It's not obvious how to disable tab groups and grid view in Chrome for Android, but the good news is that it is possible — and actually pretty easy too.
Tab groups for Chrome on Android arrived in February, swapping the standard view in which your tabs are arranged in a vertical array for a completely different grid-based approach. Each of these windows can then be grouped with others, after which they'll display as tabs at the bottom of the page.
It's a neat approach, but it does take some getting used to, and — as multiple Reddit threads attest — some users just want to put things back the way they were. Read on and we'll show you how to disable tab groups and grid view in Chrome for Android.
How to disable tab groups and grid view in Chrome for Android
1. Fire up the Chrome browser on your Android smartphone or tablet. We've used a OnePlus phone, but the process should be the same on a tablet.
2. In the URL bar, type this address (and press enter): chrome://flags/#enable-tab-grid-layout
3. This will take you to Chrome's rather scary looking flags page. You'll see the text 'Tab Grid Layout' highlighted in yellow.
Note: You don't want to mess around with other options here; as Google warns at the top of the page, "By enabling these features, you could lose browser data or compromise your security or privacy."
4. Open the drop-down menu by tapping 'Default'.
5. Select 'Disabled' to turn off tab groups and grid view
6. Relaunch Chrome by selecting the option at the bottom
7. You'll now be back in the familiar world of tabs you can swipe through vertically. If you decide to return to tab groups in the future, simply repeat the steps and choose 'Default' or 'Enabled' at Step 5.
More Google Chrome tips
How to clear cache in Chrome | How to update Chrome | How to reset Google Chrome | How to set a homepage on Chrome
