Chrome vertical tabs keep full page titles in view
By Steven Van ·
Google's October 30 post points at vertical tabs, which the Chrome blog began rolling out on April 7.
Google Chrome's account posted on October 30 about vertical tabs, so a long row of tiny icons can show page titles instead. Chrome quoted Jacob Bank, a VP of product on Chrome, who said the layout moves tabs from a strip across the top to a panel on the left.
This is not a feature dated to October 30. Google's Chrome blog, written by Alex Tsu and Jess Carpenter on April 7, 2026, said the company was beginning to roll vertical tabs out. The step there is to right-click a Chrome window and choose Show Tabs Vertically. The chrome.com page repeats that step and says the side list keeps full titles and tab groups readable when the count gets into double digits.
The October 30 post does not name a Chrome version, a desktop or phone split, or a region. The April blog does not mention phones. Bank's clip shows how to turn the layout on.