How to use Tab Focus Mode Volgen
Tab Focus Mode is a productivity feature that uses Leo, Brave's AI assistant, to help you organize and find relevant tabs among all your open browser tabs. Instead of manually searching through dozens of tabs, you can simply describe what you're looking for and Leo will identify and display the tabs together that match your topic or task.
What is Tab Focus Mode?
Most of us end up with dozens of tabs open - some work-related, some personal, some research for various projects - and it gets hard to keep track of what's what. Tab Focus Mode solves this by using AI to understand the context of your tabs and filter them based on what you're trying to accomplish.
When you describe what you're looking for (like "vacation planning" or "JavaScript tutorials"), Tab Focus Mode analyzes your open tabs and shows you only the ones relevant to that topic. It doesn't just match keywords but understands the context and meaning behind your request.
How to access Tab Focus Mode
Tab Focus Mode is built into Brave's tab management system and can be accessed through the Search tabs feature: Click on the tab search icon in your browser toolbar, then switch to the "Organise" tab.
The first time you use Tab Focus Mode, you'll need to opt-in to enable the feature.
Getting started
Requirements
- Brave Desktop browser (v1.78 and higher)
- Leo AI assistant enabled
- Non-private browsing tabs (feature is not available in Private/Tor windows)
- One-time opt-in required
Basic usage
- Access the feature: Open the tab search interface and click on the "Organise" tab
- Opt-in when prompted: The first time you use the feature, you'll see a "Tab focus" screen explaining what data will be sent to Leo
- Click "Enable" to activate Tab Focus Mode
- Select suggestions: Choose from one of the personalized suggestions generated for you, or…
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Enter your query: Describe what you're trying to organize using natural language
- Examples: "vacation planning", "work documents", "JavaScript tutorials", "research papers"
- Review filtered results: Leo will show you only the tabs that match your topic
- Switch between views: You can return to viewing all tabs or apply different filters as needed
What you can search for
Tab Focus Mode understands natural language queries, so you can ask it to organize your tabs the way you think about them, for example:
- Work topics: "project presentations", "client meetings", "budget reports"
- Personal interests: "travel planning", "recipe ideas", "home improvement"
- Learning materials: "coding tutorials", "language learning", "research articles"
- Shopping: "gift ideas", "electronics", "home decor"
Tab Focus Mode is available to all Brave users at no cost, including:
- Basic tab filtering and organization
- Natural language understanding
- Topic suggestions based on your open tabs
Leo Premium subscribers receive higher rate limits for more frequent use.
Privacy and security
Brave's commitment to privacy extends fully to Tab Focus Mode:
Data handling
- Limited data processing: Only tab titles and domains (like "example.com") are processed
- No full URLs or content: The actual page content and complete URLs are never sent to Leo
- Opt-in required: The feature only works after you explicitly enable it
- Not available in private windows: For privacy reasons, the feature doesn't work in Private or Tor browsing windows
AI model processing
- Uses Anthropic's Claude models for tab analysis
- All requests are protected by Brave's privacy-preserving reverse proxy
- Data is processed according to Brave's standard Leo privacy protections
Privacy controls
- Feature can be disabled at any time in Settings (brave://settings/leo-ai)
- You maintain full control over when and how the feature is used
- No persistent storage of your tab organization patterns
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues with Tab Focus Mode:
Feature not appearing:
- Ensure you're running Brave Desktop version 1.78.69 or higher
- Verify Leo is enabled in Settings
- Check that Tab Focus Mode is enabled at brave://settings/leo-ai
Not working in current window:
- Confirm you're not in a Private or Tor browsing window
- Switch to a regular browsing window to use the feature
Rate limit reached:
- Wait a few minutes before trying again
- Consider upgrading to Leo Premium for higher limits
Poor results:
- Try rephrasing your search query
- Be more specific about what you're looking for
- Use descriptive terms that would appear in tab titles
Frequently asked questions
Is Tab Focus Mode available on mobile? Currently available on Brave Desktop only. Mobile support is planned for future releases.
How many tabs can it organize? There's no specific limit to the number of tabs, but usage is subject to Leo's rate limits. Premium users have higher limits for more frequent use.
Can I use it offline? No, Tab Focus Mode requires an internet connection as it uses Leo's AI capabilities to analyze and categorize your tabs.
Will it work with pinned tabs? Yes, Tab Focus Mode can identify and organize pinned tabs along with regular tabs.
Can I customize how it categorizes tabs? Currently, the categorization is based on your natural language query. More customization options may be added in future updates.