If you took a survey of people who frequently use the internet and try to find out how many of them have never heard of Chrome, you’d likely come up with a very small number. I’d reckon maybe even zero. Chrome is huge compared to other browsers, whether mobile or desktop, with an estimated 2.7 billion people using the browser.
At the same time, there’s a massive shift in the design philosophies that major brands decide to adopt, with minimalism starting to become the new trend. As early as 2016, people noticed that app designers were embracing the ‘less is more mantra. If there was any way to hide a menu or any other large UI element behind a button or some hidden menu, they’d take it.
In a sense, it seems that that blessing (or perhaps, curse) found its way to Google Chrome. Many users wonder, where exactly is the menu bar in Chrome? Well, there’s little to draw your eye away from the content on your browser, but the users need to find something as utilized as a menu bar without stress.
Lucky for you, this article is going to tell you exactly where you should look if you’re on the prowl for the Chrome menu bar.
Do you have a particular question about the menu bar in Chrome? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
Here's what we'll cover:
Worry not. The Chrome menu has not magically vanished. Do you see those three vertical dots near the top-right corner of your screen? Just click on that to open the Google Chrome menu.
The Google menu bar isn’t very different from the traditional menus that we’ve come to know and love. The only real difference is that it is arranged vertically, in a location that many people may need to struggle to find.
While I would have loved to have the horizontal bar plastered permanently at the top, or at least an option to do that. The only way to show the menu bar in Chrome is to click on the three dots arranged vertically at the top-right corner. You’ll see it right beside the circle that has your profile photo, or alternatively, under the X button on PC.
Why is the Chrome toolbar missing?
Well, there are two answers to this. Notice that it seems like your Chrome menu bar disappeared. It might be because you just recently switched to this browser, and you never noticed that it was never there!
Besides that, it may simply be that you accidentally enabled full-screen mode, which gets rid of all UI elements and leaves only the web content on your screen. While this can be immersive, it is tough to use for people who are not used to it. Press F11 to toggle in and out of full-screen mode.
How to show the toolbar in Chrome?
Besides the menu bar, which Chrome doesn’t have, some toolbars can be seen under the row of tabs. In some cases, these may go missing, and you have no idea how to get them back. Fortunately, you won’t have to go through a long process to get back to showing the toolbar in Chrome. All you need to do is enable some options.
Here, I’ll show you how to do that.
Extension Toolbar
If you have some extensions that you use frequently and notice that the toolbar they usually sit on is gone, you can get it back easily.
- Open the Chrome menu with the three dots.
- Select “More tools.”
- Click on “Extensions.”
- Each extension has a toggle. You can restore toolbar Chrome simply by toggling any of these extensions (provided they have toolbars).
Bookmarks Toolbar
Bookmarks help you keep track of websites that are important for you. It’s easy to see why you might miss this toolbar, and luckily, it’s really easy if you want to get back to showing toolbar in Chrome.
- Open the menu bar in Chrome.
- Select “Bookmarks.”
- Click on “Show bookmarks bar.”
That’s it!
Now, you must be wondering: is adding a menu bar to Chrome possible in any way, such as by using an extension? If that was the question at the tips of your fingers, then I’m happy to tell you that you absolutely can! It’s not even a complicated process. You’ll be able to get a horizontal Google Chrome menu with little stress to it.
- Open the Google Chrome menu bar with the three vertical dots.
- Select “More tools,” then “Extensions,” and click on the three horizontal lines at the top-left corner, and then click on “Open Chrome Web Store” at the bottom of the pane that opens.
- In the search bar, type in “Proper Menubar” and press Enter.
- Alternative to steps 2 and 3, you can click on this link to head straight to the extension.
- Press “Add to Chrome” and wait for it to finish.
Just like that, you’ve been able to get a classic horizontal menu bar!
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.
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