Chrome Tab Switcher

Chrome Tab Switcher

Privacy Policy

Chrome Tab Switcher pairs a Chrome extension with a native macOS app to provide MRU tab switching. The entire experience is designed to run locally on your device. We do not collect analytics, we do not operate servers for this product, and we never sell or share your browsing data.

Effective date: November 11, 2025

1. What we process

The Chrome extension observes tab metadata so it can render an accurate MRU list inside the macOS overlay. That metadata (tab title, URL, favicon URL, tab/window identifiers, and preview thumbnails when you enable previews) is streamed directly to the native host over Chrome's Native Messaging channel. The macOS app keeps this data in RAM only long enough to render the overlay and discard entries when you close a tab or quit the app.

No data is transmitted to remote servers, written to cloud services, or shared with third parties.

Chrome extension

  • Listens to tab/window events and keyboard shortcuts to keep MRU order in sync.
  • Sends the current MRU state to the local native host via chrome.runtime.connectNative.
  • Stores lightweight preferences (such as recency depth) locally inside chrome.storage.local. This storage never leaves Chrome.

macOS companion app

  • Receives tab metadata from the extension solely to draw the overlay UI.
  • Persists user preferences (shortcut, overlay appearance, etc.) in UserDefaults on your Mac.
  • Does not log URLs or page content to disk. Optional diagnostic logs generated via the Logger utility stay on your Mac.

2. Permissions we request

Chrome extension
  • tabs — required to read the active tab’s title, URL, and favicon so the overlay can display them.
  • commands — lets you trigger MRU switching with keyboard shortcuts.
  • nativeMessaging — enables the secure, local-only bridge to the macOS app.
macOS app
  • Accessibility API — needed to listen for the Option+Q shortcut globally and to position the overlay.
  • Screen recording (optional) — only if you enable live tab thumbnails. Frames are captured and rendered locally, never transmitted.

3. Data retention and deletion

  • MRU tab data resides only in memory. Closing Chrome, the extension, or the macOS app clears it immediately.
  • Preferences stored in chrome.storage.local and UserDefaults remain on your device until you uninstall the extension/app or remove them manually.
  • Uninstalling both components fully removes our access to Chrome or macOS data.

4. Third parties and sharing

Chrome Tab Switcher does not integrate with analytics SDKs, advertising networks, data brokers, or cloud backends. We do not share, sell, or license information to anyone. All communication stays on your computer between Chrome and the native host.

5. Security

The extension validates the native host signature that Chrome registers on your machine, and macOS notarization protects the app from tampering. We recommend installing both components only from trusted sources (this repository, signed releases, or the Chrome Web Store) to keep that trust chain intact.

6. Children

Chrome Tab Switcher is aimed at productivity-focused adults. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13, and the software is not marketed to them.

7. Changes

We may update this policy if the product’s capabilities change. We will revise the “Effective date” above and publish the updated document at this same URL.

8. Contact

Questions or privacy requests? Reach us via admin@nekobit.tech