Have you ever wished that Google Chrome would let you move all your browser tabs to the side instead of them all piling up into tiny icons at the top of your screen? If so, we have some potentially big news. After years of rumors and every other major browser slowly adding the feature, it appears that Google Chrome may finally be introducing vertical tabs.
The Chrome browser has several great features and is one of the most popular options available, but there's always room for improvement. For years, fans have been requesting more customization options, like the ability to move tabs to a new location, similar to the vertical layout found in Firefox and other browsers .
First spotted by Windows Report , Google is finally testing vertical tab layouts in the latest Chrome Canary build for desktops. More importantly, it isn't just a hidden feature being tested by a select few, and anyone running the latest Canary build can try it today. You can easily head into settings and switch to the vertical layout. Finally!
When you right-click the horizontal tab bar, you'll see a menu appear with a bunch of options. One of those is a new "Show tabs to the side" option we've all been requesting for years. Here's how it looks.
Windows Report
As we all know, the top bar in Google Chrome is increasingly crowded, with the omnibar, extensions, bookmarks, and any other items users add to their browser. Then, the more tabs you open, the smaller each icon gets, which can become troublesome and frustrating, especially for power users.
Vertical tabs are one of those features we've wanted Chrome to steal from other browsers for years. It's an option in Firefox, Vivaldi, Brave, Microsoft Edge, and many others, and now it might finally come to Google's own Chrome browser.
Similar to most of the competition, all your tabs end up in a vertical list on the left side of the screen, stacked on top of each other for easy viewing and access. Then, inside this new layout, there is an option to easily search your tabs. There's also a tab groups button, along with a way to quickly collapse or expand the vertical tab view.
It's worth mentioning that this is still very early, and Windows Report mentioned that the layout and usage are still a little rough around the edges. This is a test version in Canary, after all, and things won't be perfect quite yet. It needs some polish, more features, and improvements to compete with other browsers on the market. However, the fact that Google is finally testing the vertical layout means there's a good chance it will arrive sooner rather than later.
Considering this is a very early version of Chrome's Vertical tab system, expect things to change before it becomes official. Google could decide to scrap it entirely, change the layout, placement, and any features between now and a global release.
Source: Windows Report via Digital Trends
