Google Chrome features a built-in “Reading List” panel designed to help you save articles you want to read later without permanently cluttering up your meticulously organized Bookmarks bar. While the feature is genuinely useful for some, many users find it completely redundant and deeply annoying, especially since the “Reading List” button stubbornly occupies valuable real estate on the right side of the Bookmarks bar.
If you already use a dedicated read-it-later service like Pocket, Instapaper, or simply prefer using standard bookmarks, you likely want that button gone. Fortunately, you can easily disable the Reading List feature entirely, reclaiming your browser space.
How to Turn Off the Reading List (The Easy Way)
In modern versions of Google Chrome, Google finally added a simple toggle to remove the button directly from the interface without requiring any complex technical workarounds.
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
- Ensure your Bookmarks Bar is visible. (If you don’t see it, press Ctrl + Shift + B on Windows or Cmd + Shift + B on Mac to reveal it).
- Look at the far right side of the Bookmarks Bar. You should see a button labeled Reading List or a small icon that looks like a side panel.
- Right-click directly on the “Reading List” button (or right-click anywhere in the empty grey space of the Bookmarks Bar).
- A context menu will drop down. Look for the option labeled Show reading list.
- Click it to uncheck the option.
The Reading List button will instantly vanish from your Bookmarks Bar, giving you back that space for your actual saved links.
How to Turn Off the Side Panel (If the Button Persists)
Recently, Google moved the Reading List inside a broader feature called the “Side Panel” (a square icon next to your profile picture in the top right corner). If right-clicking the bookmarks bar didn’t remove the feature, or if you want to completely disable the Side Panel itself, you must dive into Chrome’s experimental settings, known as “Flags.”
Warning: Chrome Flags are experimental features. Changing the wrong setting here can make your browser unstable, so follow these instructions exactly.
- Open a new tab in Google Chrome.
- Click into the URL address bar at the top, type exactly this:
chrome://flags, and press Enter. - You will be taken to a page with a massive list of technical settings and a search bar at the top.
- In the search bar, type Side panel.
- Look at the search results below. Locate the flag specifically named Side panel.
- To the right of that flag, you will see a dropdown box that likely says “Default.” Click it.
- Select Disabled from the dropdown menu.
- A blue button will appear at the bottom of your screen that says Relaunch. You must click this button to restart the browser for the change to take effect.
When Chrome reboots, the Side Panel icon (and the Reading List contained within it) will be completely removed from the browser interface.