Google has been adopting the new Material Design throughout its services, primarily on mobile devices. Now the company has been working for several months to bring the same design language to the Chrome web browser on desktop computers.
The major visual overhaul is now available in Chrome 52 and later, and it includes changes, such as improvements for the browser to work better across high-DPI displays, new icons and animations, new tabs design with sharper edges, new search box (Ctrl+F), and a new dark theme for the incognito tab.
Chrome is also incorporating two layouts: one optimized for the mouse and a “hybrid” layout with space-out elements, which is better optimized for touch-enabled devices. The new hybrid layout will be the default on Chromebooks with touch-enabled displays.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable material design on Chrome for Windows, Mac, or Linux in the latest version of the popular web browser.
How to enable the new Material Design UI on Chrome
If you want to try it right now, then do the following:
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Download and install the Chrome web browser from Google.
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Open the web browser, on the address bar type about:flags, and press Enter.
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Scroll and find Material design in the browser’s top chrome, and select Material. However, note that you can also select Material Hybrid to test the touch-enabled layout as well.
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Enable Material Design in the rest of the browser’s native UI.
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Click the Relaunch now button to complete the task.
That’s all there is to it.
How do you like the new Chrome’s Material Design visual overhaul? Let us know in the comments below.
Update, September 6, 2016: Starting with Chrome version 53, material design comes enabled by default. If you prefer to disable the experience, you can revert the steps mentioned above or follow these steps.