One of the reasons why Chrome’s been the most popular web browser in recent years is Google’s continual experimentation with new features and the Chrome interface on the whole. Though being at the helm of possibility has given rise to many amazing features over the years, there are also tons of them that don’t see the light of day or make it to the stable release. 

Lately, Google’s been experimenting with a toolbar shortcut button that will make accessing certain features easier. Here’s what the toolbar shortcut is for and how to disable it if it doesn’t catch your fancy.

What is the Chrome toolbar shortcut button?

Those fashioning — as of June 14, 2021 — a Chrome Beta 92 or a Chrome Canary 93 build or newer will see a new button in the toolbar (next to the address bar). Although by default this button is set based on your usage, users can also customize it to turn it into one of the following:

  • New tab button
  • Share button
  • Voice search

However, the toolbar shortcuts don’t always seem to work as intended, crashing the browser at times and behaving erratically. But even when they do, they might not be welcome by everyone. 

How to remove the Chrome toolbar shortcut button

If you’re not super stoked about this shortcut button, you can disable it easily. Here’s how to do so:

In the Chrome browser, tap on the vertical ellipses at the top right corner.

Then select Settings.

Now scroll down until you see the Toolbar shortcut under “Advanced”. Tap on it.

Here, toggle off Toolbar shortcut.

And that’s it. You won’t see the toolbar shortcut again.

Google experimentations with Chrome’s interface don’t always bear the best fruits, but at least there’s always a simple toggle to disable features you don’t like.

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