The three-dot menu on Chrome is getting a design update [U: Key tab options get distinct and larger buttons at the top]

Update 28/08/26 – 09:50 pm (IST): On Chrome Canary, the “New tab,” “New window,” and “Incognito” options will get separate large-size buttons at the top, which are distinctly in an area at the top of the menu options. Some buttons like Settings, Help, and Exit have also been shifted, with pill-shaped buttons at the bottom/end of the menu.

At the time of writing, I still don’t see the menu segmentation update on the latest version of Chrome Canary on macOS. So, you can view the reference images below from the original source of this information.

Original article published on August 25, 2026, follows:
The familiar three-dot menu that expands to reveal various options for Chrome (desktop) is getting an update soon. It includes a refreshed UI with rounded corners, neat segmentation of the settings, and spacing adjustments to make the UI look more modern.

This was initially spotted by @Leopeva64 on X, who has been posting the progression of the feature for a while now.

The folks at Windows Report have also managed to find this option in a Chrome Canary build; credit goes to them for the comparison image. This design update is part of Google’s ‘GlowUp’ project for 2026, which aims to modernize the UI elements in the browser.

If you open your Chrome browser and click on the menu, you’ll see what’s shown in the screenshot below. That’s what Google is changing.

The image attached below shows the updated UI. Three important functions- New tab, New window, and Incognito are at the very top, and they’re the first three options in the menu. Then, it’s neatly divided into a section called ‘Your Chrome,’ which also carries the browser’s color theme. This section contains the Password manager, Downloads, History, and more.

The final segment is called “Tools and actions,” consisting of Print, Gemini in Chrome, and other related settings. Some options have been shuffled around too.

You’ll also notice that the menu is now more compact, and the list isn’t as long. That’s because the other settings/options have been moved into “More tools,” which is the final option in the menu and is located at the bottom. Options like “Find and edit” also consist of further sub-menu expansions for more options.

Curious about these changes, I’ve updated to the latest version of Chrome Canary on my MacBook. However, the test hasn’t shown up so far; Google is probably rolling it out to limited batches. It’s worth noting that the main sources we’ve used for this info show these changes on Windows systems.

As far as I was able to observe, many Chrome-related changes hit the Windows Canary version much faster than the macOS one. Enabling the “WebUI Refresh 2026” toggle from Chrome Flags also doesn’t update the menu on my device.

It’s worth noting that Google hasn’t officially announced or confirmed any of these changes. Since this is still an early test for a limited batch, things could get more polished by the final release.

In other Chrome news, Google is bringing Gemini Enterprise directly into Chrome’s side panel. More on that here.

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