How to Enable Vertical Tabs in Google Chrome

Understanding the Transition to Vertical Tabs in Chrome

We recognize the evolving landscape of web browsing productivity. For over a decade, the horizontal tab strip has been the standard interface element across all major web browsers. However, as screen resolutions have shifted towards wider aspect ratios, the limitations of this horizontal design have become increasingly apparent. When a user has multiple tabs open, the tab titles become compressed, often displaying only favicons, which significantly hinders navigation and workflow efficiency. The Silicon Valley giant, Google, has addressed this by introducing a native Vertical Tabs feature. This feature is not merely a cosmetic change; it is a fundamental restructuring of how users interact with their open sessions.

The transition to vertical tabs allows for a vertical sidebar that displays open tabs, similar to the experience found in browsers like Microsoft Edge or Vivaldi. This layout leverages the vertical screen real estate, which is typically underutilized on modern widescreen monitors. By implementing this, we can display longer, more descriptive tab titles without truncation, allowing for immediate visual identification of content. The feature is currently available within the Experimental phase of Google Chrome, meaning it requires specific flags to be enabled. This article serves as a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to unlocking this powerful productivity tool.

We will explore the exact methods to enable vertical tabs on both desktop and mobile platforms. Furthermore, we will delve into advanced customization options, keyboard shortcuts, and the integration of this feature into a daily workflow. Our objective is to provide a definitive resource that ensures you can maximize your browsing efficiency.

Prerequisites and Version Requirements

Before attempting to enable vertical tabs, it is essential to ensure that your environment meets the necessary prerequisites. As this is a feature under active development by Google, it is tightly bound to specific browser versions and operating systems.

Google Chrome Version

We must verify that you are running a recent build of Google Chrome. The vertical tabs functionality was introduced in stable builds starting from Chrome 109, but it is continuously refined in subsequent updates. To check your version:

Click the three vertical dots (kebab menu) in the top-right corner.
Navigate to Help > About Google Chrome.
Allow the browser to check for updates and install the latest version if available. Using an outdated version will result in the feature flags being absent or non-functional.

Operating System Compatibility

While vertical tabs are primarily designed for desktop environments, the implementation varies slightly between operating systems.

Windows: Fully supported. This is the primary platform for testing this feature.
macOS: Supported, though the UI adapts to the macOS design language.
Linux: Supported on most distributions running the .deb or .rpm builds of Chrome.
ChromeOS: Supported, though the interface may differ on tablet mode.

Google Account Sync Considerations

If you utilize multiple devices, enabling vertical tabs on one machine does not automatically reflect the UI changes on others via standard sync. The vertical tabs sidebar is a local UI state. However, the tabs themselves (URLs, history) will sync as usual. You will need to repeat the enabling process on each distinct desktop installation where you desire the vertical layout.

Method 1: Enabling Vertical Tabs via Chrome Flags (Desktop)

The primary method to activate vertical tabs in Google Chrome is by modifying internal browser settings known as “Flags.” These flags expose experimental features that are not yet fully rolled out to the general public. Proceed with caution, as experimental features can occasionally cause instability, though vertical tabs have reached a high degree of stability.

To begin the process, we must navigate to the specific URL that grants access to these internal settings.

Open your Google Chrome browser.
In the address bar, type the following command exactly: chrome://flags
Press Enter.
You will be presented with a warning page. This is standard for experimental features. Acknowledge the warning by clicking “Proceed with caution” if prompted, or simply scroll down to the search bar.

Locating the Vertical Tabs Flag

The flags page contains hundreds of settings. To find the specific setting for vertical tabs, we utilize the search functionality.

Locate the Search flags text box at the top of the page.
Enter the keyword: Vertical Tabs.
The browser will filter the list, presenting the relevant flags.

Activating the Feature

You will typically see one or two flags related to vertical tabs. The most critical one is usually labeled “Vertical Tabs” or “Enable Vertical Tab Strip.”

Click the dropdown menu next to the flag. It likely defaults to Default.
Change the setting to Enabled.
Once you select “Enabled,” Chrome will trigger a relaunch prompt at the bottom of the screen. The browser must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
Click Relaunch to restart Chrome immediately.

Upon restarting, you will notice a new icon in the top-left corner of the tab strip, resembling a stack of horizontal lines or a dedicated vertical tabs icon. Clicking this icon will toggle the vertical tabs sidebar.

Experimental Flags for Tab Groups

We also recommend checking for the flag “Tab Groups and Vertical Tabs.” Sometimes, the vertical tabs feature works in tandem with tab grouping. Enabling this flag ensures that your grouped tabs appear as collapsible folders within the vertical sidebar, enhancing organization. The process is identical: search, enable, and relaunch.

