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

Source: ZDNet

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Google is finally adding vertical tabs to Chrome.
• Vertical tabs make tab management so much easier.
• The feature is currently only available on Canary.

I’ve been a fan of vertical tabs for a long time. They make it easier to manage a growing number of tabs, keeping them better organized and visible. Most of my favorite browsers (except for Opera) have vertical tabs, and once you start using them, you’ll wonder how you got along without them.

At the moment, the vertical tabs feature is only available in the Canary release of Chrome, which isn’t suitable for everyday work. If you want a peek at what’s coming, Canary is the way to go, but keep in mind it’s not considered stable and could lead to lost data or frustration. If you prefer not to use Canary, expect vertical tabs to reach general availability in the next couple of months.

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Why are vertical tabs such an important feature? They make it much easier to see what each tab is. If you keep a metric ton of tabs open per window, it can be challenging to discern which tab is which. Vertical tabs eliminate this confusion, provide a cleaner browser layout, and free up more screen real estate.

I wish Google would also add a Workspaces‑like feature (such as the one found on Opera) to bring tab management on par with browsers like Opera, Safari, and Zen. Even without a Workspaces‑esque option, Chrome getting vertical tabs is a big deal.

If you’re daring enough to download and install Canary (it won’t interfere with your current Chrome installation), here’s how to enable vertical tabs.

Enable vertical tabs on Chrome Canary

What you’ll need: The latest version of Chrome Canary installed on your desktop platform (I tested the feature on Pop!_OS Linux). If you don’t already have Canary, download it from the official nightly site.

1. Open Chrome Canary from your desktop menu.
2. In the address bar, type chrome://flags and press Enter.
3. Find Vertical Tabs in the list, click the drop‑down, and select Enabled.
4. Click Relaunch to restart Chrome.

Add vertical tabs to Chrome

Now that the flag is enabled, move the tab bar from the top to the side.

1. Open Settings

Click the three‑dot menu button near the top‑right corner of the Chrome window and select Settings.

2. Change the tab strip position

Navigate to Appearance, locate Tab Strip Position, click the associated drop‑down, and select Side.

Your tab strip should automatically move from the top to the left side. You can now:

• Drag and drop tabs in any order
• Create and customize tab groups (color and name) – see the guide on how to use tab groups in Google Chrome
• Minimize the vertical tabs to a cleaner sidebar

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Give vertical tabs a try on Canary; when the feature becomes generally available, you’ll be ready to enable it without the extra steps. You won’t regret the shift.