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You Should Probably Be Using Vertical Browser Tabs

Vertical tabs can help with toolbars that feel cluttered.

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You know the look. Every desktop internet browser, from Netscape (later versions) to Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox to Google Chrome, has had browser tabs organized horizontally across the top of the browser window, right under the toolbar.

It’s the de facto look. But whether you’re looking for a change of scenery or find it more intuitive or organized to use, some browsers these days offer the option to stack tabs vertically on either the left or right side of the window.

Because there’s more room for website headline text on the vertical tabs, it’s easier to see which tab is which than with horizontal tabs. There’s also something more instinctive about seeing them stacked like an ordinary file menu.

Vertical Browser Tabs Won’t Fix Your Life, But They’ll Fix Your Browser

Only some browsers offer vertical tabs, though. Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are two of the most popular. Vivaldi, a more niche browser, does as well. Mullvad and Brave, two privacy-focused browsers based on Firefox and Chromium (which underpins Chrome, too), respectively, allow for vertical tabs.

Google Chrome is testing out the option now. It’s currently undergoing beta testing, which means the feature has been built, and a limited pool of users is using it in order to find and eliminate bugs. It’ll reach a stable, widespread release soon, but right now it’s still in testing as a feature.

Apple Safari and Opera don’t support vertical tabs at the moment. Neither does DuckDuckGo, a browser offered by the same company that runs the eponymous, privacy-focused search engine.

I can’t promise it’ll be a panacea for your hundred and ten browser tabs open, the clutter and crowdedness that results in a string of open tabs like San Francisco bumper-to-bumper traffic. But give it a shot. It’s a low-risk way to find out that you might, after all, be more of a vertical tab person.

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