Disable/Remove Tab Hover Card Preview Image in Google Chrome
UPDATE (October 20, 2023): Google has added a direct toggle option to Chrome Settings page to disable or hide the images on tab hover cards in Chrome 118.0 and later versions. Now Chrome users can enable or disable tab hover card preview images quickly and easily by simply turning the new toggle option on or off. Article has been updated to include the new method.
If you want to disable or remove the new thumbnail preview images showing in tab hover cards or popups in Google Chrome web browser, this tutorial will help you.
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New Tab Hover Card Preview Images Feature Added in Google Chrome
Recently a few readers reported that Google developer team has activated and enabled Tab Hover Card Images feature in new Chrome version 89 and later. Now whenever they hover mouse cursor over a tab, Google Chrome displays a large thumbnail preview image of the web page along with the webpage title and URL as shown in following screenshot:
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It seems Google team has started rolling out Tab hover card images feature to public. That’s why some people have received it and some are waiting for it.
Related: [Tip] Add Thumbnail Preview Image to Tab Hover Cards in Google Chrome
Last year, Google team replaced the classic tool-tips with new tab hover cards in Google Chrome web browser. When you move your mouse cursor over a tab in Chrome, the browser displays a new modern card or pop-up containing webpage title and URL as shown in following screenshot:
Related: [Tip] Enable New “Tab Hover Cards” Feature in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge
In old versions of Google Chrome, the browser used to display classic tool-tip without any eye-candy effects and animations as shown in following screenshot:
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We posted a tutorial to disable new tab hover cards and restore classic tool-tip for tabs in Google Chrome web browser. You can find the tutorial at following link:
[Tip] Disable New Tab Hover Pop-ups and Restore Classic Tab Tooltips in Google Chrome
Now Google team has started adding preview images to the tab hover cards. There are might be people who liked the tab hover card feature but don’t want to see thumbnail preview images in the cards as it takes a little time in generating the preview image.
In this tutorial, we are going to tell you how to disable or remove thumbnail preview image from tab hover cards in Google Chrome web browser.
If you want to keep tab hover cards but want to get rid of the new thumbnail preview images, following methods will help you:
METHOD 1: Disable Tab Hover Card Preview Images in Chrome Using Settings Page
Following method will work in Google Chrome 118.0 and later versions:
STEP 1: Open Google Chrome web browser, click on 3-dots menu (Main Menu) and select Settings option. Alternatively, you can directly open the Settings page by typing chrome://settings/ in Chrome address bar.
STEP 2: In left-side pane, click on “Appearance” section or tab.
STEP 3: In right-side pane, you’ll see a new dedicated toggle option to show or hide images on tab hover preview cards in Chrome.
To disable or remove the tab hover card preview images, set the toggle button to OFF and it’ll immediately disable the preview images from tab hover cards in your web browser.
NOTE: If you can’t find the new “Show images on tab hover preview cards” toggle option on Settings page, enable Tab Hover Card Image Setting (#tab-hover-card-image-settings) preference/flag using Chrome://flags page and it’ll add the missing toggle option to Chrome Settings page.
If you decide to restore the preview image feature in Chrome, set the above mentioned toggle option to ON again.
METHOD 2: Disable Tab Hover Card Preview Images in Chrome Using Flags Page
Following method will work in all Google Chrome versions:
UPDATE: The preference/flag mentioned below has been added back in Google Chrome 114 and later versions. Now Chrome users can use the flag again to get rid of the thumbnail preview images from tab hover cards. The flag was removed by Google team in Chrome 113 version but restored in Chrome 114 version.
1. Open Google Chrome web browser and type chrome://flags/ in address bar and press Enter. It’ll open the advanced configuration page.
2. Now type tab hover in the “Search flags” box.
Look for following option:
Tab Hover Card Images
Shows a preview image in tab hover cards, if tab hover cards are enabled. – Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS
#tab-hover-card-images
3. To disable and remove new thumbnail preview images from tab hover cards, select Disabled for Tab Hover Card Images option from the drop-down box.
4. Google Chrome will ask you to restart the browser. Click on “Relaunch now” button to restart Google Chrome.
That’s it. Now try to hover mouse cursor over any tab and you’ll no longer see thumbnail previews in the tab hover cards.
PS: If you want to re-enable or restore thumbnail previews in Tab Hover Cards in future, select “Default” option from the drop-down box for the above mentioned option and restart the browser.
BONUS TIP:
If you want to completely disable Tab Hover Cards and restore classic tool-tips in Chrome, set Tab Hover Cards option to Disabled in Chrome://flags page.
Also Check:
[Tip] Remove “Search Tabs” Arrow Button from Title bar in Google Chrome
[Tip] How to Disable or Enable “Reading List” Feature in Google Chrome
I disabled “Tab Hover Card Images” but still I can see the preview and same for “Tab Search” is not appearing in the experiments… SO annoying OMG.
I don’t like the hover previews. As I move across the screen they get activated and cover what I’m doing. They slow and disturb my work.
The worst are Windows one. They sit in the taskbar and so activate when working in Word or Excel which have their work point in the line immediately above.
I solved the Window problem by moving the taskbar to the top of the screen away from the work area. Less of a nuisance there than at the bottom,
At least the Chrome ones are normally at the top of the screen.
Impossible to disable as of 2022.
It worked! The thumbnail is no longer appearing, just the tool tip like it was before.
hi do you perhaps know how to enlarge the thumbnail while hovering the chrome tabs.
Software arrogance. They are sitting around playing with colors, moving UI elements from one end to the other, implementing useless annoying features, and refusing to listen to long-time basic justified complaints LIKE ADDING A BUILT-IN NATIVE WARNING OPTION BEFORE CLOSING ALL TABS (not talking about ‘extensions’).
Really wish Chrome at least gave users the choice to apply/not apply literal APPEARANCE changes instead of shoving it down everyone’s throats, there is literally no need to change what isn’t broken (and also looks a lot better) for the sake of “modernization”, Chrome developers have less aesthetic sense than my boy Junyama who’s blinder than a bat and interprets everything as glass-entirely-empty