Soon, Chrome will support Google Docs with Reading Mode

Google Chrome is working on bringing its Reading Mode feature to Google Docs. This will allow you to view your documents in a clutter-free format within a dedicated side panel. The integration of Google Docs in Reading Mode is currently being tested in Chrome Canary.

Reading Mode in Chrome removes ads and distractions from web pages, making it easier to focus on the content. You can access it through the page context menu or a pinned toolbar icon. You can further customize the reading experience by adjusting text appearance, and font size, disabling links, and switching to dark mode.

Chrome’s Reading Mode Integration with Google Docs

Previously, Reading Mode wasn’t compatible with Google Docs, meaning you couldn’t view documents in the side panel. Google is changing this by integrating the feature directly with Docs. This integration is currently behind a flag (experimental feature).

Previously, Chrome’s Reading Mode didn’t support Google Docs, preventing you from viewing documents in the Side Panel. Google is working to make this possible. The feature is being added behind a flag.

The feature implementation suggests Chrome will use a local Side Panel when using Reading Mode in Google Docs. This ensures your privacy by keeping Reading Mode for Google Docs isolated from other tabs, with no data sharing.

How to enable and use Reader Mode for Google Docs in Chrome

1. Launch Chrome.
2. Visit chrome://flags in the address bar.
3. Search for “Reading Mode Google Docs Integration.“
4. Select “Enabled” from the dropdown menu.
5. Restart Chrome for the changes to take effect.

While Chrome with Google Docs open generally complains from the Side Panel that “Reading Mode can’t find the content of the page,” it suggests highlighting the text for the feature to work. We noticed Chrome showing the Reading Mode icon for a Google Docs page; using it, or the Reading Mode icon on the toolbar, may produce the output in the Side Panel in a readable format.

Apart from this, Chrome has new memory-saver modes that give more control over the feature and Google is revamping Lens Search in Chrome on desktop with Gemini AI integration.