Guide
Vertical tabs for Chrome
Chrome vertical tabs fix the moment where every tab becomes a tiny favicon. A side-panel extension moves your tabs into Chrome's side panel, keeps full titles readable, and adds spaces, folders, and pins so the list stays organized.
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.
A practical setup
- 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
This page is about layout, not full tab management
If your main problem is that Chrome tabs become unreadable, vertical tabs are the fix. If your main problem is separating live tabs by project, use a workspace or tab manager pattern instead.
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 a vertical tabs extension. SideArc adds vertical tabs inside Chrome's side panel, so you can scan full titles, split tabs into spaces, and keep core tools pinned.
Does Chrome have built-in vertical tabs?+
Not as a full tab layout. Chrome has tab groups and a side panel API, but you still need an extension like SideArc to get a real vertical tab workflow.
Are vertical tabs better than tab groups?+
They solve different problems. Tab groups cluster related tabs, while vertical tabs make them readable. SideArc gives you vertical tabs plus spaces, folders, and pins.
Is SideArc free to try?+
Yes. SideArc is free with up to 2 spaces, so you can test the workflow before deciding whether you want unlimited spaces.