In Google Chrome, bookmarks tend to be one of those features that really divide users. Either you like them and use them often, or you prefer not to clutter your browser. Luckily, there’s an easy way to manage and hide them in Chrome using something called the side panel.

What is the Chrome Side Panel?

Rolling out in late March with Chrome 99 for PC, Mac, and Chromebook, the Side Panel is a much easier way to manage your bookmarks and saved articles in Chrome. This new feature is accessible via a new button located between your user profile picture and the extension manager. When opened, the side panel expands a bit and gives a better overview of your bookmarks, where management and editing are much easier.

Using the Side Panel to Manage Bookmarks in Chrome

As mentioned, you can find the side panel by tapping the icon between your profile picture and the extensions manager at the top right of the Google Chrome window. Once you find it, just click on the side panel icon to open it.

You will notice a few things right off the bat. First, all of your bookmarks and bookmark folders will be there, waiting to be opened, moved, or edited. You can also switch to your playlist to see what you’ve saved in the past.

Move bookmarks

In the side panel, moving bookmarks is extremely easy, as it should be. Just like on the bookmarks bar or in the bookmarks manager, you can simply click and drag a bookmark to move it between folders and change the order in which it appears. You can also drag entire folders to change the order.

Editing bookmarks

Editing bookmarks in Chrome is essential for managing them, as it helps keep things organized and tight. To edit a bookmark or folder in the side panel, simply find the one you want to edit and right click on it. From there you can rename it by pressing Edit – if you are renaming a folder, right-click and press Rename – and typing a new name.

Using the side panel to navigate in Chrome

The real reason the side panel shines is because it’s a hidden map of all the sites you’d want to visit. You can open new tabs directly from the side panel by right-click on the bookmark and press open in new tab. You can also go directly to this site by clicking on the bookmark, as you would from the bookmarks bar. The only difference is that with the side panel, you can just click the icon again to hide your bookmarks, unlike how the bookmark bar does things.

How to disable the side panel

You’ve gone through this guide, tried all the different things you can do, and decided “the side panel isn’t for me”. Its good! In fact, there is an easy way to completely disable it from Chrome.

1. In the search bar, type chrome://flags/#sidepanel.
2. Under the Side Panel tab, click on the drop-down menu menu which should be set to Default.
3. To select Disabled.

Overall, the side panel is a familiar but foreign feature that will take some getting used to, especially if you’re an avid bookmark bar user. Even so, so far it has proven to be a much better approach to bookmarks and articles to read later overall.

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