The Google Chrome browser for computer and laptop devices has no reader mode support option by default. However, we need to enable the experimental Chrome flag known as Enable Reader Mode, which adds the option to Enter Reader Mode for text-heavy websites in the address bar.
Most websites have a very complicated design layout that makes reading quite difficult. Bombarded with display banners and video ads, it has become challenging to differentiate between the actual content and the advertisements. Especially the News websites are trying to make it complex and distracting the reader from viewing the actual news item.
In such cases, it’s recommended to use the Reader View or Simplified View, which eliminates all the ads and web design elements to make the site content in a simplified format and reader’s friendly.
While Google Chrome doesn’t have this feature readily available in the browser, they have an experimental flag named Enabled Reader Mode that can be used to chip in the feature. However, Google has announced the new Reader Mode feature under the Sidebar panel for Chromebook and Google for Education.
You should consider using the simplified reader view on the Chrome browser for effortless reading, just like reading a book or kindle.
On this page, you can find and jump to:
Enable Reader Mode Flag
We must enable the Reader Mode flag in the Chrome browser to activate the feature. And the flag is only available for desktop browsers. Here are the steps to enable it:
- Launch the Chrome browser on the computer.
- Visit the chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode page in the address bar.
It will highlight the Enable Reader Mode flag. - Switch the drop-down option to the Enabled command.
- Lastly, Relaunch the browser to activate Reader Mode.
It will enable the simplified view accessibility feature for the web browser.
Enter Reader Mode
After the Enable Reader Mode flag is enabled and the browser is restarted, you can easily start using the feature. Follow the steps:
- Launch the Chrome browser on the computer.
- Click on the More
menu for options. - Select Enter Reader Mode option.
The page will reload and display the content in Reader’s View Mode.
Alternatively, you will notice a book-like icon in the address URL bar. Click on the Enter Reader Mode icon command to switch the layout.
Once the reader view is activated, the book-like icon will change color, and the address bar will display the Reader Mode status.
It also displays a Customize appearance option that allows you to change the Font type, Background color, and Font size.
Please note that the Reader Mode feature only works on text-heavy webpages like News, Blogs, Articles, Wiki pages, etc. You will not see the option on all the websites.
Exit Reader Mode
Click the book-like Reader Mode icon in the Address bar to exit reading mode or select Exit Reader Mode from Chrome’s options menu. The page will be refreshed and loaded in a normal look as default.
You can also change the Chrome Flag status to Default if you no longer wish to use Reader Mode again.
Bottom Line
By default, the Chrome browser for computer operating systems does not have the option for Reader mode. However, a simple Chrome flag can add to the feature.
Just enable the Reader Mode flag and start using the simplified view on the desktop browser without any ads or interventions.
A similar feature, Simplified View, is already available on Chrome for Android under the Accessibility settings menu. It’s also available on other browsers like Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox.
Lastly, if you've any thoughts or feedback, then feel free to drop in below comment box. You can also report the outdated information.
