How to auto refresh a page in Chrome

Last checked 6 November 2026 on Chrome 156.

Short answer: Chrome has no setting for this. For a page you own, add a meta refresh tag. For a one-off job, run a short script in the DevTools console. For anything you use often, an extension is the simple choice.

Reload by hand

Chrome has reload shortcuts, but no timer behind them.

Action	Windows and Linux	Mac
Reload the page	`F5` or `Ctrl+R`	`Cmd+R`
Reload and ignore the cache	`Shift+F5` or `Ctrl+Shift+R`	`Cmd+Shift+R`

To reload several tabs at once, click one tab, hold Ctrl or Shift and click others. Then right-click a selected tab and choose Reload.

If the page is yours

Add this tag to the head of the page. It reloads the page 60 seconds after it loads.

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="60">

This needs no extension and works on a phone too. It works only on pages you can edit. MDN also warns that a short interval is a risk for people who use a screen reader, so keep it for dashboards, not for pages people read.

With the DevTools console

You will often see this snippet online:

setInterval(() => location.reload(), 60000);

It reloads once and then stops. A reload wipes the script along with the old page. We tested it, and the timer did not come back.

The fix is to run the timer in a second tab that never reloads. It works on any site, with no install.

Open a new tab on any normal website. Keep this tab open.
Press F12, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac, and open Console.
Paste this, with your address in place of the example. The number is in milliseconds.

const url = 'https://example.com/status';
const page = window.open(url);
setInterval(() => { page.location.href = url; }, 60000);

The page opens in a new tab and reloads each minute. Chrome may ask you to allow pasting in the console, and it may block the new tab as a pop-up. Allow it for that site if it does.

It stops when you close the helper tab. It also stops if the site cuts the link between the two tabs, which some sites do. Chrome can slow timers to once a minute in a page that has been hidden for over 5 minutes, so do not expect shorter intervals from it.

With an extension

An extension runs outside the page, so a reload does not wipe it. It can also keep going in the background and remember your settings. Before you install one, check two things:

Site access. Reloading a tab does not need access to page content. An extension that asks to read every site is asking for more than this job needs.
Data. Read what it sends. The URLs you refresh are your own business.

Timing has a limit too. Extensions use Chrome's alarms, and Chrome can delay an alarm, so treat any interval as close, not exact.

Compare the options

	Meta tag	Console script	Extension
Works on any site	No, only your own	Most sites	Yes
Needs an install	No	No	Yes
Survives a browser restart	Yes	No	Depends on the extension
Works on a phone	Yes	No	No
Easy to stop	Edit the page	Close the helper tab	One click

What can stop a refresh

Memory Saver. Chrome deactivates tabs you are not using. Pinned tabs and partly filled forms can prevent this. To keep a site running, go to Settings, Performance and add it under Always keep these sites active.
Sleep. Nothing refreshes while the computer sleeps.
Unsaved text. A reload can discard what you typed. Some sites show a Leave site dialog, which blocks the reload until you answer.
Site limits. A very short interval can trigger rate limits or break a site's terms. Use the longest interval that still does the job.
Sign-out. Refreshing does not extend every session. A site can end a session at a fixed time.

FAQ

Does Chrome have a built-in auto refresh?

No. Chrome has reload commands and shortcuts, but we found no setting that reloads a page on a timer. You need a page tag, a script or an extension.

How do I reload all tabs at once in Chrome?

Click the first tab, hold Shift and click the last one. Then right-click a selected tab and choose Reload. This is a one-time reload, not a timer.

Will a tab refresh in the background?

An extension can reload a background tab. A script inside a page is less reliable, because Chrome slows timers in hidden pages. Memory Saver can also deactivate a tab you are not using.

Does auto refresh keep me logged in?

Sometimes. It helps only on sites that count a page load as activity. A site with a fixed session limit still signs you out.

Can I auto refresh a page in Chrome on a phone?

Not with an extension, because Chrome on a phone does not run them. If you own the page, a meta refresh tag works in any browser.

Sources

We ran the console snippets in Chrome 156 on a Mac on 6 November 2026, against a local test page on another origin. The rest comes from these pages.