Multiple new tab layouts in Chrome help when the same screen has two different jobs. A work tab might need a project link and a short task list. A personal tab might need a note, saved pages and a photograph. Putting both sets on one page makes every new tab ask you to sort through the wrong half.
Backs calls separate layouts Spaces. Each Space has its own Backons, positions and background. The Space Backon switches between them; its pencil opens Your Spaces to rename or add one. The free plan includes two Spaces. A new Space begins with the Space, Move and Menu Backons in the centre, so you can add only what belongs there.
Give each layout a plain purpose
Name the first Space for the work it holds: Home, Study or Client project. Names help when you switch quickly. Put a link in that Space only if you need it in that context. A bank link probably belongs in Home; a course portal belongs in Study. If a site serves both, choose the Space where you most often use it rather than duplicating every link.
The background can signal which layout is active before you read a title. Choose photos with clearly different colours, then let the Backons pick up each photo’s palette. Keep the same general placement for things that do not change, such as the clock. A stable place for the time makes switching feel less like learning a new page from scratch.
Keep switching deliberate
The arrows on the Space Backon move between Spaces. The goal is a quick change of context, not a new ritual every time you open a tab. If you switch several times an hour to reach one bookmark, move that bookmark to a more convenient place or rethink which Space it belongs in. A second layout is helpful when the groups are genuinely different.
Do not confuse a Space with a Chrome window or a tab group. It changes what your Backs new tab shows. It does not replace the tabs already open in your browser window. The Tab Bookshelf handles saved sets of tabs; the Space handles the layout you see when you open a new one.
Review privacy before sharing
Backs can share a Space layout by link. The imported copy begins without your task and note text, but the link includes a public screenshot of the layout as it looked when shared. That screenshot can show visible notes, links and a personal photo. Look at the preview and move private material away before creating the link. Sharing is a separate choice; switching your own Spaces does not make them public.
Start with two Spaces and live with their boundaries for a while. If an item keeps appearing in the wrong one, change the rule. Premium offers unlimited Spaces, but more layouts are not automatically better. Two well-defined pages can be easier to maintain than a long list of narrow variations.
Questions about separate layouts
- How many Spaces are free?
- The free plan includes two Spaces. Premium allows unlimited Spaces.
- Does switching Spaces close my open tabs?
- No. A Space changes the Backs new tab layout, not the tabs in your Chrome window.
- Can another person use my layout?
- Yes, through a share link. Review the public screenshot first because visible notes or other details can appear in it.
Photo: Sina Gulder / Unsplash