If you struggle with tab overload and can never find the page you need among the many open tabs at the top of your screen, you might want to try Chrome’s new vertical tabs. Chrome recently rolled out a feature that allows you to move your tabs from the top of the browser to a collapsible sidebar on the left.
Vertical tabs show up in a list on the left side of your screen. Because it’s a list, you can actually read the full titles of your pages, no matter how many you have open. They work well on widescreen monitors.
It has taken me a awhile to get used to the new layout, but what I like most is that I can easily find the tab I'm looking for without having to click through all of them.
Overcoming the habit
The hardest part about switching to vertical tabs is muscle memory. For years, my brain has been conditioned to look up whenever I want to switch tasks, open a new site, or close out a page.
When you first turn on vertical tabs, your mouse is going to instinctively move to the top of the screen out of pure habit. It feels a little clunky and unnatural at first but if you can stick with it, your brain will adapt.
How to try vertical tabs:
Right-click any open tab or the empty space at the top of your browser window.
Select Show Tabs Vertically.
Note: You can also toggle this setting by going to Chrome Settings > Appearance > Tab strip position.
Grouped tabs are even better
If you are one to arrange your tabs into groups, you will really like how they show up on the left. And if you Pin any tabs, they always show up at the top (e.g. Gmail and Calendar):
Give it a try for just a couple of days to break past the initial habit. If you don't like it, you can easily swap back to the top layout using the same right-click steps. Let me know if you decide to give it a try!
Article by Karen Matthes, Extension Learning Technologies, klm@umn.edu
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