Google AI Mode in Chrome Gets Side-by-Side Browsing via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is updating AI Mode in Chrome with side-by-side page viewing and a plus menu for adding tabs, images, and files as context. The post Google AI Mode in Chrome Gets Side-by-Side Browsing appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Apr 17, 2026 - 03:16

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Google AI Mode in Chrome Gets Side-by-Side Browsing via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out updates to AI Mode in Chrome. Clicking a link in AI Mode on Chrome desktop now opens the webpage in a side panel. The updates are live in the U.S. and will expand to more countries soon.

Google is updating AI Mode in Chrome with side-by-side page viewing and a plus menu for adding tabs, images, and files as context.

Google AI Mode in Chrome Gets Side-by-Side Browsing

Google is updating AI Mode in Chrome with two changes. Clicking a link now opens a webpage beside the AI Mode panel on desktop, and you can add open tabs, images, and PDFs as context for a search.

In the announcement, Robby Stein (VP of Product, Google Search) and Mike Torres (VP of Product, Chrome) said the updates are available now in the U.S., with other countries to follow.

What’s New

On Chrome desktop, clicking a link in AI Mode now opens that webpage beside the AI Mode panel rather than taking users away from it.

The second change adds a plus menu to the Chrome search box on the New Tab page, and to the existing plus menu inside AI Mode. From that menu, users can select recent tabs and add them to a search. Images and PDFs can be attached in the same way. Users can combine tabs and files in one search.

Canvas and image creation, which were previously accessible from within AI Mode, are now available on any Chrome surface that shows the plus menu.

Context

This expands on Google’s rollout of AI Mode to the Chrome address bar, which introduced page-aware prompts and let users send queries to AI Mode directly from the omnibox.

The current update continues Google’s push to make AI Mode feel more native inside Chrome, rather than a separate search destination.

Why This Matters

Side-by-side rendering changes the mechanics of a click from AI Mode. The user stays in the AI Mode view while reading a destination page and can ask follow-up questions about that page without navigating away.

The plus menu makes AI Mode more useful for research sessions that span multiple pages and file types. Users who already have tabs open on a topic can now use those tabs as search context without having to copy and paste or re-describe the content.