A few months ago, Google started rolling out a major redesign to its desktop browser. Google calls its changes "Material You," but I started calling them "ugly" and "annoying" when an update changed my browser's look in December.

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.

Here's the good news: You can revert Chrome back to its tried-and-true design and layout with a single settings change. I can't guarantee that, at some point, Google won't disable this setting, but it works right now.

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."

2. Set Chrome Refresh 2023 to Disabled .

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

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