Google keeps trying to force feed me its hideous new Chrome design. Here’s how to revert to the classic one.

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keeps trying to force feed me its hideous new Chrome design. Here’s how to revert to the classic one.

Last Fall,

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started rolling out a major redesign to its desktop browser.

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calls its changes “Material You,” but I started calling them “ugly” and “annoying” when an update marred my browser’s UI in December. Then I figured out how to get rid of the changes and was happy with the classic interface, until today (March 26, 2024) when my browser updated itself to version 123 and overrode my changes, bringing me back to the hideous look I tried to get rid of.  Read on, because there’s a new workaround that, as of this moment, still works.

On the surface, the changes seem slight and many won’t notice them or care. The tabs and and all menus  (bookmarks, settings, etc) look like they are detached and somehow floating slightly above the main window. The icons for folders and for the extension menu look hollow and lifeless. Worst of all, the open tabs menu has inexplicably moved from the right side of the window (next to the minimize button) all the way over to the left side, next to the left most tab icon.    

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Here’s the good news: You can revert Chrome back to its tried-and-true design and layout with a few settings changes.

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has already, as of this week, tried to prevent people from going back to the older 2023-and-prior era design so I can’t guarantee that, at some point,

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won’t block these changes altogether.  (h/t to

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for this new method).

How to Revert Chrome Browser to Its Old Design

1. Navigate to chrome://flags/#chrome-refresh-2023. This will take you to the Flags menu and directly to the option called “Chrome Refresh 2023.”

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

2. Set Chrome Refresh 2023 to Disabled.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

3. Disable Chrome WebUI Refresh 2023 at chrome://flags/#chrome-webui-refresh-2023.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

4. Disable Customize Chrome Side Panel at chrome://flags/#customize-chrome-side-panel.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

5. Click the Relaunch button, which will close and reopen the browser.

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Chrome will now have its old design. You can always reverse this process if you wish to switch back.

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#

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#force #feed #hideous #Chrome #design #Heres #revert #classic

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