Google Chrome 100 won’t break the internet - but could change how you search it
Searching on the side
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Searching for a query inGoogle Chromecould soon get much easier, thanks to an upcoming feature that adds a sidebar as you browse the web.
WithGoogle’s Chromeweb browserapproaching version 100, we’re already seeing some features that can help change the way you use the browser, such as improvements toclosing tabs in Android, and it’s likely that we may see other features appear as we approach the big release.
If you have multiple tabs open at once, this could be a great feature for searching as you browse. However, it looks like the sidebar will only show in one tab - it won’t stay in the same place as you switch between different tabs.
However, this is still a feature in testing, so the sidebar could change before it appears in a final version of Google Chrome.
How do you enable the side search bar?
As it stands, the sidebar isn’t available in Google Chrome 99, but it is in the test version of Chrome, called Canary.
Go tochrome://flagswhen runningGoogle Chrome Canary version 100, and you’ll be brought to the flag page, where you can enable many features in testing.
In the search bar, type in ‘Sidebar’ and you’ll be greeted with three options. Enable all of these, then close and open up the browser.
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Search for a query and select the first result. A ‘G’ icon will appear alongside the address bar. Click on this, which will make the sidebar appear. You can then use this to search for anything else while you browse in the main window.
Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he’s written a book, ‘The Making of Tomb Raider’. His second book, ‘50 Years of Boss Fights’, came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2025. He also has a newsletter called ‘Springboard’. He’s usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that’s about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.
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