Every major browser keeps a thin strip of tabs at the top of the window. This is great, as long as you don’t have dozens of tabs open, and you can only really see the small website favicon. A better way exists – placing tabs vertically in the sidebar – but browsers have been resisting it for years. Arc was the first mainstream browser to introduce a sidebar-based navigation system, and it has since spread to Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Arc’s spiritual successor, Zen Browser. If you are using one of these browsers, I highly recommend switching.
Why do vertical tabs make more sense?
Lots of space wasted left and right.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Most websites are optimized for a vertical reading experience, while laptops and desktops have widescreen displays. When you read articles on a website like Lifehacker, there is a lot of empty space on the left and right, while that vertical space is really at a premium. Depending on your display size, your tabs may shrink to the top of the display, taking up space that would otherwise be available for viewing the corresponding site. Moving the tab bar to the sidebar means you’ve freed up some useful space at the top, with the added benefit of being able to see the names of all your tabs – even if you have 30 tabs open at once.
How to Enable Vertical Tabs in Google Chrome
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Chrome was the last major browser to add support for vertical tabs, This facility will be launched in April 2026. To enable vertical tabs in Chrome, update to the latest version, then go to settings > appearance > tab strip position and switch to Side. All your tabs will be moved to a new vertical bar on the left. The URL bar containing the extension will move to the top, and much of Chrome’s interface will disappear.
Chrome also offers a compact mode. you can click collapse tab Icon at the top of the vertical sidebar to show only the website favicon as a tab to save more space (hovering over a tab will reveal the tab title). You can still create tab groups from the top of the sidebar, and there’s also a handy button to find between tabs. Pinned tabs also appear in their own separate section at the top.
How to Enable Vertical Tabs in Firefox
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Firefox has a sidebar that lets you add features like AI chatbots, browser history, and quick access to tabs from other devices. Firefox also lets you move the sidebar to the right if you want. To enable vertical tabs go here settings > General > browser layout > vertical tab (And make sure show sidebar is enabled). When the sidebar is open, click customize sidebar Button to customize shortcuts – including the ability to remove all Firefox features and AI chatbot shortcuts. There’s also a compact mode that only shows the favicon, but shows the entire sidebar when you hover over it. Use Expand sidebar on hover Facility to switch to this mode.
What do you think so far?
How to Enable Vertical Tabs in Edge
To enable vertical tabs in Microsoft Edge, go to settings > appearance > tab actions > show vertical tabs. Once set up, you’ll be able to toggle the sidebar at the top from the toolbar. Because Edge is based on Chromium, the vertical sidebar works just like Chrome. Pinned tabs appear at the top, and you can collapse the sidebar for compact mode.
Zen Browser has vertical tabs by default
Credit: Justin Pott
If you favor vertical tabs, you should really consider using this zen browser. Currently in beta, it is the spiritual successor to Ark (Tear out) which is based on Firefox rather than Chromium with a focus on privacy and speed. But what’s particularly relevant to this piece is that Zen Browser uses a sidebar interface by default. Zen Use workspaces to divide your work, personal life or projects. Each space can have its own pinned tabs and its own workspace. You can add tabs to the “Required” location that will remain the same no matter what. There’s also a compact mode that hides the entire sidebar unless you move to the edge of the window. To learn more, visit our Detailed Guide on Zen Browser.
