Chrome is finally adding a better way to handle too many open tabs

After years of resistance, Google Chrome is finally embracing vertical tabs — a feature recently popularized by Arc Browser, the predecessor to the AI ​​Dia browser. Google announced Tuesday that Chrome users will have the option to enable vertical tabs, which will move tabs to the side of the browser window, making it easier to read full page titles and manage tab groups.

Once enabled, vertical tabs will remain the default until the user changes it again.

The company is adding support for vertical tabs along with an updated version of Reading Mode, a distraction-free, text-focused reading experience.

The changes indicate how increased competition from modern-day browsers is affecting Chrome’s development, while also potentially reducing the appeal of competitors aiming to differentiate their browsers with features Chrome doesn’t have.

The company notes that the new vertical tabs can be enabled at any time by right-clicking on a Chrome window and selecting “Show tabs vertically.” The company says there is no hard limit on the number of tabs that can be open (beyond what may already be limited by user devices). Vertical tabs work exactly the same as horizontal tabs, which means you can have different Chrome windows with their own set of tabs or tab groups.

People who prefer vertical tabs tend to be power users or researchers who regularly keep several tabs open in their browser and often have trouble finding the right tabs when things get cluttered. This is especially true if you tend to open multiple tabs from the same site, with the same favicon.

This isn’t the first time Google has experimented with placing tabs on the side of the browser. The company tested this feature a decade ago, but never took it out of beta. However, this time, development has progressed, and savvy users have already managed to turn on the option by enabling the flag in recent Chrome versions. Google’s decision to move forward was likely influenced by interest in alternative web browsers, such as Arc and other browsers from AI makers, which it hopes will convince Chrome users to make the switch.

In recent months, Chrome has been busy rolling out updates, including ones that introduced Gemini AI integration, autofill improvements, and Split View mode, as well as announcing a faster release schedule.

The company says vertical tabs are gradually rolling out to users in all markets.

Along with the launch of vertical tabs, Chrome is also rolling out a new reading mode experience, which will offer a full-page interface to make it easier to reduce on-screen clutter to focus on text.

This will be the new default experience for Chrome users, and will arrive at a time when web pages, especially those on news sites, have become filled with ads and prompts to sign up for newsletters.

Ironically, the problems facing the media industry necessitated by advertising overload are affected by the fact that Google itself is attracting less traffic to publishers as artificial intelligence takes root.