The horizontally oriented tab bar is a common feature of web browsers, including in Google Chrome. There are some outliers that have embraced the idea of vertical tabs positioned at the side of the browser window to make better use of screen space, and Chrome is now joining them.
It is an idea that has been floating around for a little while now, with Google going as far as implementing this as an option in Canary builds of the browser. It would now appear that we are edging closer to vertical tabs being a standard feature of Chrome as it has now migrated into the Beta builds.
But while the option to use vertical tabs is now being made available to a wider audience – there are many more people happy to run relatively stable beta builds than potentially flaky canary – it is only really an option for seekers. As so often happens with features and options that are being tested, Google has decided to hide the option to use vertical tabs.
This means that the option to enable the new orientation is not to be found in Settings, but instead has to be turned on by enabling a special flag.
As shared by Ghacks, what you need to do in either the latest Canary or Beta build of Chrome is:
- Open chrome://flags/#vertical-tabs
- Enable the vertical tabs flag
- Restart the browser
- Right-click the tab bar and select show tabs on the side
That is all there is to it. Although it is not guaranteed that the feature will make its way into the stable build of Chrome, what we’re currently seeing in the Beta build should make its way to the stable channel around the end of this month.
What we don’t know is whether or not this is something that will remain hidden as an optional flag, or if vertical tabs will be promoted to Setting so users can more easily switch between modes. It would be nice to see Google implementing it as a toggle on the tab bar context menu to make life even easier, but it is far too early to say whether or not this could happen.
If you have worked with vertical tabs in other browsers, how do you feel Google’s implementation compares? And whether you are new to vertical tabs or they are something you are familiar with, do you see yourself using this orientation in the future?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image credit: Juan Roballo / Dreamstime.com
