chrome.windows (original) (raw)

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chrome.windows

Description

Use the chrome.windows API to interact with browser windows. You can use this API to create, modify, and rearrange windows in the browser.

Permissions

When requested, a windows.Window contains an array of tabs.Tab objects. You must declare the "tabs" permission in your manifest if you need access to the url,pendingUrl, title, or favIconUrl properties of tabs.Tab. For example:

{
  "name": "My extension",
  ...
  "permissions": ["tabs"],
  ...
}

Concepts and usage

The current window

Many functions in the extension system take an optional windowId argument, which defaults to the current window.

The current window is the window that contains the code that is currently executing. It's important to realize that this can be different from the topmost or focused window.

For example, say an extension creates a few tabs or windows from a single HTML file, and that the HTML file contains a call to tabs.query(). The current window is the window that contains the page that made the call, no matter what the topmost window is.

In the case of service workers, the value of the current window falls back to the last active window. Under some circumstances, there may be no current window for background pages.

Examples

To try this API, install the windows API example from the chrome-extension-samplesrepository.

Two windows, each with one tab.

Types

CreateType

Specifies what type of browser window to create. 'panel' is deprecated and is available only to existing allowlisted extensions on Chrome OS.

Enum

"normal"
Specifies the window as a standard window.

"popup"
Specifies the window as a popup window.

"panel"
Specifies the window as a panel.

QueryOptions

Properties

• populate
  boolean optional
  If true, the windows.Window object has a tabs property that contains a list of the tabs.Tab objects. The Tab objects only contain the url, pendingUrl, title, and favIconUrl properties if the extension's manifest file includes the "tabs" permission.
• windowTypes
  WindowType[] optional
  If set, the windows.Window returned is filtered based on its type. If unset, the default filter is set to ['normal', 'popup'].

Window

Properties

• Whether the window is set to be always on top.
• Whether the window is currently the focused window.
• The height of the window, including the frame, in pixels. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a height property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
• The ID of the window. Window IDs are unique within a browser session. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned an ID property; for example, when querying windows using the sessions API, in which case a session ID may be present.
• Whether the window is incognito.
• The offset of the window from the left edge of the screen in pixels. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a left property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
• sessionId
  string optional
  The session ID used to uniquely identify a window, obtained from the sessions API.
• state
  WindowState optional
  The state of this browser window.
• Array of tabs.Tab objects representing the current tabs in the window.
• The offset of the window from the top edge of the screen in pixels. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a top property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.
• The type of browser window this is.
• The width of the window, including the frame, in pixels. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a width property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.

WindowState

The state of this browser window. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a state property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.

Enum

"normal"
Normal window state (not minimized, maximized, or fullscreen).

"minimized"
Minimized window state.

"maximized"
Maximized window state.

"fullscreen"
Fullscreen window state.

"locked-fullscreen"
Locked fullscreen window state. This fullscreen state cannot be exited by user action and is available only to allowlisted extensions on Chrome OS.

WindowType

The type of browser window this is. In some circumstances a window may not be assigned a type property; for example, when querying closed windows from the sessions API.

Enum

"normal"
A normal browser window.

"popup"
A browser popup.

"panel"
Deprecated in this API. A Chrome App panel-style window. Extensions can only see their own panel windows.

"app"
Deprecated in this API. A Chrome App window. Extensions can only see their app own windows.

"devtools"
A Developer Tools window.

Properties

WINDOW_ID_CURRENT

The windowId value that represents the current window.

WINDOW_ID_NONE

The windowId value that represents the absence of a Chrome browser window.

Methods

create()

chrome.windows.create(
  createData?: object,
): Promise<Window | undefined>

Creates (opens) a new browser window with any optional sizing, position, or default URL provided.

