After years of user requests, Google is finally bringing vertical tabs to Chrome something rival browsers like Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi have offered for ages. The feature has quietly surfaced in the latest Canary build for desktop users.
Vertical tabs now live in Chrome Canary
Spotted by Windows Report, vertical tabs are now active in the Canary version of Chrome. Once enabled, you can right-click on the standard horizontal tab bar and choose “Show tabs to the side” to flip the layout vertically.
This stacks open tabs in a sidebar on the left, offering a cleaner look and more space for titles especially useful when juggling dozens of open tabs. It’s a big win for productivity-focused users who’ve long relied on extensions to mimic this layout.
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Familiar layout mimics Edge and Vivaldi
Chrome’s implementation mirrors what you’ll find in other browsers. The sidebar includes Tab Search and a toggle button to collapse or expand the list. Tab Groups and the new tab (+) button are positioned at the bottom, making everything accessible with a click.
Key features of Chrome’s vertical tabs:
- Tabs are stacked vertically on the left
- Tab Search and collapse toggle at the top
- Tab Groups and new tab button at the bottom
- Easy switch back to horizontal tabs via right-click
To revert to the classic view, just right-click the sidebar and select “Show tabs at the top.” No restart required.
Chrome joins the club, finally
With this update, Chrome is catching up to its competitors in a long-overdue way. Vertical tabs help users stay organized, especially on ultrawide monitors or during research-heavy sessions. Until now, Chrome users had to rely on third-party extensions or switch browsers altogether to get this layout.
The feature is still in testing, so bugs or tweaks may follow before it rolls out more widely.
Vertical tabs bring smarter tab management to Chrome
Google hasn’t said when vertical tabs will move beyond Canary, but their inclusion signals a welcome shift. For tab-heavy users, this update can’t arrive soon enough and it’s about time Chrome delivered what others have made standard.
