Google Chrome Desktop Browser – How To Disable Mouse Over Tab Hover Cards

TehnoBlog

5 years ago

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Article Updated: 11 March 2023

Update: In Chrome 91.0.4472.77 option to remove hover cards is no longer available, and there is no way to restore it. In newer Chrome versions there is only an option to disable hover tabs images (#tab-hover-card-images) but not the hover cards themselves. Sorry! 😥

Another Google Chrome browser version, another annoying feature.

How To Disable Mouse Over Tab Hover Cards in Google Chrome Browser

Google Chrome Logo

Ok, jokes aside, new Chrome 78 brings some cool and exciting features, which you can enable and play with by setting appropriate flags:

Forced Dark Mode
chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark
Password Leak Detection (Data Breach)
chrome://flags/#password-leak-detection
Experimental Appearance Customization Menu
chrome://flags/#chrome-colors
chrome://flags/#ntp-customization-menu-v2

Eventually, above options should become enabled by default in future releases (without flags), after testing period is over.

* * *

Additionally, Chrome 78 brings more security features, such as DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) protocol [update: Google postponed this feature until version 79 because of last-minute bugs], and removal of old XSS Audit (cross-site script attacks) protection.

What is DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH)
For example, when you’re connected to a public WiFi network in a cafe, park or public transportation vehicle, DoH will prevent other users from seeing which websites you visit, as well as prevent potential spoofing or pharming attacks.

* * *

In some cases, the newly introduced tab hover cards feature can be extremely useful. For example, when you have tons of new tabs opened and you can’t easily find a particular one, because tabs become too small and condensed to display page title and web address, hover cards (white rounded rectangles under tabs) are really nice progressive visual helpers.

Google Chrome Browser – New Tab Hover Cards

However, for those that are annoyed with cards and prefer traditional more compact titles on mouse hover, there is a way to easily disable them (for the time being):

Google Chrome Desktop Browser – How To Disable Tab Mouse Over Hover Cards

INSTRUCTIONS:

In address/search bar (“omni-box”) copy/paste following URL and press ENTER key
chrome://flags#tab-hover-cards

(alternatively type Tab Hover Cards in the Search flags input box)
Set this option to Disabled and Relaunch Chrome

DONE!

Remember, FLAGS are volatile Chrome options (as we’ve wrote about this before); they may (read: usually do) disappear without prior notice in future updates.