Chrome’s side panel is part of the window it opens in: you can resize it or move it to the left or right, but it takes width from the page. LB TAB Layers 2.9.0 adds two more ways to open it. Click the Display Method button in the panel header and choose Open in Standalone Window (a small window you can put anywhere, such as on a second monitor) or Open in New Tab. To make either one the default for the toolbar icon and Alt+T, go to Settings → Display & Theme → Sidebar Mode → Sidebar Display Mode and choose Window or Tab. Both are free.
A side panel is great until the page needs the room: a wide spreadsheet, a design file, a video call with screen sharing. On a laptop, every pixel the panel takes is a pixel the page loses. On a desk with two monitors, you may simply want the list on one screen and the work on the other.
What Chrome itself lets you do
Chrome gives you a few controls over its side panel, all described in Google’s help pages:
- Resize it by dragging its edge.
- Move it to the left or right in Settings → Appearance → Side panel.
- Close it when you need the space, and open it again later.
Each Chrome window has its own side panel, and the panel stays inside that window. If what you want is a tab list that sits on a different screen from the page, you need something that can open in a window of its own.
Four ways to open LB TAB Layers
| Way | What it is | Good for | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed | Chrome’s standard side panel | Everyday use, one screen | Free |
| Window | A standalone window with no tab strip or address bar | Second monitors, keeping the page full width | Free |
| Tab | The panel as a page in a normal browser tab | Small laptop screens, big clean-ups | Free |
| Overlay | A sidebar that slides over the page | Quick look without resizing the page | PRO and trial |
Open it in a standalone window
- Open LB TAB Layers as usual (Alt+T or the toolbar icon).
- In the panel header, click the button just to the right of the clock icon. Its icon is a square with an arrow pointing out. The Display Method menu opens.
- Choose Open in Standalone Window (“Floating mini-window you can place anywhere”).
- A small window opens, 400 × 740 pixels the first time. Drag it to your second monitor or beside your browser, and resize it to taste. It remembers the size and opens at that size next time.
If the window is already open, choosing it again normally brings that window to the front rather than opening another one. It behaves like any other window: it does not stay on top, so place it where your browser won’t cover it.
Open it as a browser tab
From the same menu, choose Open in New Tab (“View spaciously as a browser tab”). The panel opens as a centered page, up to 720 pixels wide, in a normal tab. If that tab is already open, Chrome switches to it instead of opening another.
Tip for laptops: right-click that tab and choose Pin in Chrome’s tab menu. It moves to the left end of the tab strip, and if it is your only pinned tab, Ctrl+1 (⌘+1 on Mac) jumps straight to it. This is a regular tab; it does not replace Chrome’s New Tab page.
The third item, Open Full-Screen Dashboard, opens the large two-column dashboard. It is a PRO feature, available to everyone during the 3-month trial.
Make it the default
The menu opens a window or tab once and leaves your settings alone. To make the toolbar icon and Alt+T open LB TAB Layers this way every time:
- Click the gear icon (Settings) in the panel header.
- Open the Display & Theme tab and find the Sidebar Mode section.
- Under Sidebar Display Mode, choose Fixed, Overlay, Window or Tab.
With Window or Tab selected, the icon and Alt+T open the window or tab, or bring it to the front if it is already open; pressing them again does not close it. Overlay is a PRO feature. If Alt+T does nothing, another extension may be using it; you can change the shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
How it works with your browser tabs
A standalone window is a window of its own, so LB TAB Layers looks past it to your regular browser window:
- The Solo Tabs list shows the open tabs of your browser window, not the standalone window itself.
- ▶ on a group, and opening a saved tab, open the pages in your browser window.
- If you have more than one browser window open, the standalone window works with the first one in Chrome’s list while you are using it, which may not be the one you used last. With several browser windows, the side panel in each window is the simpler choice.
- Your groups, settings and notes are the same in every view and update as you work.
A tip: a few actions are designed around the window the panel sits in, so they work best from the side panel: Close all tabs except active in the Solo Tabs More actions menu (from a standalone window, the page you are looking at in the browser does not count as “active” and would be closed too if it is one of your Solo Tabs), screenshots in the Shots mode, and reading the current page in the AI mode.
A setup for two monitors
- Main monitor: your browser, full width.
- Second monitor: LB TAB Layers in a standalone window, tall and narrow.
- In the window, choose Combined in the view bar to see your groups and Solo Tabs together, or Notes to take notes and checklists during a call.
A setup for a small laptop screen
- Set Sidebar Display Mode to Tab and pin the tab, as above.
- Work in your pages at full width, and press Ctrl+1 when you need your groups.
- In the tab view, the Split layout gives each list the full height: Tabs for what is open, Bookmarks for what you saved.
If you mostly stay on one screen, the standard side panel is still the quickest. For tips on that, see a tab manager in Chrome’s side panel.
Chrome’s official help
- Manage Chrome side panel — Google Chrome Help
- Manage tabs in Chrome — Google Chrome Help
- Chrome keyboard shortcuts — Google Chrome Help
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I open Chrome’s side panel in a separate window?
Google’s help describes resizing the side panel and moving it to the left or right, and the panel stays inside its browser window. LB TAB Layers can open in a standalone window instead: click the Display Method button in its header and choose Open in Standalone Window.
Q. Does the standalone window stay on top of other windows?
No. It behaves like a normal window. Put it on a second monitor or beside your browser so the browser does not cover it.
Q. Are the standalone window and tab view free?
Yes. Fixed, Window and Tab are free. Overlay mode and the full-screen dashboard are PRO features, and every feature is unlocked during the 3-month free trial.
Q. Which browser window do my groups open in?
Your regular browser window, not the standalone window. If you have more than one browser window open, the standalone window works with the first one in Chrome’s list while you use it, which may not be the one you used last. With several browser windows, the side panel in each window is the simpler choice.
▶ See it in action
Managing bookmarks and tabs together in the sidebar. (The video shows the Japanese UI.)
Your tabs, on whichever screen you like.
Side panel, standalone window or a full tab: all free in LB TAB Layers. Try every feature free for 3 months.
Add to Chrome — it's free →