Guide

Vertical tabs for Chrome

Chrome's horizontal tab strip breaks down once you have 15+ tabs open. Titles disappear, projects mix together, and finding the right tab takes longer than the task itself. SideArc moves your tabs into a vertical list in Chrome's side panel and adds spaces, folders, and pins on top.

Updated March 23, 2026 By MekongApps Editorial Team
DevelopersResearchersPMsFounders
SideArc showing vertical tabs in Chrome's side panel with full tab titles, spaces, and folders

Vertical layout

Every tab shows its full title. Projects are split into spaces.

What Chrome gives you by default

Tab groups, pinned tabs, bookmarks, and recently closed tabs. These help, but the main navigation surface is still a horizontal strip that gets unreadable past 10-15 tabs. There is no way to separate projects, and no persistent structure across sessions.

What SideArc adds

  • Vertical tabs in a side panel — every tab shows its full title and favicon in a scannable list
  • Spaces — separate contexts for work, research, personal, or any project. Swipe or click to switch
  • Folders — save links into nested folders per space for recurring references
  • Pins — keep core tools (calendar, inbox, docs) at the top of each space
  • Drag-and-drop — reorder tabs, move them between spaces, drop links into folders
  • Keyboard shortcut — Cmd+B / Ctrl+B toggles the panel open and closed

Who gets the most value

Developers who keep docs, localhost, GitHub, and dashboards open at once. Researchers with long titles and many sources. PMs juggling cross-functional tools. Anyone who uses Chrome as a workspace rather than a temporary browser.

FAQ

How do I get vertical tabs in Chrome?
Install SideArc from the Chrome Web Store. Press Cmd+B (Mac) or Ctrl+B (Windows) to open the side panel.

Does Chrome have built-in vertical tabs?
Not yet. Chrome has tab groups and a side panel API, but no native vertical tab layout. SideArc uses the side panel API to add vertical tabs with workspace features.

Is SideArc free?
SideArc is free with up to 2 spaces. Pro unlocks unlimited spaces with a one-time purchase.