Chrome’s most useful hidden features are ordinary settings and menu items that many people never find. None of the six below needs a flag. The steps are for Chrome on a computer. If an option is missing, update Chrome first.
1. Vertical tabs
Right-click an empty space on the tab strip and choose Show Tabs Vertically. Your tabs move to a strip down the side of the window, where you can read every full page title and scroll through a long list. Right-click again and choose Show Tabs Horizontally to go back. Our vertical tabs guide lists every way to switch.
2. Reading mode
Right-click a page full of text and choose Open in reading mode. Google’s reading mode help says it opens “an immersive, full screen reading view of the page,” where you can change the font, text size and colors. On a computer it can also read the text out loud. It does not work on every website. Reading mode no longer needs a flag; older guides that tell you to turn one on are out of date. More in our reading mode guide.
3. Search your open tabs
With dozens of tabs open, press Ctrl + Shift + A on Windows and Linux, or Command + Shift + A on a Mac, and type a word from the page you want. You can also type @tabs in the address bar, press Space or Tab, and search from there. Both come from Google’s Manage tabs in Chrome help. See our Tab Search guide for more.
4. Memory Saver
Open chrome://settings/performance and turn on Memory Saver. Google’s performance settings help says Chrome then deactivates tabs you are not using, and they reload when you go back to them. You can pick Moderate, Balanced or Maximum savings. Our Memory Saver guide explains the levels.
5. Live Caption
Chrome can add captions to audio and video playing in the browser, such as videos, podcasts, live streams and video calls. On Windows or a Mac, open the three-dot menu, then Settings and Accessibility, and turn on Live Caption. Google’s captions help says the audio and captions are processed on your device, are never stored and never leave it. Linux and Chromebook steps are in our Live Caption guide.
6. Chrome’s own list of hidden pages
Chrome has dozens of internal pages for settings, downloads, diagnostics and more. This address lists all of them:
chrome://chrome-urls
Our guide to useful chrome:// pages explains the ones worth knowing, each with a copy button.
What about chrome://flags?
The flags page is where Chrome keeps experiments, not finished features. Chrome warns on that page that changing flags could cost you browser data or compromise your security or privacy, and flags can vanish without notice. If you still want to explore, start with our guide to chrome://flags, or read about trying Chrome’s experimental features the safer way, with Chrome Beta.