Modern news websites and blogs are often cluttered with auto-playing video advertisements, sticky social media sharing bars, newsletter pop-ups, and massive header images. Trying to read a simple text article on a busy webpage can be incredibly distracting and visually exhausting.
While browsers like Safari and Edge have prominently featured a “Reader Mode” for years, Google Chrome’s version of this tool is hidden by default. When enabled, Chrome’s Reader Mode instantly strips away all formatting, advertisements, sidebars, and menus, leaving you with nothing but a clean, highly legible column of text and relevant images.
How to Enable Reader Mode
Because this feature is technically still classified as an experiment by Google, you must enable it via the developer flags menu.
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click the main URL address bar, type the following exact command, and press Enter:
chrome://flags
- At the top of the Flags page, you will see a “Search flags” text box. Type the word Reader into this box.
- Look for the specific flag named Enable Reader Mode.
- Click the dropdown menu next to it (which currently says “Default”) and change it to Enabled.
- A large blue Relaunch button will appear at the bottom of your screen. Click it to restart your browser and apply the changes.
How to Use Reader Mode
Now that the feature is active, you will notice a new icon appearing in your address bar.
- Navigate to any standard news article or blog post.
- Look at the far-right side of your address bar, just to the left of the bookmark star icon. You will see a small icon that looks like an open book.
- Click the open book icon.
The webpage will instantly transform. The background will turn a solid, soothing color, and the text will be enlarged and centered. All advertisements and pop-ups will vanish.
Customizing the Appearance
Once you are inside Reader Mode, you can customize the typography to suit your visual preferences.
Click the “A” icon located in the top-right corner of the Reader Mode view. A small panel will drop down allowing you to:
- Change the font style: Switch between standard sans-serif, serif, or a monospace font.
- Adjust the text size: Drag the slider left or right to make the text smaller or significantly larger.
- Change the background color: Select between a stark White, a warm Sepia (excellent for reducing eye strain), or a dark Grey for nighttime reading.
To exit Reader Mode and return the webpage to its original, cluttered state, simply click the open book icon in the address bar a second time.