How to enable tab previews with images in Google Chrome

Google's Chrome browser is adding preview for tabs, and in this guide, you'll learn the steps to enable the feature.

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@Pureinfotech
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Enabling tab previews in Google Chrome
Enabling tab previews in Google Chrome

Google is adding tab preview to its Chrome browser with version 78. The new feature, just like in Microsoft Edge for Windows 10, takes the place of the tooltip, and it allows you to get a small preview of the other tabs when hovering over with the mouse pointer.

Chrome refers to the new feature as “Tab Hover Cards,” and it’s enabled automatically starting with version 78, but the default behavior only shows the title of the page. If you also want to see the screenshot of the page in the preview, you must enable this feature separately.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable the Tab Hover Cards (tab previews) in the Chrome web browser.

How to enable Tab Hover Cards feature in Chrome

To enable Tab Hover Cards in Chrome 78 or higher, use these steps:

  1. Open Chrome.

  2. Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:

    chrome://flags/#tab-hover-cards

  3. Use the drop-down menu on the right and select Enabled (or Disabled to turn the feature off).

    Quick note: Use this step only if the feature isn’t available on your browser.

  4. Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:

    chrome://flags/#tab-hover-card-images

  5. Use the drop-down menu on the right and select Enabled (or Disabled to turn the feature off).

    Chrome flags, enable Tab Hover Cards feature
    Chrome flags, enable Tab Hover Cards feature

  6. Click the Relaunch now button.

Once you complete the steps, open multiple websites in different tabs, and hovering over the other tabs should now display a card, an image giving you a preview of the website.

While we’re focusing this guide on Windows 10, Tab Hover Cards are also available for macOS, ChromeOS, and Linux, and the steps outlined above should work in all editions of Chrome.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

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].