Google Chrome Finally Gets a Useful Feature Ages After Other Browsers

Google Chrome is finally introducing vertical tabs, marking a shift after years of not adopting the feature. The update allows users to move tabs to the side of the browser window, improving visibility of full page titles and making it easier to manage tab groups.

Users can enable vertical tabs by right-clicking on a Chrome window and selecting “Show Tabs Vertically.” Once activated, the layout remains the default until manually changed.

The vertical tab layout works similarly to the traditional horizontal setup, allowing multiple windows and tab groups. There is no fixed limit on the number of tabs, aside from hardware constraints.

This feature is expected to benefit users who keep many tabs open, especially when multiple pages from the same site are involved.

The addition reflects growing competition from newer browsers such as Arc and AI-focused alternatives like Dia, which have popularized vertical tab layouts.

Google had previously experimented with vertical tabs in earlier versions of Chrome, but the feature did not move beyond testing at the time. Recent builds have allowed advanced users to enable it through flags before the official rollout.

Updated Reading Mode

Alongside vertical tabs, Chrome is also rolling out a redesigned Reading Mode. The feature provides a full-page, distraction-free interface designed to reduce clutter and improve focus on text content.

The updated Reading Mode will become the default experience, addressing issues with increasingly cluttered web pages, particularly on news sites.

Gradual Rollout

Google said the vertical tabs feature is being rolled out gradually to users across all markets.

The update is part of a broader series of changes in recent months, including the integration of Gemini AI, improvements to autofill, a Split View mode, and a faster release cycle.