Parameters

• createData
  object optional
  • If true, opens an active window. If false, opens an inactive window.
  • The height in pixels of the new window, including the frame. If not specified, defaults to a natural height.
  • incognito
    boolean optional
    Whether the new window should be an incognito window.
  • The number of pixels to position the new window from the left edge of the screen. If not specified, the new window is offset naturally from the last focused window. This value is ignored for panels.
  • setSelfAsOpener
    boolean optional
    If true, the newly-created window's 'window.opener' is set to the caller and is in the same unit of related browsing contexts as the caller.
  • state
    WindowState optional
    The initial state of the window. The minimized, maximized, and fullscreen states cannot be combined with left, top, width, or height.
  • The ID of the tab to add to the new window.
  • The number of pixels to position the new window from the top edge of the screen. If not specified, the new window is offset naturally from the last focused window. This value is ignored for panels.
  • Specifies what type of browser window to create.
  • url
    string | string[] optional
    A URL or array of URLs to open as tabs in the window. Fully-qualified URLs must include a scheme, e.g., 'http://www.google.com', not 'www.google.com'. Non-fully-qualified URLs are considered relative within the extension. Defaults to the New Tab Page.
  • The width in pixels of the new window, including the frame. If not specified, defaults to a natural width.

Returns

• Promise<Window | undefined>

get()

chrome.windows.get(
  windowId: number,
  queryOptions?: QueryOptions,
): Promise<Window>

Gets details about a window.

Parameters

• queryOptions
  QueryOptions optional

Returns

getAll()

chrome.windows.getAll(
  queryOptions?: QueryOptions,
): Promise<Window[]>

Gets all windows.

Parameters

• queryOptions
  QueryOptions optional

Returns

getCurrent()

chrome.windows.getCurrent(
  queryOptions?: QueryOptions,
): Promise<Window>

Gets the current window.

Parameters

• queryOptions
  QueryOptions optional

Returns

getLastFocused()

chrome.windows.getLastFocused(
  queryOptions?: QueryOptions,
): Promise<Window>

Gets the window that was most recently focused — typically the window 'on top'.

Parameters

• queryOptions
  QueryOptions optional

Returns

remove()

chrome.windows.remove(
  windowId: number,
): Promise

Removes (closes) a window and all the tabs inside it.

Parameters

Returns

update()

chrome.windows.update(
  windowId: number,
  updateInfo: object,
): Promise<Window>

Updates the properties of a window. Specify only the properties that to be changed; unspecified properties are unchanged.

Parameters

• • drawAttention
    boolean optional
    If true, causes the window to be displayed in a manner that draws the user's attention to the window, without changing the focused window. The effect lasts until the user changes focus to the window. This option has no effect if the window already has focus. Set to false to cancel a previous drawAttention request.
  • If true, brings the window to the front; cannot be combined with the state 'minimized'. If false, brings the next window in the z-order to the front; cannot be combined with the state 'fullscreen' or 'maximized'.
  • The height to resize the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
  • The offset from the left edge of the screen to move the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
  • state
    WindowState optional
    The new state of the window. The 'minimized', 'maximized', and 'fullscreen' states cannot be combined with 'left', 'top', 'width', or 'height'.
  • The offset from the top edge of the screen to move the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.
  • The width to resize the window to in pixels. This value is ignored for panels.

Returns

Events

onBoundsChanged

chrome.windows.onBoundsChanged.addListener(
  callback: function,
)

Fired when a window has been resized; this event is only dispatched when the new bounds are committed, and not for in-progress changes.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:
  (window: Window) => void

onCreated

chrome.windows.onCreated.addListener(
  callback: function,
  filters?: object,
)

Fired when a window is created.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:
  (window: Window) => void
  • Details of the created window.
• • Conditions that the window's type being created must satisfy. By default it satisfies ['normal', 'popup'].

onFocusChanged

chrome.windows.onFocusChanged.addListener(
  callback: function,
  filters?: object,
)

Fired when the currently focused window changes. Returns chrome.windows.WINDOW_ID_NONE if all Chrome windows have lost focus. Note: On some Linux window managers, WINDOW_ID_NONE is always sent immediately preceding a switch from one Chrome window to another.

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:
  (windowId: number) => void
  • ID of the newly-focused window.
• • Conditions that the window's type being removed must satisfy. By default it satisfies ['normal', 'popup'].

onRemoved

chrome.windows.onRemoved.addListener(
  callback: function,
  filters?: object,
)

Fired when a window is removed (closed).

Parameters

• The callback parameter looks like:
  (windowId: number) => void
  • ID of the removed window.
• • Conditions that the window's type being removed must satisfy. By default it satisfies ['normal', 'popup'].

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Last updated 2025-08-11 UTC.