on Stop after a duration if you do not want the board to run all day.
- Click Save & Run. Use Restart on the automation row to abort the current wait or step and start the sequence again.
The main auto-refresh guide covers Chrome’s lack of a built-in timer, extension permissions, and what happens when Chrome closes.
If you have several boards open, give each one a separate automation and wait.
Set the wait longer than the load time
A heavy dashboard can take several seconds to fetch data and paint its charts after a reload. If the next cycle starts before that work finishes, you will mostly see a loading state.
Start with the 30-second default. Lengthen the wait if the board is still loading when the next cycle begins. Shorten it only when the page finishes comfortably and the data needs a faster cadence.
Repeat waits after the steps finish; it does not measure whether the charts are ready. The timing limits in the main guide also apply.
Bypass cache only when needed
A normal reload can reuse cached files. If the shell stays old, turn on Bypass cache on the Refresh Page step. The step asks Chrome to bypass its cache for that reload.
Leave Bypass cache off when a normal reload shows current data. It can make the page download resources again, and it does not fix a dashboard whose server is returning old data.
For a single cache-bypassing reload, use Chrome’s hard-refresh shortcut instead of starting a recurring automation.
Reloading is not monitoring
An automation containing only Refresh Page and Repeat does not read metrics or compare the page with an earlier version. You still inspect the board yourself.
If a particular status should trigger a desktop notification or a webhook, add If / Else to check it and Send Alert in the branch that should notify. If the page updates after it loads, Wait Until can poll for that later change. The auto refresh vs page monitor guide distinguishes those choices.
Dashboard reload versus a tab carousel
A dashboard reload updates the assigned tab without selecting it. A tab carousel changes which tab is displayed.
Tab Automation handles the first job. It does not cycle tabs, hide browser controls, or provide kiosk mode. If the dashboard sits behind another tab while you work, see auto refresh a background tab in Chrome.