PageStow / Usage guide

Save Chrome tabs with context. Recover them locally.

PageStow is a free local-first desktop Chrome extension. Save a tab with a note about why it matters, or save a window as a session. Later, use local search to find the page or restore the session. You do not need an account, cloud sync, or AI indexing.

Updated October 3, 2026. This guide covers the published local core, not unreleased Project Export Bundles or future paid features.

How do I save a Chrome tab with notes?

1. Install PageStow from the Chrome Web Store, then open its popup on an ordinary web page.
2. Add a note, project, tags, or intent if useful. A note such as "Compare this repository's import workflow for the launch project" is more useful than saving an unexplained URL.
3. Choose Save tab and check the save feedback before closing the tab.
4. Later, search your saved context for a title, URL, note, project, or tag, then reopen the matching page.

Saving one tab is useful for a single reference. Saving a session is better when the group of pages matters together. Neither requires bookmark access.

How do I save and restore a Chrome window?

1. Open PageStow in the window you want to keep. Add an optional window name and context, then choose Save window.
2. Confirm the saved session appears before closing the original window. Save any unfinished form entries or work in the original apps separately.
3. Find the saved session in PageStow and choose Restore to reopen its saved page links.

A restored session reopens URLs; it does not recover page contents, login sessions, scroll position, or unsaved form text. A page that has moved, been deleted, or requires login may not reopen as you expect.

How do I reduce a crowded window safely?

Open Review / Triage to inspect current tabs grouped by duplicate URL, domain, or browser window. Review the selection and save useful context before closing duplicate or unnecessary tabs. Check unsaved work in the original pages first.

Reviewing current tabs does not automatically save them into your library. PageStow does not read full browsing history, automatically summarize page bodies, or upload your tabs to an AI service.

How do I keep a local backup?

Use Export JSON to keep an archive outside the extension, especially before removing PageStow or changing browser profiles. Use Import JSON in PageStow to bring a compatible archive back. Keep the original export until you have checked the restored items.

Local extension storage is not a cloud backup. Exported JSON can contain saved URLs, titles, notes, projects, and sessions. Keep it somewhere private and do not send it to support unless you understand and accept what it contains.

What does PageStow not save or promise?

• No account, cloud sync, AI service, or payment is needed for the published local core.
• PageStow is not a full-page offline archive, password backup, or automatic browser-history recovery service.
• Browser internal pages such as chrome://extensions are not ordinary web pages to capture.
• Bookmark Assist is optional. It requests bookmark permission only when enabled, and can copy newly created bookmarks into the local archive; the basic save and restore workflow works without it.
• This is a desktop Chrome extension. A readable mobile website is not a claim that the extension runs in Chrome on phones.

See the privacy policy for storage and permission details, pricing direction for the free-core boundary, or support if saving, searching, restoring, or importing fails.