This new tab feature for Chrome and Edge is a lifesaver for the most chaotic users

Chrome and Edge
(Image credit: Softulka / Shutterstock)

Google is in the process of developing a new feature that will allow users of Chromium-based web browsers - such as Chrome and Edge - to more effectively select and navigate between open tabs.

Traditionally, when many web pages are open at once, each tab becomes smaller so they can all be accommodated on screen, to the point at which only favicons are visible. This can make it difficult to find the tab you’re looking for - especially on small,  low-resolution displays.

However, Google is tackling this issue head on with a new feature that introduces scrolling to the tab bar at the head of the browser. The ability to scroll through open pages means not all tabs need be displayed on screen at once and the standard tab size and visibility is preserved.

While Google has already implemented the feature in Chrome test builds, it has now become clear that users of other Chromium-based browsers will also benefit from the upgrade.

Enable scrollable tabs in Chrome and Edge

While users that never have more than a handful of web pages open at once wont find much use for scrollable tabs, the feature could prove a boon for the more chaotic users among us. 

For these people - who often have tens of tabs open at any given time - the ability to more easily identify which tab is which could prove transformative.

It is not clear precisely when scrollable tabs will arrive for all Chrome and Edge users, but the feature is already available to sample in test builds (also known as Canary builds).

Users can enable the feature in Edge Canary using the following steps:

  • Right click on the Edge Canary desktop shortcut
  • Open Properties
  • Add command "-enable-features=ScrollableTabStrip" after "ms edge.exe"

And enable scrolling tabs in Chrome Canary by with these steps:

  • Enter "chrome://flags/#scrollable-tabstrip" into Chrome Canary URL bar
  • From the drop-down next to Scrollable TabStrip, select Enabled
  • Restart Google Chrome

Via Windows Latest

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Joel Khalili
News and Features Editor

Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He's responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.