How to disable Material Design on Chrome Settings

If you don't like the new Material Design experience on Settings included with Chrome 59, use these instructions to bring back the old Settings.

Google Chrome disable new Material Design settings
Google Chrome disable new Material Design settings

Google has once again released a new update for Chrome and on version 59, the popular web browser is introducing an overhauled Settings experience using Material Design.

Chrome 59, according to the search giant, also includes various improvements and fixes, but the most noticeable change is happening in the new Settings experience.

If you have been using Chrome for a while, you’re probably already familiar with the old Settings with a menu on the left to jump between sections and settings shown also on the left.

On version 59 and later, the Settings has been redesigned to remove clutter and brings settings front and center using Material Design, which makes things look prettier, and it aligns the design with other Google products. While the experience has been improved in many ways, if the new Settings isn’t for you, it’s possible to bring back the old Settings design.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to disable Material Design in the Chrome Settings page to bring back the old experience on Windows 10 or Mac.

How to bring back old Settings experience on Chrome 59

  1. Open Chrome.

  2. In the address bar, type chrome://flags/#enable-md-settings and press Enter.

  3. Using the “Enable Material Design settings” drop-down menu, select the Disabled option.

    Disable Material Design Settings
    Disable Material Design Settings
  4. Click the Relaunch Now button at the bottom of Chrome.

Once you completed the steps, the next time you go to Settings, you’ll get the old experience back.

Chrome 59 with old Settings experience
Chrome 59 with old Settings experience

If you want to revert the changes, follow the same steps, but on step No. 3, select the Enabled option.

It should be noted that starting with Google Chrome 59 is possible to go back to the old settings, but this may change in the future.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.