If you have been searching for chrome extensions for figma companion tools, you likely already know the challenge. Designing in Figma while keeping your browser running smoothly can feel like a constant struggle. You open reference tabs, documentation, and inspiration sites, but before you know it, Chrome is crawling and your computer is struggling to keep up. This is a common frustration for designers who rely on multiple resources while working on projects.
Why Figma Users Face Browser Performance Issues
Figma itself runs as a web application, which means it already consumes a significant amount of your computer’s resources. The application handles complex design operations, real-time collaboration, and constant updates to your canvas. When you add more tabs to Chrome while Figma is open, you are essentially asking your computer to do even more work simultaneously.
The problem compounds because designers typically need multiple reference materials open while working. You might have Figma open on one side of your screen with several tabs containing style guides, color palettes, stock photo sites, and design inspiration. Each of these tabs continues running in the background even when you are not looking at them, consuming memory and processing power.
Modern websites are resource-heavy. A single webpage might include high-resolution images, embedded videos, animations, trackers, and interactive elements. When you have ten or fifteen of these tabs open alongside Figma, Chrome has to manage all of them at once. This can lead to lag, slow response times, and in some cases, Figma itself might become less responsive.
Another issue is that tabs accumulate over time. You open a reference tab with the intention of closing it later, but then you get busy and forget. By the end of a workday, you might have thirty or more tabs open without realizing it. Each one is quietly using your computer’s resources, and the cumulative effect can be significant.
How Extensions Can Help Your Figma Workflow
Chrome extensions designed for Figma users can help in several ways. Some extensions add features directly to Figma, making your design work easier. Others help manage your browser tabs and system resources so that Figma can run smoothly. The right combination of extensions can transform your workflow and reduce the frustration of a sluggish browser.
Extensions that integrate with Figma often provide shortcuts for common tasks. These might include color pickers that let you grab colors from any website, asset exporters that help you download design elements quickly, or collaboration tools that improve how you share work with your team. These additions can save time and make your design process more efficient.
On the browser management side, extensions can help you organize tabs, quickly find what you need, and keep resource-heavy tabs from slowing down your work. When Figma is running, you want to make sure it has priority over your computer’s resources. Extensions that manage tabs intelligently can help ensure this happens.
Tab Suspender Pro
One solution that many designers find helpful is Tab Suspender Pro. This extension automatically pauses tabs that you have not used recently, which is particularly useful when you have multiple reference tabs open while working in Figma. When a tab gets suspended, it stops consuming memory and CPU resources, but it remains available in your browser.
The benefit for Figma users is significant. You can keep all your reference tabs open without worrying about them slowing down your design work. When you need to check a reference, simply click on the tab and it reloads automatically. This gives you the convenience of having everything accessible while maintaining good browser performance.
Tab Suspender Pro works quietly in the background, detecting which tabs are idle and putting them to sleep automatically. You do not need to manually suspend tabs or remember to close ones you are not currently using. The extension handles everything so you can focus on your design work instead of managing your browser.
Color and Asset Extensions
Several Chrome extensions can directly enhance your Figma workflow by helping with colors and assets. Color picker extensions allow you to sample colors from any website and copy them in various formats. This is useful when you find a color on a reference site and want to use it in your Figma design. Many of these extensions can copy colors as HEX, RGB, or HSL values, making it easy to paste them directly into Figma.
Asset management extensions help you download images, icons, and other design elements from websites. If you find inspiration or useful graphics online, these tools make it quick and easy to save them for use in your projects. Some extensions can download multiple assets at once, saving you time when gathering reference materials.
Another useful category is screenshot extensions that capture web pages. Sometimes you want to capture an entire webpage as a reference or share it with your team. Screenshot tools built into Chrome extensions can capture full pages or specific sections, giving you flexibility in how you save visual references.
Tab Management Solutions
Beyond tab suspension, there are other extensions that help organize and manage your tabs. Tab grouping features let you organize tabs by project or category. When working on multiple Figma projects simultaneously, you can group related tabs together and switch between them easily. This reduces clutter and helps you find what you need quickly.
Tab search extensions provide a quick way to find open tabs. Instead of scrolling through dozens of tabs to find that one reference site, you can type a few letters and jump directly to the tab you need. This saves time and reduces the frustration of losing track of tabs in a crowded browser window.
Bookmark extensions can also be valuable for designers. Instead of keeping reference tabs open constantly, you can bookmark important resources and access them when needed. Some bookmark extensions allow you to add notes and organize your saved links, making it easier to build a library of useful design references.
Tips for Maintaining Performance
While extensions can help, it is also worth developing good habits for managing your browser while working in Figma. Consider keeping only essential reference tabs open while designing. Close tabs you are not currently using and reopen them when needed. This simple practice can make a noticeable difference in browser performance.
Use Chrome’s built-in memory management features. Chrome has a memory saver mode that can automatically suspend inactive tabs. You can find this in Chrome settings under the performance section. While it may not offer as much control as dedicated extensions, it provides a baseline level of optimization.
Regularly review your open tabs and close anything you no longer need. It is easy for tabs to accumulate without noticing. Taking a few seconds at the end of each day to clean up can prevent performance issues from building up over time.
Tips from the team behind Tab Suspender Pro and the Zovo extension suite at zovo.one