When you perform a Google search in Chrome, click on a link, and realize it wasn’t what you were looking for, a small “G” icon sometimes appears inside the address bar. If you click it, Chrome opens a large sidebar containing your original search results. This feature, known as “Side Search,” is designed to let you browse multiple links without repeatedly pressing the back button.
However, if you already have a workflow that involves opening links in new tabs (by middle-clicking or holding Ctrl/Cmd), this side panel takes up valuable screen real estate and can be accidentally triggered. If you find the feature redundant and annoying, you can disable it entirely using Chrome’s experimental flags.
How to Disable the Chrome Side Search Panel
Because Side Search is deeply integrated into the browser’s UI, there is no simple toggle for it in the standard settings menu. You must use the hidden flags menu.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Click inside the address bar at the top of the window.
- Type the following exact URL and press Enter:
chrome://flags/#side-search - The browser will open the “Experiments” page, with a setting specifically labelled “Side search” highlighted in yellow at the very top.
- Click the drop-down menu next to this setting (which is likely set to “Default” or “Enabled”).
- Select Disabled from the list.
- A large blue button labelled Relaunch will appear at the bottom right of the browser window. Click it to restart Chrome.
Once Chrome reopens, the changes will take effect. You can perform a Google search and click on any result. The small “G” icon will no longer appear in your address bar, and the sidebar will never unexpectedly slide out to cover your active webpage.