Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions and solutions encountered by users. If your question isn't listed here, please feel free to contact our support team.

Installation and Setup

❓ How do I install miniTab?

Answer: There are two installation methods:

1. Chrome Web Store (Recommended): Search for "miniTab" and click "Add to Chrome"
2. Developer Mode: Download extension package, enable developer mode in chrome://extensions/ and load unpacked

For detailed steps, please see the Installation Guide.

❓ Why didn't it replace my new tab page after installation?

Possible Causes:

• Browser needs restart
• Conflict with other new tab extensions
• Extension not properly enabled

Solutions:

1. Restart Chrome browser
2. Check if miniTab is enabled in chrome://extensions/
3. Disable other new tab extensions
4. If issue persists, try reinstalling

❓ Can I use it in other browsers?

Answer: miniTab is developed for Chrome extensions and supports:

• ✅ Chrome Browser (Recommended)
• ✅ Microsoft Edge
• ✅ Other Chromium-based browsers
• ❌ Firefox (Not supported yet)
• ❌ Safari (Not supported yet)

Feature Usage

❓ Weather information not displaying?

Common causes and solutions:

1. Location permission issue

   • Click location icon in address bar to allow location permission
   • Or manually input city name in settings

2. Network connection issue

   • Check network connection
   • Try refreshing the page

3. API service issue

   • Try again later
   • Check if firewall is blocking related requests

❓ Bookmark icons not displaying or showing incorrectly?

Solutions:

1. Website favicon issue: Some websites don't have favicons set
2. Network loading delay: Wait a few seconds for icons to load
3. Cache issue: Clear browser cache and reload
4. Manual refresh: Right-click bookmark and select "Refresh icon" (if available)

❓ How do I create bookmark folders?

Steps:

1. Click the "+" button in bookmarks area
2. Select "Create Folder" option
3. Enter folder name
4. Click save
5. Drag bookmarks into folder for categorization

❓ Search function not working?

Check items:

1. Search engine settings: Confirm default search engine is set in Chrome
2. Network connection: Check if internet access is working
3. Extension permissions: Confirm miniTab has search permissions
4. Browser version: Ensure Chrome version supports Search API

Performance and Issues

❓ miniTab loading slowly?

Optimization suggestions:

1. Disable unused features

   • Turn off unused modules in settings
   • Reduce simultaneously loading content

2. Adjust image settings

   • Lower background image quality
   • Reduce image cache size
   • Disable image preloading

3. Clear cache

   • Regularly clear browser cache
   • Clear extension storage data

4. Check network

   • Use faster network connection
   • Check for network restrictions

❓ Extension using too much memory?

Solutions:

1. Optimize settings:

   • Turn off unnecessary feature modules
   • Reduce number of bookmarks
   • Adjust cache size limits

2. Restart extension:

   • Reload extension in chrome://extensions/
   • Restart browser

3. Check version:

   • Ensure you're using latest version
   • Check for performance improvement updates

Privacy and Security

❓ Does miniTab collect my personal information?

Answer: miniTab prioritizes user privacy. We:

• ❌ Do not collect personal identification information
• ❌ Do not upload browsing data to servers
• ❌ Do not track user behavior
• ✅ Locally store all settings and data
• ✅ Transparent permission usage

❓ How is location information handled?

Privacy explanation:

• Only for weather: Location information only used for weather data
• Not stored: Location information is not permanently saved
• Optional: You can refuse location permission and manually set city
• User control: Can change location settings anytime in preferences

❓ Can I use it completely offline?

Partial offline support:

• ✅ Bookmark management: Fully available offline
• ✅ Search bar: Interface available, but search requires network
• ✅ Theme switching: Fully available offline
• ❌ Weather information: Requires network to fetch data
• ❌ Background images: Requires network to update (cached ones display offline)
• ❌ GitHub Stars: Requires network and GitHub Token for repository management

GitHub Stars Feature

❓ How to set up GitHub Stars feature?

Configuration Steps:

1. Get GitHub Token:

   • Log in to GitHub, go to Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
   • Generate new Token, check public_repo permission
   • Copy the generated Token (shown only once)

2. Configure in miniTab:

   • Click settings button, switch to "GitHub" tab
   • Paste Token in input field
   • Click "Test Token" to verify
   • Enable "Show GitHub Quick Button" toggle

❓ Is GitHub Token secure?

Security Guarantees:

• ✅ Local Storage: Token saved only in local browser
• ✅ No Upload: Never sent to any third-party servers
• ✅ Minimal Permissions: Only requires repository read permissions
• ✅ User Control: Can revoke or replace Token anytime

Security Recommendations:

• Set Token expiration time (recommend 90 days)
• Immediately revoke Token on GitHub if anomalies detected
• Don't share same Token across multiple applications

❓ GitHub Stars feature not working?

Common Issues and Solutions:

1. Invalid Token:

   • Check if Token is completely copied
   • Confirm Token hasn't expired
   • Verify permission settings are correct

2. Cannot fetch repository list:

   • Check network connection
   • Confirm no proxy or firewall blocking
   • Try re-testing Token

3. Batch operations fail:

   • Reduce number of repositories per operation
   • Check network connection stability
   • Wait and retry after some time

❓ Can I manage private repositories?

Permission Explanation:

• Public Repositories: public_repo permission sufficient
• Private Repositories: Requires repo permission (higher privilege)

Setup Method:

1. Regenerate Token with repo permission checked
2. Update new Token in miniTab
3. Re-test to verify permissions

Important Notes:

• repo permission grants full access to all repositories
• Use with caution, enable only when necessary

❓ Are there limits on batch operations?

Limitations:

• Recommended Limit: No more than 20 repositories per operation
• Technical Limits: Subject to GitHub API rate limits
• Network Factors: Reduce operation count on slow networks

Optimization Tips:

• Process large operations in batches
• Reduce concurrency on unstable networks
• Wait and retry if operations fail

Data and Sync

❓ How do I sync settings across multiple devices?

Sync methods:

1. Chrome Sync (Recommended):

   • Log in to same Google account
   • Enable "Extensions" sync in Chrome settings
   • Settings automatically sync across devices

2. Manual sync:

   • Export configuration file in settings
   • Import configuration file on other devices

❓ How do I backup my bookmarks and settings?

Backup methods:

1. Automatic backup: Chrome sync automatically backs up

2. Manual backup:

   • Enter miniTab settings panel
   • Click "Export Settings" button
   • Save JSON configuration file
   • Repeat this process regularly

3. Restore data:

   • Select "Import Settings" in settings
   • Choose previously exported configuration file
   • Confirm import

Getting Help

❓ What if I have other questions?

Support channels:

1. Check documentation:

   • User Guide
   • Feature Details

2. Contact support:

   • GitHub Issues: Report problems and feature requests
   • Email support: Send detailed problem descriptions
   • Community discussion: Exchange experiences with other users

3. Provide information:

   • Chrome version number
   • miniTab version number
   • Specific operation steps and error messages
   • Screenshots or recordings (if applicable)

❓ How do I submit feature suggestions?

Suggestion channels:

1. GitHub Issues: Submit Feature Request on project page
2. User feedback: Use feedback function within extension
3. Community discussion: Discuss new feature ideas in relevant forums

Suggestion format:

• Detailed description of feature requirements
• Explain use cases and value
• Provide design ideas (if any)
• Consider compatibility with existing features

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If your question wasn't answered here, please don't hesitate to contact us. We continuously update this FAQ to help more users solve problems.