Google has added vertical tabs to Chrome Beta (v145) behind a flag, letting users test a sidebar tab layout ahead of a planned stable rollout.
• Vertical tabs added to Chrome Beta (v145) behind a flag • Sidebar is resizable, supports Tab Groups, works across desktop OSes • Stable rollout timing uncertain—late Jan to February expected
Power users and people who keep many tabs open: welcome the vertical layout as it scales better for dozens of tabs and makes tab titles easier to read. Users on smaller screens or with multi‑monitor workflows: may prefer horizontal tabs because a vertical sidebar can consume horizontal screen space or complicate multi‑display setups. Browsers and competition angle: Chrome’s move is framed as catching up with other browsers that already offered vertical tabs, with Google testing implementation details (resize, collapse, Tab Groups) before a wider rollout.
Google has introduced a vertical tabs layout to Chrome’s Beta channel (v145), available behind the chrome://flags/#vertical-tabs flag; after enabling and relaunching users can move tabs to the side via Settings > Appearance or by right‑clicking the tab bar to select “Move tabs to the side.” [1][2][3][4]. The sidebar shows icons and tab titles, can be expanded or condensed, is resizable, supports Tab Groups, and is available to test on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS builds (Beta, Dev and Canary). [1][2][4] The addition follows months of testing in Canary builds and reflects a long-standing user demand and parity with competitors that already offer vertical tab sidebars. Early reports and screenshots come from developer posts and hands-on previews that emphasize usability improvements for people who keep many tabs open, while noting the feature remains hidden behind a flag for now. [2][4][1] Timing for a stable rollout is not uniform across reports: 9to5Google notes Chrome v145 should reach the stable track in February but cautions the feature may not be enabled by default, while other outlets expect a late‑January or first‑week‑of‑February appearance — one report even cites January 28th as a possible date — underscoring uncertainty about the final release timing and default state. [1][4][3]
Controversy
Reports disagree on the stable release timing and whether the feature will be enabled by default: one report specifies January 28th as a possible stable date [3], while others say v145 reaches stable in February or late January/first week of February and note the feature may remain behind a flag. [1][4]