Chrome 75 has a hidden “Reader” mode that strips web pages down to the bare minimum to make them easier to, well, read. But it’s not enabled by default—here’s how to get it now.
Google has been experimenting with this feature on and off in the desktop version of Chrome for years, but it’s now available with a hidden flag instead of an extra hidden command line option. We expect Google is gearing up to release it in stable form without any flags required.
How to Enable Reader Mode
First things first—you’ll need to make sure your Chrome installation is on version 75. Click the three-dot menu button in the upper right, hover over the “Help” menu, and then click “About Chome.”
The About Chrome menu will show which version of Chrome you’re currently running and should check for updates automatically. If an update is available, it will download and install automatically; once that’s finished, click the “Relaunch” button to complete the installation.
If Chrome is still on version 74 and there’s not an update available, you’ll need to wait for 75 to finish rolling out to all users. It released on June 4th, but stable builds are released slowly in four stages. Odds are it just hasn’t hit your device yet, so give it a few days.
Once Chrome is on 75, though, you’re good to go. Open a new tab and enter chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode to jump directly to the Reader Mode Flag.
