You know the look. All desktop Internet browsers, from Netscape (later versions) to Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox to Google Chrome, have had browser tabs organized horizontally across the top of the browser window just below the toolbar.
It’s the de facto look. But whether you’re looking for a new landscape or find it more intuitive or organized to use, some browsers these days offer the ability to stack tabs vertically on either the left or right side of the window.
Because there is more space for the website header text on the vertical tabs, it is easier to see which tab is which than with horizontal tabs. There’s also something more instinctive about seeing them stacked like a regular movie menu.
Vertical browser tabs won’t fix your life, but they will fix your browser
However, only some browsers offer vertical tabs. 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, respectively (which also supports Chrome), allow for vertical tabs.
Google Chrome is testing the option now. It is currently undergoing beta testing, which means that the feature has been built and a limited pool of users are using it to find and eliminate bugs. It will soon reach a stable, widespread release, but right now it is still in testing as a feature.
Apple Safari and Opera do not currently support vertical tabs. Neither does DuckDuckGo, a browser offered by the same company that runs the eponymous privacy-focused search engine.
I can’t promise it will be a panacea for your hundred and ten browser tabs open, the clutter and clutter that results in a row 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 maybe you’re more of a vertical tab person after all.
