Chrome now updates every two weeks, which sounds great until you realize most of us never notice what's changed. In the past few months, Google's browser has picked up native vertical tabs, a proper split view and a Gemini assistant that can run errands for you. Whether you get all of that depends on where you live and whether you pay for AI Pro, so here are the eight desktop features worth knowing about and who can actually use them.
Vertical tabs finally make tab hoarding manageable
If you're the kind of person with 40 tabs open, you know the pain of tab titles shrinking down to a row of identical favicons. Vertical tabs move the whole strip to the side of the window, where every tab keeps its full title and tab groups collapse neatly. On a widescreen laptop, you also get back a little vertical space for the page itself.
To turn it on, right-click the tab strip and choose “Show tabs vertically.” You don't need any flags or extensions, and it works for everyone.
Split view puts two pages in one tab
I used to tile two Chrome windows with Windows Snap and then lose one behind something else. Split view keeps two pages side by side inside a single tab, with a divider you can drag to resize. It's perfect for comparing prices, keeping a doc open next to its source or watching a tutorial while you follow along.
Right-click a tab and choose “Add tab to new split view,” then pick the tab you want on the other side. You can also right-click any link to open it straight into a split. Right-click again to swap sides or exit.
Reading mode is now a full-page escape hatch
Reading mode used to sit in a cramped side panel, which defeated the point. Google has turned it into a full-page view that strips out ads, sidebars and autoplay clutter, and you can adjust the font, size, spacing and background color. Who knew Chrome had a decent e-reader hiding in it?
Right-click any article and choose “Open in reading mode.” There's a Read Aloud button with adjustable speed built into the toolbar, and if you use it a lot, you can pin reading mode to Chrome's toolbar.
Gemini sits in a side panel next to whatever you're reading
Gemini in Chrome lives behind a toolbar button and opens alongside the page you're on. Google says it can summarize an article, explain something confusing, compare information across open tabs and pull in Gmail, Calendar, Maps and YouTube. Image editing with Nano Banana is built in too, so you can ask it to rework an image on a page without leaving the browser.
Where it works: the US, Canada, India, New Zealand and several APAC markets, plus the UK since July. Most of the EU is still waiting. If you'd rather not have it at all, we've covered how to remove Gemini from Chrome on Android.
Skills turns your favorite prompts into slash commands
If you keep retyping the same prompt to “summarize this in five bullets” or “pull out the specs,” Skills saves it as a named shortcut. Type a slash in the Gemini panel and you'll see Google's prebuilt options, like Explain simply, Action items and Translate text, alongside an Add skill button for your own. Two keystrokes replace a paragraph of prompt.
Where it works: anywhere Gemini in Chrome is available, and it's free with a personal Google account.
AI Mode lets you search across your open tabs
The search box on Chrome's New Tab page now has a plus menu that lets you add recent tabs, images and PDFs to a single AI Mode query. In practice, that means you can ask a question across the three laptop reviews you have open, rather than flicking between them. When you click a link in an AI Mode answer, the page opens in a side panel, so you don't lose your place.
Where it works: Google launched it in the US in April, and it's now showing up in the UK too, though we're still waiting on a firm word about the rest of Europe.
Auto browse will run errands, if you pay for it
Auto browse is the agentic headline act. You give Gemini a task like booking parking, filling out a long form or tracking down a product, and it clicks through the sites for you. Google says it pauses and asks for confirmation before anything sensitive, like completing a purchase or posting to social media.
Where it works: US only, and only for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. If you have a Pixel with a free year of AI Pro and you're in the States, you may already have access.
Memory Saver keeps Chrome from eating your RAM
Chrome's reputation as a memory hog is earned, and Memory Saver is Google's answer. It puts inactive tabs to sleep, using a Moderate, Balanced or Maximum mode depending on how aggressive you want it. Chrome will also flag tabs that are slowing things down and offer a one-click fix.
You'll find it under Settings, then Performance. Turn on the memory usage indicator too, and you'll see exactly how much each tab is using when you hover over it.
Final thoughts
If you only change two things today, make them vertical tabs and split view. They're free and available everywhere, and they make Chrome feel like a different browser on a big screen. Reading mode and Memory Saver are quieter wins that most people don't realize they already have.
The Gemini features are where it gets uneven. UK readers now get the side panel, Skills and AI Mode's tab tricks, but auto browse is still US-only and sits behind a subscription. On paper it's the most ambitious thing Chrome has done in years, and it'll be worth seeing how well it handles real errands once it reaches more people.
