Google Chrome has long been criticised for missing the vertical tabs, a feature that many consider essential. The competitors had the vertical tab layouts for ages, while Chrome stayed with its traditional horizontal strip. That finally seems to be changing now. A new report suggests that vertical tabs will soon be available in the stable version of Google’s PC browser.
Google is finally adding a vertical tabs layout to its Chrome browser
After testing the feature in experimental builds, Google is finally moving closer to the stable release of the vertical tabs layout in the Chrome browser. Chrome alone accounts for about 70 percent of the global market share. Despite this dominance, the browser has lagged in several features and UI elements compared to other popular options, such as Edge , Brave, and Firefox.
Anyway, with the new layout, open webpages will be placed in the side panel. This makes the browsing experience much more organized and seamless. Many users worldwide prefer this approach because it scales better when dozens of tabs are open simultaneously. The browser interface with vertical tabs layout enabled looks modern and user-friendly.
How users can try vertical tabs now
Users interested in trying the feature must install the latest Chrome beta on their PC. To enable the vertical tabs layout, they must go to “chrome://flags/#vertical-tabs,” set it to enabled, and then restart the browser. After activation, a simple right-click on the tab bar reveals an option to move tabs to the side. No extensions or restarts are required during testing.
Google Chrome has been testing the vertical tabs layout since last year. It was initially spotted on the Canary version and is now available for public beta. This makes the feature accessible to a broader audience. However, it is still hidden behind the flag. Though the layout is fully functional and stable enough for daily use. Since it’s already on the beta version, we can expect the stable release to take place in late January or the first week of February. However, there’s no official confirmation on the release timeline yet.
