Google Brings Vertical Tabs and Improved Reading Mode to Chrome - MacRumors
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Google Brings Vertical Tabs and Improved Reading Mode to Chrome

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Google today updated its Chrome browser with support for vertical tabs, which are displayed in a sidebar instead of at the top of the browser.

google chrome vertical tabs
The tab layout can be changed by right clicking on any Chrome window and choosing the "Show Tabs Vertically" option. Sidebar tabs feature full page titles and make it simple to organize tab groups.

Google has also added a new full-page interface for reading mode. Right clicking on a webpage and choosing the "Open in reading mode" option will remove distractions and initiate a full-page viewing experience rather than the current side panel default.

Google says the two new features are rolling out on the desktop version of Chrome starting today, so they should be available for all users soon.

Tags: Google, Google Chrome

Top Rated Comments

CarlJ Avatar
CarlJ
5 hours ago at 01:37 pm
Interesting - I tried the reading mode in Chrome some time back, and laughed out loud at how bad it was to use a little sidebar for "reading mode" vs. how Safari remakes the entire window. Figured it was because Chrome wouldn't want to detract from all those ads on the original page, many of which were likely sold by Google, so I assumed they'd never do a proper reading mode.

The side tabs could be useful if they have included a way for them to expand/withdraw easily, similar to the "peekaboo" dock setting on the Mac, where it only shows when the cursor is nearby. Otherwise, you're taking a several inch wide strip out of the window's width, which mostly won't go over well.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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Saturn1217
3 hours ago at 03:41 pm
I actually gasped aloud. I know everyone here loves to hate on chrome but this is still the default browser for most and improvements are welcome.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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Ja50n
5 hours ago at 01:58 pm
I switched to Firefox when Chrome started reducing ad blocking functionality. Firefox already has vertical tabs and a reader mode!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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Ad47uk
5 hours ago at 01:56 pm
I have not used Chrome for years, I used Cent for a bit on Windows, also used brave, then started to use Firefox again, due to Manifest V3. I kept to Firefox when I changed to mac for a while until I found ZEN.

I have no reason to go back to a chromium based browser.

Zen is only vertical tabs, I love vertical tabs now, took me a bit of time to get used to them.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Avenged110 Avatar
Avenged110
5 hours ago at 01:54 pm
I thought this had already been available for a couple of versions now. Either way, it's about time. I've been using this in Ungoogled Chromium and it's far superior, especially since Google removed the scrollable tab strip. Amazing to me that they consider tabs becoming invisible to the strip acceptable behavior. I just wish the sidebar was a more macOS-native implementation. The sidebar can be resized, but changes don't seem to persist across restarts. The scroll view is a janky mess with no elasticity, a non-native scrollbar, and sometimes leaves the currently-selected tab outside of the viewport when navigating tabs with the keyboard until you hover over the sidebar with the cursor. Hopefully it improves rapidly.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
Minxy
2 hours ago at 04:32 pm
Why has it taken Google so long to get a reading mode working? I can remember Apple launched its reader mode back when Steve Jobs was CEO!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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