I tested Chrome's soon-to-be-released vertical tab feature, and it makes the browser so much better

2026-02-19 · Source: News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET · Field: Technology & Digital — Software Development & Engineering, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Novice, short

Summary

Google Chrome is introducing vertical tabs, a feature currently available in the Canary release and expected to reach general availability within months. This update aims to significantly improve tab management by making tabs more visible and organized, especially for users who maintain numerous open tabs. Vertical tabs eliminate the confusion of identifying individual tabs in a crowded horizontal strip, offering a cleaner browser interface and increased screen real estate. While the Canary version is unstable and not recommended for daily use, it provides an early look at this "game-changing" feature. Users can enable vertical tabs in Chrome Canary by accessing `chrome://flags`, enabling the "Vertical tabs" flag, restarting the browser, and then adjusting the "Tab Strip Position" to "Side" within Chrome's Appearance settings.

Key takeaway

For IT professionals or power users struggling with tab overload in Chrome, the upcoming vertical tabs feature offers a substantial improvement in organization and screen utility. You should consider trying the feature in Chrome Canary to familiarize yourself with its benefits, or plan to adopt it once it reaches general availability to streamline your browsing workflow and reduce visual clutter.

Key insights

Vertical tabs enhance browser usability by improving tab visibility and organization, especially for high tab counts.

Principles

• Improved visibility aids navigation.
• Clutter reduction boosts efficiency.

Method

Enable vertical tabs in Chrome Canary via `chrome://flags`, restart, then set "Tab Strip Position" to "Side" in Appearance settings.

In practice

• Use Chrome Canary for early access.
• Drag-and-drop to reorder tabs.
• Create and customize tab groups.

Topics

• Vertical Tabs
• Chrome Canary
• Tab Management
• Browser Features
• User Interface

Best for: Software Engineer, IT Professional, Tech Journalist

Related on AIssential

• Get more done with new vertical tabs and immersive reading mode in Chrome — Google Chrome is rolling out two new productivity features starting April 7, 2026: vertical tabs and an enhanced immersive reading mode.
• Chrome on Android just got two huge upgrades that can fix your messy tabs - what's new — Chrome for Android v144 introduces pinned tabs and tab groups for improved mobile browsing organization.
• — a still that plays — The Web Component defers large GIF loading until user interaction, improving page performance.
• Google introduces Skills feature for multi-tab AI use in Chrome — Chrome's new "Skills" feature allows users to save and rerun AI prompts for one-click, multi-tab productivity.
• Apple testing new Safari feature to automatically organize tabs — Apple is enhancing Safari with an AI-driven tab organization feature, aligning with industry trends.
• YouTube Shorts are getting even shorter with an update that lets you double the playback speed — YouTube Shorts updates prioritize user control over content consumption and interaction, aiming for a streamlined experience.

Open in AIssential →

Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET.