With Chrome 107, Google added a new feature to the browser. Similar to Edge, it now allows redirecting its search to the sidebar. With one click you can move search results out of the tab to the panel on the right. Google says it will allow anyone to compare search results, or keep them always visible while you are browsing the sites it found for you.When you open a page from the search result, the browser will show a google icon in the address bar. Clicking it will restore the original Google's search page, like you see when you go back to it, but it will appear on the right.
How Side Search works in Google Chrome
- Open Google.com in the Chrome browser and type some search query.
- Once it opens the result page, click on some link.
- After the target website opens, you will see a new "google" icon in the address bar.
- Click the new Google icon to open the original search result page in the sidebar.
When the sidebar is open, the "google" button disappears from the address bar. But once you close the panel, the "G" icon returns to its place, and allows you to return the most recent search once again.
The feature made its first appearance in the Chrome browser in March 2022. By that time, it was hidden in the Canary version of the app, and required you to enable it manually.
Starting in Chrome 107 stable, it is enabled by default with no option in settings to disable it. If you aren't happy to see it, this may be frustrating. However, here's a bit of good news: The same flag we used to enable it we can now use to get rid of it. Here is how.
Disable Side Search in Google Chrome
- Run the Chrome browser, and open a new tab.
- Type or copy-paste
chrome://flags/#search-web-in-side-panel
in the address bar, and hit Enter. - Select Disabled from the drop-down list next to the Side Search option.
- Similarly, disable the
chrome://flags/#side-search
flag. Type it into the address bar and hit Enter, then select Disabled. - Relaunch the browser when prompted.
This is how you disable the side search in Chrome.
The guide is tested on Chrome from version 107 to 113. In a typical Google's fashion, it won't take them long to remove the flag. So treat this option as a temporary workaround which can stop working in forthcoming versions.
Sidebar search is one of productivity features both Chrome and Edge offer to the user. Microsoft's solution could be more interesting to the user, as it is more flexible, and also offers reverse image search in addition to text terms.
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This worked, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
It’s not working on macbook
I did this, but “Side search” is not on the list at all, I searched it and manually went through the whole thing and it’s simply not there at all.
chrome://flags/#search-web-in-side-panel
Try to search this: Search web in side panel
chrome://flags/#search-web-in-side-panel
It changed a bit.
Use:
chrome://flags/#search-web-in-side-panel
Set to disabled.
Doesn’t work in chrome 115
In Chrome 115, both flags are in place.
Please try disabing both
chrome://flags/#side-search
chrome://flags/#search-web-in-side-panel