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How to Remove Search Tabs Button in Chrome

The search tabs button in Chrome is the small down arrow icon in the top right corner that allows you to search through your open tabs. This button was introduced in Chrome 89 and is enabled by default.

While convenient for some, others find this button cluttering their browser UI. If you want to remove the search tabs button in Chrome, here are a few methods:

Disable in Chrome Flags

The easiest way is to disable it in Chrome flags:

  1. Type chrome://flags in the address bar and hit enter.
  2. Search for “Enable Tab Search” and disable that flag.
  3. Relaunch Chrome.

Update: This flag has been removed in recent Chrome versions, so this method no longer works.

Modify Chrome Shortcut

You can modify the Chrome desktop shortcut to disable the tab search feature:

  1. Close all Chrome windows.
  2. Right click the Chrome shortcut and go to Properties.
  3. In the Target field, add --disable-features=EnableTabSearch to the end.
  4. Launch Chrome from the modified shortcut.

This prevents the tab search feature from loading.

Use an Extension

Extensions like SelectionSK can replace the tab search functionality and remove the button. After installing, it adds its own icon instead.

Live With It

Unfortunately Google has made clear this feature is here to stay, so there may not be a way to permanently remove the button anymore. You’ll have to learn to live with it or switch browsers if you really can’t stand it.

Should You Remove It?

Before removing, consider if the tab search button improves your workflow:

  • Quickly switch between tabs
  • Search tabs by title/URL
  • Identify duplicate tabs
  • Close tabs without locating them

Power users with lots of daily tabs may enjoy these conveniences.

Benefits

  • Faster tab switching
  • Saves time locating tabs
  • More organized tabs

Downsides

  • Icon clutter in UI
  • Muscle memory to press it
  • Accidental clicks opening it

Determine if the pros outweigh the cons for you personally. Removing customization options is unfortunately a growing trend with Chrome, so there may be no way around this in the future.

Customizing Chrome

If you decide to keep the button, there are settings to help manage tabs and declutter Chrome:

Tab Groups

Right click tabs and select “Add tabs to new group” to bundle related tabs. Collapse into a single icon when not needed.

Tab Previews

Hover over a tab to preview the page. Identify pages without switching tabs.

Tab Search Shortcuts

Type @tabs in the address bar to search through tabs. @bookmarks and @history also work.

Fewer Tabs

Resist opening tabs you won’t read soon. Use reading lists and Pocket instead.

Tab Manager Extensions

Extensions like Toby offer advanced tab organization.

Chrome Alternatives

If Chrome’s lack of customization is frustrating, consider alternative browsers like:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Brave
  • Vivaldi

These provide more customization options and choice over interface elements like tab search.

The Future of Chrome

Chrome has over 65% browser market share, giving Google the power to shape its future direction. Some decisions will inevitably not align with certain users’ preferences.

But as competition increases from Firefox, Edge, and newcomers, Google faces growing pressure to balance simplicity for the majority with flexibility for power users.

There are signs Chrome wants to cater to advanced use cases with features like Workspaces. Hopefully greater configurability is on the horizon.

In the meantime, the methods here help remove Chrome’s tab search button when needed. Let’s see if Google eventually provides official options to disable interface elements like this.

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