One of the biggest problems with web browsers is that we tend to open a lot of tabs making things unmanageable very quickly. Google has been introducing many improvements for Chrome to help users manage tabs more efficiently, such as with tab previews and tab groups, and recently the company has been working on a new feature known as “Scrollable TabStrip” aimed to control the overflow the tabs.
Scrollable TabStrip allows you to scroll tabs (left and right) when there are too many of them to fit in the view, allowing to open more tabs while making easier to find them instead of shrinking each tab to the point you can’t distinguish any of them. The option isn’t new, it’s been available for some time, but it’s not until version 88 that the feature works on Windows 10.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable the “Scrollable TabStrip” feature in the Canary version of Chrome for Windows 10.
Enable Scrollable TabStrip in Chrome
To enable the feature to scroll through tabs in Chrome, use these steps:
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Open Chrome.
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Type the following path on the address bar and tap Enter:
chrome://flags/#scrollable-tabstrip
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Use the drop-down menu and select the Enabled option.
Enable scrollable tabstrip -
Click the Relaunch button.
Once you complete the steps, open a lot of tabs until Chrome starts hiding the overflow, and then place the mouse pointer in the tab area and use the scroll wheel in the mouse to scroll through the open tabs.
According to a Reddit post (via MSPowerUser), another update is expected that will also include buttons on either side of the tabstrip to scroll tabs without the need of the mouse wheel.
If the feature isn’t working, it’s likely because you’re not using the version of Chrome that supports the feature. You will need to be using version 88 or a later release to see it work.
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 15 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 21 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. Email him at [email protected].