Chrome tests a feature that rivals have had for years

Chrome is testing vertical tabs — how to enable the new sidebar in the browser
The Google Chrome browser app on a smartphone screen. Photo: Unsplash

Google has begun testing vertical tabs in Chrome, allowing users to free up more screen space and reduce visual clutter. The option has already appeared in the desktop version of the browser on the Canary channel.

This was reported by Android Authority.

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How the new feature works

Specialized media report that in the latest version of Chrome Canary for PC, users can enable vertical tab layout. Switching the interface is quite simple — you need to right-click the usual horizontal tab bar and select "Show tabs to the side."

After that, the tabs move to a sidebar and line up vertically — just as this has long been implemented in other browsers. At the top of the panel are Tab Search and the collapse/expand button, and at the bottom — tab groups and a "plus" for adding new ones.

Vertical tabs in Google Chrome
Vertical tabs in the test build of Google Chrome. Photo: Android Authority

You can also return to the standard layout through the context menu: simply right-click in the vertical panel and choose "Show tabs at the top."

It is noted that the feature does not yet look as polished as in competing browsers, but it already works and has a basic structure. Vertical tabs have long been available in Vivaldi, as well as in Edge, Firefox, and Brave, so testing in Chrome is a step toward a highly requested user feature.

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