How to turn on Google Chrome’s secret Reader Mode

On the surface, Google Chrome doesn’t appear to have a Reader Mode. But if you dig in, you’ll find that the feature does exist within Chrome’s features.

Reader Mode displays pages in a simplified view for easy reading. The tool works best with articles and other similar content, providing a more digestible format.

Why Google feels the need to bury the feature is unclear. But locating the appropriate settings is straightforward once you know where to look.

If you’re looking to add reader mode to your Google Chrome browser, here’s how to enable Google Chrome reader mode.

Enable Google Chrome’s hidden reader mode on desktop

If you prefer to read news and articles in a more simplified format, here’s how to enable Reader Mode in Chrome on desktop:

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Whenever Reader Mode is available, the icon will appear on the right of the address bar (shown above). To get it going, you only need to click the button, and the page will transform for easy reading.

Enable Google Chrome’s hidden reader mode on mobile

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For those of us who prefer to digest content through our smartphones, here’s how to enable Reader Mode in the Chrome mobile app:

1. Launch Google Chrome and tap the More menu

2. Go to Settings > Accessibility

3. Tick Simplified view for web pages

Whenever you visit a compatible page, a prompt asks if you want to switch to a simplified view (shown above). Tapping View when prompted activates the feature.

Why does Google hide its Reader Mode in Chrome?

Locating Reader Mode on most popular browsers doesn’t involve an epic quest into the settings. For some reason, however, Google has decided to hide the feature.

Why? Because sometimes epic settings quests are fun. But once you know where to find it, Chrome’s Reader Mode lets you see a more simplified version of a webpage.

And with easy prompts on both desktop and mobile versions of Chrome, Reader Mode is easy to use after its initial setup.

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