Google is bringing back the beloved tab scrolling feature to Chrome
If you are accustomed to working with dozens of open tabs simultaneously, you are likely familiar with the browser clutter that follows. In January 2026, Google released a Chrome update that quietly removed the built-in tab scrolling feature, making navigation significantly more cumbersome for many users.
If you are accustomed to working with dozens of open tabs simultaneously, you are likely familiar with the browser clutter that follows. Research, work portals, and articles you intended to read accumulate quickly, making it difficult to navigate your workspace. In January 2026, Google released a new version of Chrome and quietly removed the built-in tab scrolling feature, which made life much more cumbersome for many power users.
The update that annoyed the web
The quiet removal of this useful feature sparked a wave of complaints from users on social media. Many discovered that their organized rows of tabs had shrunk to tiny, almost unreadable dimensions, making daily navigation very difficult. For those who keep dozens of pages open at once, this change turned working with the browser into an especially annoying and confusing task.
However, do not rush to despair, as it appears Google is listening to its users. The first hint of a change in direction was recently discovered in the latest experimental version. A user on the social network X shared that a new option called "Unlock scroll buttons" has appeared in the window frame context menu. This discovery raises great hope among users and indicates that the beloved feature may soon make a comeback.
How will it work in practice?
Instead of tabs being compressed into a small, crowded, and unreadable bar every time you open new pages, Google's future update will allow you to scroll through them smoothly left and right again. You will be able to do this easily using the mouse wheel or dedicated scroll buttons. The new option will provide personalized control, allowing you to choose whether to pin or unlock the scroll buttons according to your preference.
It is important to note that, as of now, Google has not yet published an official launch schedule for the feature, and the new option in the experimental version remains grayed out and not fully active. However, the very existence of the activation button shows that Google is working on a solution. Very soon, users who manage dozens of web pages simultaneously will finally be able to restore order to their browser and enjoy a much more comfortable and intuitive browsing experience.
