Google is on its way to bringing a huge redesign to Chrome.
The company has been incorporating its new Material Design, which is built on a grid-based layout, responsive animations and smooth transitions, into its browser.
Today, an update that features the new layout by default is rolling out for Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. It includes smaller tabs, a gray search bar that pops out when you click it and new alert indicators, among other things.
Here's how you can try out Google's new Material Design layout for yourself.
For Windows, Linux or Chrome OS Users
1. Download Chrome Canary.
To get started, go to https://www.google.com/chrome/canary/.
Press "Download Chrome Canary" for your operating system to get going. Just remember that Chrome Canary is a developer build, meaning you may face more bugs than you will on the public version of Chrome.
2. Set up Chrome Canary.
You'll be prompted to drag the yellow Chrome icon to your Applications folder. You'll get a notification that "Chrome is ready to complete installation."
Click "Start Google Chrome." Then, sign into Google. Otherwise, you won't get your bookmarks and settings.
For Mac Users
1. Enable Experimental Features
Mac users can get the new design without having to download Chrome Canary, but it's trickier. First, you need to paste chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md into your URL bar and press enter. Then, on the menu to its right, select "Refresh."
Repeat the process with chrome://flags/#views-browser-windows and select "Enable." This will enable your browser to refresh and install the latest Material Design updates as they come.
2. Restart Chrome
You'll need to restart Chrome to get the new design.
You may not have every feature right away. Now that your browser is automatically updating the design, you'll get updates as they come.
