Google updates Chrome with vertical tabs, a feature that Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge have long offered, and a new full-screen layout in reading mode
ZDNET's key takeaways — Google has started rolling out vertical tabs in Chrome. — With vertical tabs, all your open web pages appear in a sidebar.
The move also closes a visible feature gap with Microsoft Edge, which rolled out vertical tabs in 2021. Chrome is pairing that catch-up feature with a full-screen reading layout, making page organization and distraction reduction part of the same interface update.
First-order effects
Chrome users receiving the rollout can move open tabs from the horizontal strip into a sidebar, changing how large tab sets are scanned and navigated.
Google gains a reading-mode presentation that occupies the full screen, while Edge and Firefox lose some differentiation based solely on offering vertical tabs.
Second-order effects
Browser vendors will have less room to compete on vertical tabs alone and more incentive to differentiate through implementation details such as tab grouping, sidebar behavior, and reading tools.
Users who work across browsers may face fewer interface-switching costs as Chrome adopts a layout already familiar from Edge and Firefox, raising the importance of ecosystem integration and performance in browser choice.
Third-order effects
If major browsers continue converging on tab-sidebars and reading views, browser competition is likely to shift from headline interface features toward the quality of workflow systems around tabs, profiles, sync, and built-in assistants.
The pattern suggests mature browser interfaces are becoming more modular: features first proven by one vendor can become baseline expectations across Chromium-based and competing browsers, though rollout scope and user adoption will determine whether vertical tabs become the default layout.
The trend: This is one data point in the convergence of browser productivity interfaces around denser tab management and more focused reading modes.
Introducing a top-to-bottom update for your tabs...literally. Vertical tabs are coming to Chrome! 🚦 And there is more: A full-page view free from distraction with a new immersive reading mode. [video]
Today, we're rolling out two new productivity features in Chrome. With vertical tabs, you'll now have the option to move your tabs to the side of your browser window by selecting “Show Tabs Vertically.” We're also introducing immersive reading mode, a new full-page interface [vid…
We're also introducing immersive reading mode, a new full-page interface for deep focus. Right-click on any page and select “Open in Reading Mode” to remove visual distractions so you can focus on the text. [video]
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Google
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Too many @GoogleChrome tabs open? Try vertical tabs, rolling out now. Just right-click any Chrome window and select “Show Tabs Vertically” to move your tabs to the side of the browser window, making it easier to read page titles and manage tab groups.
Too many @GoogleChrome tabs open? Try vertical tabs, rolling out now. Just right-click any Chrome window and select “Show Tabs Vertically” to move your tabs to the side of the browser window, making it easier to read page titles and manage tab groups. [video]
Thanks for the update but I love watching the horrifying looks on my colleagues faces when I share my screen and they see I keep a minimum of 50+ tabs open at all times.
You can now arrange your tabs in a vertical sidebar in Chrome! 1) chrome://flags and enable Vertical Tabs 2) Settings -> Appearance -> set “Tab strip position” to Side Uses the real estate of an external monitor better, and easier tab switching for those of us with a few too