Wheel Toggle Tab

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A browser extension for Firefox and Chrome that allows you to switch tabs by holding the Alt key and scrolling the mouse wheel.

Features

• Alt + Wheel Up: Switch to previous tab
• Alt + Wheel Down: Switch to next tab
• Works seamlessly across all websites
• Wraps around from last to first tab and vice versa

Installation

Chrome/Edge/Brave

1. Open chrome://extensions/ in your browser
2. Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top-right corner)
3. Click "Load unpacked"
4. Select the wheeltoggletab/chrome folder

Firefox

1. Open about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox in Firefox
2. Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
3. Navigate to the wheeltoggletab/firefox folder and select manifest.json

Note: For Firefox, temporary add-ons are removed when you close the browser. For permanent installation, you would need to sign the extension through Mozilla's add-on distribution.

Go to https://addons.mozilla.org/developers/addon/submit/distribution - Choose "On your own" (self-distribution) - Upload wheeltoggletab-firefox-v1.0.zip Fill Out Information. - Extension name: Wheel Toggle Tab. Mozilla will automatically scan your extension, If it passes, you'll get a signed .xpi file.

tips:can not find where .xpi file? see Can't find how to download my personal add-on - Add-ons / addons.mozilla.org - Mozilla Discourse

Usage

Simply hold down the Alt key and scroll your mouse wheel:

• Scroll up to go to the previous tab
• Scroll down to go to the next tab

The extension includes debouncing to prevent accidental rapid tab switching.

Folder Structure

wheeltoggletab/
├── chrome/           # Chrome version (Manifest V3)
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── content.js
│   └── background.js
├── firefox/          # Firefox version (Manifest V2)
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── content.js
│   └── background.js
└── README.md

The extension is split into two folders because:

• Chrome requires Manifest V3 with service workers
• Firefox currently works best with Manifest V2 and the browser API

Permissions

• tabs - Required to switch between browser tabs
• <all_urls> content script - Required to detect wheel events on all websites

Firefox Default Behavior

By default, Firefox uses Alt + Mouse Wheel for:

• Alt + Wheel Up: Navigate back in browsing history
• Alt + Wheel Down: Navigate forward in browsing history

This extension overrides that default behavior to switch tabs instead. The extension properly prevents Firefox's back/forward navigation when Alt + wheel is detected.

If you prefer to keep Firefox's default behavior, simply disable or uninstall this extension.

Limitations

Browser Internal Pages

For security reasons, browser extensions cannot run on internal browser pages. The extension will not work on:

Chrome/Edge/Brave:

• chrome:// pages (e.g., chrome://extensions, chrome://settings)
• chrome-extension:// pages
• Chrome Web Store (chrome.google.com/webstore)
• PDF viewer (in some cases)

Firefox:

• about: pages (e.g., about:config, about:debugging)
• moz-extension:// pages
• Firefox Add-ons site (addons.mozilla.org)

Why? This is a built-in security feature by browsers to prevent extensions from:

• Modifying browser settings
• Accessing sensitive browser data
• Interfering with other extensions
• Tampering with the browser's internal pages

What Works

The extension works perfectly on:

• All regular websites (http:// and https://)
• Local files (file://) if you enable "Allow access to file URLs" in the extension settings

Alternative for Internal Pages

When on internal browser pages, you can use the browser's built-in keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Tab (or Cmd + Tab on Mac) - Next tab
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab (or Cmd + Shift + Tab on Mac) - Previous tab

Troubleshooting

If the extension doesn't work:

1. Make sure you loaded the correct folder (chrome/ or firefox/)
2. Check the browser console for any errors
3. Reload the extension after making any changes
4. Try reloading the web page where you're testing
5. Firefox only: If the extension still navigates history instead of switching tabs, go to about:config and set mousewheel.with_alt.action to 0