5 Ways to Disable Side Search Panel in Google Chrome

The side search panel is an intuitive feature in Google Chrome. You can use it to comb the internet without switching tabs. 

However, the tool splits your browser into two, shrinking the main window size. While it’s handy for displaying information, some users find it disruptive. 

So, count yourself lucky if you’re looking forward to disabling it. Below are several workarounds on Google Chrome to turn off the sidebar search.

But let’s start with the basics.

What Is The Side Search Panel In Chrome?

The side search panel is a quick web query toolkit on Google Chrome. It displays results in a mini-window, eliminating the need to change tabs.

This helps keep your main window open when cross-checking facts from other sites. As a result, you save precious time for handling tasks that matter.

The Google Chrome search side panel first showed up in March 2022. Subsequent updates of the browser now come with the tool enabled by default.

But we’ve some good news for you.

How to Disable Side Panel Search in Chrome

Disabling the side panel search requires minimal effort. And there are different ways to do it. Check out the step-by-step guides below.

1. Change Google Search Shortcut

Renaming Google Search’s default domain helps stop the sidebar search from opening. The process is easy and you won’t have to lift a finger.

Check it out below:

1. Open Google Chrome’s Settings under the menu bar options.
   
2. Locate and click Search Engine on the left-side menu options.
   
3. Select Manage Search Engines and Site Search to display hidden settings.
   
4. Choose Google under the Search Engines options and select the Edit button.
   
5. Change the Shortcut’s URL from google.com to https://google.com/search?%s. Or else, insert https://goo.gl/search?%s in the text box.
   
6. Save it and restart your browser for the changes to take effect.
   

This workaround adds a redirect back to Google.com when querying terms. Nonetheless, it disables the side search panel from popping on Chrome.

Or you can do away with Google.

2. Change the Default Search Engine

The sidebar search on Chrome relies on Google’s search engine. As such, switching to a different provider prevents the mini-window from displaying. 

Luckily, other alternatives work just as good. Find the instructions below:

1. Open Menu on Google Chrome and locate Settings.
   
2. Choose Search Engine under the left-side menu options.
   
3. Click the default search engine options to display other alternatives. The available ones include Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Bing, and Ecosia.
   
4. Choose a different alternative to turn off the Google Chrome side search.
   

Unfortunately, this method stops you from using Google for quick searches. But you get to appreciate unbiased results offered by Google’s rivals.

Let’s take things up a notch.

3. Use SelectionSK Chrome Extension

SelectionSK extension doesn’t deactivate the side search panel in Chrome. Instead, it enables users to query Google in a new tab.

Here are the instructions to configure it:

1. Open the Google Chrome Web Store on your browser.
   
2. Search for the SelectionSK extension and select it from the query results.
   
3. Click Add to Chrome to install it on your browser.
   
4. Once complete, locate and left-click the Extensions button on Chrome’s menu bar.
   
5. Look for SelectionSK and right-click the three dots beside it.
   
6. Scroll down and choose Manage Extension.
   
7. Go down again and select Extension Options to open SelectionSK’s settings.
   
8. Configure the General and Menu Popup, as shown in the attached screenshot.
   
9. Ignore the rest of the options and click Save Changes. Close the settings tab after doing this.
   
10. Highlight text on webpages to use SelectionSK.
    
11. Navigate down to the pop-up that shows and choose Search.
    
12. Select Google, DuckDuckGo, or Bing to query the term in a new tab.
    

SelectionSK provides a hassle-free way to perform quick searches on Chrome. Moreover, it has other tools like a dictionary, translator, thesaurus, maps, etc.

Sadly, SelectionSK pop-up menu can conflict with other right-click functions. For example, it displays when you randomly highlight text on websites. 

However, the downsides are less destructive. You’ll fondly embrace it as your daily driver for speeding tasks.

Don’t want to bloat your browser? No problem!

4. Turn Off the Side Panel Chrome Flag

Another way to end this problem is by deactivating Chrome’s side panel. Multiple ways exist, but his one specifically covers the search feature.

The steps are:

1. Type Chrome://flags on Chrome’s address bar and press Enter on your keyboard.
   
2. Type Side Search in the text box under Chrome’s experimental features.
   
3. Expand the drop-down menu beside Side Search and set it to Disabled.
   
4. Relaunch Chrome for the changes to take effect.
   

Sadly enough, this option is unavailable in recent versions of Google Chrome. Still, it’s worth a try if you need to deactivate the sidebar search.

Thankfully, you can do away with the current version of your browser.

5. Downgrade Google Chrome

Google always seems to be in a rush to add features on Chrome. Strange enough, the tech giant often gives user complaints a cold shoulder. 

Fortunately, you can avoid the clutter by downgrading to earlier versions. Just follow these steps next:

1. Uninstall Google Chrome from your device.
   
2. Delete Google Chrome App Data to remove all its program files.
   
   Open This PC/My Computer on Windows and click Local Disc (C:). Select Users and pick the Account with your computer’s name. Click App Data and choose Local. Locate Google and delete the Chrome folder.
   
   For Mac, Open Finder and go to Applications. Find the Google Chrome folder and drag it to the Trash.
3. Download earlier versions of Google Chrome from a reliable source. We recommend using Uptodown, which hosts virus-free files. Ensure you get the correct file for Windows or Mac.
   
   Get Google Chrome version 114 or earlier. It includes options to turn off the side search panel under Chrome Flags.
4. Run the installer once the download completes. This may take some time to complete.
   
5. Don’t run Google Chrome yet. Instead, disable the browser from running updates automatically.

As you can see, this process takes a lot of work to follow. But it’s worth a shot if you want to avoid Google’s new features. 

Tired? Let’s bring this to a close.

Wrapping Up

Chrome’s sidebar search panel is ideal for performing quick queries on Google. While that’s convenient, it can be destructive at times.

Even worse, no clear way exists to disable the feature. But that comes to an end today. 

We’re pleased to help you disable the side search panel in Chrome. You’ll make the most out of your browser by utilizing them.