Method 2: Enabling Vertical Tabs on Google Chrome Mobile (Android & iOS)

Google has also introduced vertical tabs for the mobile version of Chrome, specifically optimized for tablet layouts and foldable devices. While standard mobile phones use a bottom tab strip, tablets benefit significantly from a vertical sidebar.

Android Implementation

On Android devices, particularly tablets, the process mirrors the desktop version but may require specific gestures.

Open Chrome on your Android device.
Tap the three dots menu > Settings.
Look for Tab Groups or Accessibility settings. In some builds, the toggle is directly available under Appearance.
If the direct toggle is missing, you must access chrome://flags via the mobile address bar.
Search for Vertical Tabs and set it to Enabled.
Relaunch the browser.
Once enabled, a new icon will appear in the tab overview screen (the square icon usually used to view open tabs). Tapping this will switch the view to a vertical layout.

iOS Implementation

Apple imposes stricter UI guidelines on iOS, but Google has integrated vertical tabs for iPadOS users.

Open Chrome on your iPad.
Tap the three dots menu > Settings.
Navigate to Tabs.
Look for Tab Layout. You will see options for “Grid” or “List.”
For vertical tabs, you may need to enable Tab Groups first, which allows the sidebar to appear on the left when the device is in landscape mode.
Rotating the iPad to landscape mode automatically triggers the vertical sidebar if the feature is active in your version of Chrome.

Customizing the Vertical Tabs Interface

Once the feature is enabled, we should customize the interface to suit your specific workflow. The default settings are functional but offer limited utility without personalization.

The vertical tabs sidebar can be toggled on or off using the icon in the top-left corner of the tab strip. However, the sidebar takes up significant horizontal screen space.

To minimize the sidebar: Hover your mouse over the right edge of the vertical tabs sidebar until the cursor changes to a resize pointer. Click and drag left to reduce the width.
To expand the sidebar: Drag the right edge outward to reveal full tab titles.
To hide the sidebar completely: Click the “X” icon at the top of the sidebar or the main toggle button in the tab strip. This returns you to the standard horizontal view, though tabs remain managed vertically in the background.

Managing Tab Groups

The true power of vertical tabs is realized through Tab Groups. In a horizontal layout, groups are represented by colored dots and require a click to expand. In vertical tabs, groups are collapsible lists.

Right-click on any tab.
Select Add to new group.
Assign a color and a name (e.g., “Work,” “Research,” “Social”).
In the vertical sidebar, you will see a collapsible arrow next to the group name. Clicking this arrow hides or shows the tabs within that group.
This allows you to keep hundreds of tabs open without visual clutter, collapsing non-essential groups while keeping active projects visible.

The right-click context menu within the vertical sidebar provides robust management options:

Close Tab: Standard closure.
Mute Tab: Essential for managing audio sources in a crowded tab list.
Pin Tab: Pinned tabs appear at the very top of the vertical list, separated from standard tabs. They display only favicons to save space.
Move Tab to New Window: Useful for multitasking across multiple monitors.
Duplicate Tab: Clones the current session.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Vertical Tabs

Efficiency is often dictated by how quickly you can navigate an interface without a mouse. While Chrome does not assign default keyboard shortcuts for toggling the vertical tabs sidebar, we can utilize standard tab management shortcuts that are enhanced by the vertical layout.

Ctrl + Tab (Windows/Linux) / Cmd + Tab (Mac): Cycle through tabs from left to right in the vertical list.
Ctrl + Shift + Tab (Windows/Linux) / Cmd + Shift + Tab (Mac): Cycle through tabs in reverse order.
Ctrl + Number (1-9): Jump to a specific tab position in the list. In vertical tabs, position 1 is the top-most tab.
Ctrl + W: Close the active tab. The focus will automatically move to the next tab in the vertical sequence.
Ctrl + Shift + T: Reopen the last closed tab.

Search Tabs

The vertical tabs sidebar includes a search bar at the top. You can access this quickly using Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F on Mac) while the sidebar is focused. This allows you to filter through potentially hundreds of open tabs instantly by typing keywords found in the page title or URL.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

As with any experimental feature, users may encounter minor glitches or unexpected behaviors. We have compiled solutions for the most common issues.

The Icon is Missing

If the vertical tabs icon does not appear in the tab strip after enabling the flag and relaunching:

Return to chrome://flags.
Search for the flag again.
Ensure the status is Enabled (not Default).
If the flag was removed in your specific Chrome version, it may have been promoted to a stable setting. Check Settings > Appearance for a native toggle.
Clear your browser cache by going to chrome://settings/clearBrowserData and selecting “Cached images and files.”

If the vertical tabs sidebar reverts to a hidden state every time you restart Chrome:

This is currently expected behavior. Chrome remembers the open tabs but not the UI state of the sidebar.
To mitigate this, keep the sidebar open as your default state. Over time, Chrome may improve memory of this setting.

Performance Impact

Vertical tabs generally have a negligible impact on performance. However, if you have thousands of tabs suspended and then open the sidebar, there might be a slight UI lag as the browser renders the list.

Optimization Tip: Use the “Tab Groups” feature to collapse inactive groups. This reduces the rendering load on the UI thread.
Memory Management: Chrome’s built-in memory saver (found in chrome://settings/performance) works independently of the tab layout and will freeze unused tabs to conserve RAM.

Benefits of Vertical Tabs for Productivity

We advocate for the vertical tabs interface because it fundamentally alters the user’s cognitive load when managing information.

Increased Screen Real Estate

Modern monitors are widescreen, meaning we have excess horizontal space but limited vertical space. Horizontal tabs consume the most valuable vertical pixels, pushing the webpage content down. Vertical tabs move the tab list to the side, reclaiming the top strip for the webpage itself. This is particularly beneficial for viewing tall documents, code repositories, or data sheets.

Scalability of Tab Management

Horizontal tabs are non-scalable. Once you exceed 10-12 open tabs, the titles vanish, and you are navigating blindly. Vertical tabs can comfortably display 50+ tabs with full titles visible. This allows for “tab hoarding”—keeping reference material open indefinitely without losing track of what is available.

Enhanced Focus

By grouping tabs and utilizing the vertical layout, users can create distinct workspaces. For example, you can collapse all “Entertainment” and “Social Media” groups while expanding a “Project Research” group. This visual separation helps maintain focus on the task at hand, reducing the cognitive friction of seeing irrelevant tabs.

Advanced Tips for Power Users

To truly master vertical tabs, we suggest integrating these advanced techniques into your daily routine.

Bookmarking Vertical Tab Groups

While Chrome does not natively allow bookmarking an entire tab group directly from the vertical sidebar, you can simulate this:

Open the vertical sidebar.
Right-click on a Tab Group header.
Select Add all tabs to a new bookmark folder.
This creates a bookmark folder in your bar containing every URL from that group. You can then open this entire folder in a new window later, effectively restoring your workspace.

Syncing with Magisk Modules

For users who utilize Android devices with custom firmware, the browsing experience extends to mobile. At Magisk Modules, we understand the importance of a consistent user interface across all devices. Just as we enable vertical tabs to streamline desktop browsing, the Magisk Module Repository offers modules that can optimize your Android system for better web rendering and ad-blocking. By combining a streamlined desktop browser with a debloated Android system, you create a seamless, high-performance internet experience across platforms. Whether you are downloading modules or browsing the web, efficiency is paramount.

Developer Mode Inspection

For web developers, vertical tabs allow for a unique workflow when inspecting elements. You can keep the developer tools docked to the right (vertical split) while the vertical tabs sit on the far left. This setup maximizes the central viewport for the actual web content being debugged, which is often cramped in traditional setups.

The Future of Tab Management in Chrome

Google is constantly iterating on this feature. Based on current development trends, we anticipate further integration of Tab Groups into the vertical interface. Future updates may include:

Workspace Switching: Allowing users to switch between different sets of tab groups instantly (e.g., “Work” vs. “Personal”).
AI Organization: Automatic sorting of tabs into groups based on content analysis.
Pinning Improvements: Enhanced pinned tab functionality that allows for nested menus within pinned items.

As these features roll out, the reliance on the experimental flag may diminish. Google aims to make vertical tabs a standard, user-configurable option accessible directly from the browser settings without needing to access chrome://flags.

Conclusion

Enabling vertical tabs in Google Chrome is a significant step towards modernizing your web browsing experience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can activate this feature, customize it to your workflow, and leverage the increased screen real estate for better productivity. Whether you are a researcher, developer, or casual user, the ability to manage hundreds of tabs in a readable, organized format is transformative.

We encourage users to stay updated with the latest browser builds to ensure the best performance of this feature. As the interface evolves, the integration of vertical tabs will likely become deeper, offering even more granular control over how we interact with the web. Embrace the change, enable vertical tabs, and take control of your digital workspace.

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