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On desktop Chrome, open More (⋮) > Settings > Appearance. In Side panel, choose Left or Right. That is Google’s supported control for the default side-panel location, and it applies to Chrome’s side-panel system rather than guaranteeing a separate AI Mode-only position. AI Mode itself may be unavailable while Google’s rollout is still expanding by account, device, geography and language.
Change Chrome’s default side-panel position
The side-panel position is a desktop Chrome preference. Changing it determines which edge Chrome uses when a supported side panel opens, including AI-related panels that use Chrome’s side-panel framework.
- Open Chrome on a computer.
- Select More (⋮) in the upper-right corner.
- Select Settings.
- In the Settings sidebar, select Appearance.
- Find the Side panel section.
- Select Left or Right. The exact wording or layout can vary between Chrome versions.
The choice is normally saved immediately. Close Settings, then open AI Mode from an available address-bar entry point or ask a question about the page you are viewing. The next side-panel result should use the selected edge.
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Ask about the current page
When Chrome lets you ask AI Mode about the page currently open, Google’s documented behavior is to open the result in the AI Mode side panel. This is the clearest test because it invokes the panel directly instead of merely opening a new search tab. Look for the panel on the side you selected in Settings.
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Open AI Mode from the address bar
Depending on your account and Chrome build, an AI Mode control may appear in or near the address bar. Select it and observe whether the experience opens beside the page or in a full-tab view. A full-tab result does not indicate that the side setting failed; it is a different presentation of AI Mode.
Test with another panel
If AI Mode is not available, open another Chrome side-panel feature to test the preference. If that panel appears on the selected edge, Chrome has accepted the setting and the remaining difference is likely AI Mode availability or its own presentation. Do not treat the absence of an AI Mode button as proof that the position preference is broken.
What the Side panel setting changes
Chrome’s stable user setting controls the default location for the side-panel framework. It is not documented as a universal per-feature layout editor. The practical scope of each control is different:
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Control or behavior | Scope | Stability and availability | What it changes | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settings > Appearance > Side panel | Chrome side panels generally | Supported desktop Chrome control; the label can vary by version | Default edge where a side panel opens | Individual Chrome user |
| AI Mode-only alignment | Google Search AI Mode specifically | Separate labels appear in Chromium development work; not guaranteed in every stable release | Potentially the AI Mode edge without changing other panels | Only if the installed build exposes the control |
| GoogleSearchSidePanelEnabled policy | Google Search Side Panel on managed browsers | Enterprise policy supported from Chrome 115 on Linux, macOS, Windows and ChromeOS | Whether the managed Search side panel is enabled | Administrator, not the end user |
| Always show AI Mode | Address-bar entry point | Documented user visibility option when the entry point is present | Whether the AI Mode button is continuously shown in the address bar | Individual Chrome user |
Because these controls have different scopes, moving the default side panel can also move other Chrome panels. Conversely, hiding the address-bar button does not move the panel or disable every AI Mode behavior.
Can you move only AI Mode without moving Gemini or other panels?
For most stable desktop Chrome installations, Google’s documented control is the general Side panel preference. It does not promise a separate selector for AI Mode, Gemini or each individual panel.
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Chromium source code contains separate alignment labels for Gemini, Google Search AI Mode and Chrome Panels. That shows Chrome is developing more granular alignment controls, but source-code labels are not a guarantee that a released Chrome build exposes them. A selector that appears in a Canary, beta or other experimental build may be absent from the stable channel, change names, or be removed.
If your build displays an AI Mode-specific alignment option, compare it with the general setting before changing anything:
- Scope: an AI Mode-only option should affect AI Mode while leaving unrelated Chrome panels unchanged.
- Release channel: verify whether you are using stable Chrome or a test channel.
- Account and region: AI Mode controls can be staged independently of ordinary side-panel settings.
- Persistence: test after restarting Chrome; experimental preferences may not persist across updates.
If no AI Mode-only selector is visible, use the supported general side-panel setting. There is no documented, universal stable control that guarantees AI Mode can be placed independently from every other panel.
Why Chrome AI Mode may still open on the left
The preference was not changed in the desktop build
The documented path is in desktop Chrome’s Settings page. A browser opened on a phone or tablet can have a different interface and does not necessarily expose the same side-panel controls. Confirm that you changed the setting in the same desktop Chrome profile where you use AI Mode.
AI Mode is not enabled for your account or device
Google says AI Mode availability is still rolling out. Access can differ by account, device, geography and language, and the rollout is expanding beyond the United States and English-language settings. A user may therefore see the general side-panel preference while another user does not see AI Mode at all, or may receive a different AI Mode presentation.
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A managed-browser policy is controlling Search Side Panel
On a work, school or otherwise managed installation, an administrator can control Google Search Side Panel with the GoogleSearchSidePanelEnabled policy. Chrome Enterprise documents this policy for Linux, macOS, Windows and ChromeOS beginning with Chrome 115. A policy can prevent the feature from appearing or override what an individual user can change.
The result opened in a full tab
AI Mode can appear beside the current page or in a full-tab view. The side-panel preference affects side-panel placement; it does not force every AI Mode invocation to remain in the panel. If Chrome presents a full-tab result, that is a presentation choice rather than evidence that the left/right setting was ignored.
An experimental control differs from the stable setting
Development work may expose separate alignment controls before they reach the stable channel. If a test build behaves differently from ordinary Chrome, record the release channel and avoid assuming the behavior will be available after a normal update.
How to hide the AI Mode address-bar button
If your goal is to remove the visible entry point rather than move the panel, Google documents a separate action:
- Right-click the Chrome address bar.
- Clear Always show AI Mode.
This hides the persistent button when the option is available. It does not document a universal way to disable every AI Mode side-panel behavior, and it does not change the left/right side-panel preference. A current-page action or another eligible entry point may still open AI Mode.
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Can you get AI Mode out of the side panel?
AI Mode supports both a side-by-side experience and a full-tab view, but Google’s documented side-panel instructions do not provide one universal switch that forces every result into a tab. The interface you receive depends on the entry point, account availability and Chrome version.
When a full-tab option is offered
Use the full-tab choice shown by Chrome rather than changing the side-panel alignment. This changes the current result’s presentation while leaving the default side-panel location intact.
When a current-page question always opens beside the page
That behavior is documented: questions about the current page open in the AI Mode side panel. Selecting Left or Right changes the edge, not the documented behavior that the result is opened in a panel. If you need a full page, start AI Mode through an entry point that offers the full-tab view instead of the current-page side-panel action.
When you only want the panel hidden
Clear Always show AI Mode from the address-bar context menu if that option is present. Remember that hiding the button and changing the panel’s position solve different problems.
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If Chrome is managed, user-level troubleshooting may not be enough. The GoogleSearchSidePanelEnabled policy controls Google Search Side Panel and can be configured by an administrator on supported desktop operating systems and ChromeOS from Chrome 115 onward.
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Check for management before changing flags or installing a test build:
- Open Chrome’s settings and look for a “Managed by your organization” notice.
- Ask the administrator whether Google Search Side Panel is enabled for your organizational unit or device.
- Do not assume that reinstalling Chrome will remove a policy; policies can be applied by the operating system or enterprise management service.
- If the policy disables the panel, the user may be unable to restore AI Mode through the normal Appearance setting.
The administrator policy is separate from the personal Left/Right preference. An organization can allow or block the feature while each permitted user still chooses a side, unless another policy fixes the configuration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting checklist
The Side panel section is missing
- Confirm you are using Chrome on a computer, not a mobile browser interface.
- Check that you are in Settings > Appearance, where Chrome documents the location control.
- Look for a managed-browser notice and ask whether
GoogleSearchSidePanelEnabledis applied. - Consider rollout status: AI Mode and related controls can vary by account, device, geography and language.
- Do not rely on an experimental alignment selector from a development build as a substitute for the supported setting.
The setting is present but AI Mode is unavailable
- Test another side-panel feature to confirm that the general preference works.
- Check whether the AI Mode address-bar entry point is shown for the signed-in profile.
- Remember that feature availability is staged; a correctly configured browser can still lack AI Mode access.
The button disappeared after changing a menu option
Right-click the address bar and check whether Always show AI Mode is cleared. Re-enabling that option restores the visible entry point when AI Mode is available; it does not alter the panel edge.
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The panel keeps appearing on the wrong edge
- Return to Settings > Appearance > Side panel and select the intended side again.
- Test a normal side-panel feature, then test AI Mode separately. This distinguishes a general preference issue from AI Mode rollout or presentation differences.
- If the browser is managed, have the administrator check Search Side Panel policy.
- If only a test-channel build shows a separate AI Mode control, treat that control as experimental and version-dependent.
What the supported behavior means in practice
For a normal desktop Chrome user, the reliable sequence is to set the general side-panel edge first, then invoke AI Mode and observe the result. The setting changes where side-panel content opens; it does not guarantee that every AI Mode request uses a panel, nor does it guarantee access to AI Mode itself.
Google Chrome Help describes AI Mode as an experience that can sit beside the current page for questions about open tabs or files, or appear in a full-tab view. The same help documentation says that a current-page question opens in the AI Mode side panel and that the side-panel location is selected under Appearance. Those are separate behaviors: one controls placement, while the other determines whether the current-page workflow uses a panel.
If your installation exposes only the general preference, that is expected for the supported stable workflow. More granular AI Mode-versus-Gemini alignment is visible in Chromium development work but should be treated as version-dependent until the control is documented for the stable Chrome release you use.
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