To open a new tab in Chrome on an iPhone, tap the New Tab button (the + in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen). You can also tap the three-dot More button and choose New Tab, or open the tab switcher and tap +.
These steps cover the current Chrome app for iPhone on iOS 26 and follow Google’s Chrome Help pages on managing tabs on iPhone and iPad and the New Tab page. Chrome’s buttons can sit in slightly different places if you turn the phone sideways or move the address bar, so each method below says where to look.
Which Method Should You Use?
| Method | Where to tap | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| New Tab button | + in the bottom toolbar | The quickest route, one tap |
| More menu | Three-dot More > New Tab | When the toolbar is hidden or you’re in landscape |
| Tab switcher | Switch tabs > + | When you’re already looking at your open tabs |
| Long press | Touch and hold + or Switch tabs | Picking a regular or Incognito tab in one move |
| Pull-down gesture | Swipe down from the top of a page | Opening a tab without reaching for the toolbar |
Method 1: Use the New Tab Button
- Open the Chrome app.
- Look at the toolbar along the bottom of the screen. It holds the back and forward arrows, the + button, the Switch tabs button (a square with a number in it), and the three-dot More button.
- Tap +. Chrome opens the New Tab page on top of the page you were on.
- Tap the search box at the top and type a web address or a search, then tap Go on the keyboard.
The page you were reading stays open in the background, and the number on the Switch tabs button goes up by one.
The search box on the New Tab page also has a Google Lens icon, which you can use to do a reverse image search on your iPhone.
Method 2: Use the More Menu
Google’s own instructions use this route, and it works even when the bottom toolbar isn’t showing.
- Tap the three-dot More button. In portrait it’s at the bottom right; in landscape it’s at the top right.
- Tap New Tab.
The same menu has New Incognito Tab right below it if you want a private tab instead.
Method 3: Open a New Tab From the Tab Switcher
- Tap Switch tabs. Your open tabs appear as a grid of thumbnails.
- Tap the + button at the bottom of the grid.
Before you tap +, check which section of the tab switcher you’re in. Swiping left or right moves between Incognito tabs, your regular open tabs, and tabs from your other devices. If you’re in the Incognito section, the new tab will be an Incognito tab.
Method 4: Touch and Hold a Toolbar Button
Touch and hold the + button or the Switch tabs button for a moment. A short menu appears with New Tab, New Incognito Tab, and Close Tab. Tap New Tab.
Google changed the order of this menu in mid-2026 to put Close Tab at the top, so read the labels instead of tapping from memory.
Method 5: Pull Down From the Top of a Page
- Scroll to the top of the web page you’re on.
- Pull down on the page and keep your finger on the screen. Three icons appear: + on the left, reload in the middle, and x on the right.
- Slide your finger toward + and let go.
Chrome opens a new tab. The same gesture reloads the page if you let go in the middle, or closes the tab if you slide to x.
Open a Link in a New Tab
Sometimes you want a link on the current page in its own tab, so you don’t lose your place.
- Touch and hold the link.
- Tap Open in New Tab in the menu that appears.
The link loads in the background. Tap Switch tabs to go to it. To open the link privately, choose the Incognito option in the same menu instead.
What You’ll See on the New Tab Page
Every new tab starts on Chrome’s New Tab page. According to Google, it can show:
- A search box at the top, which takes web addresses and searches.
- Site shortcuts to pages you visit often. Touch and hold one to pin it, edit it, or remove it.
- Cards such as Continue with This Tab, which reopens the last tab you used on another signed-in device in the past 24 hours.
- The Discover feed with suggested articles, which you can turn off.
- Incognito and AI Mode shortcut buttons under the search box in Chrome 141 and later.
To change what appears, tap Edit at the top left of the New Tab page and turn Site Shortcuts, Cards, or Discover Feed on or off. The New Tab page isn’t the same thing as Chrome’s homepage, which is the page the Home button loads. That is set separately under More > Settings.
After You Open a Tab: Switch, Close, and Organize
- Switch tabs: tap Switch tabs, then tap a thumbnail. You can also swipe left or right on the address bar to move to the next tab.
- Close a tab: tap Switch tabs, then tap Close at the top right of the thumbnail.
- Close every tab: in the tab switcher, tap Close All at the bottom left. The steps for closing all open tabs on iPhone also cover Safari.
- Pin a tab: in the tab switcher, touch and hold the tab and tap Pin Tab. Pinned tabs sit at the bottom of the tab switcher.
- Group tabs: touch and hold a tab, tap Add Tab to New Group, name the group, and tap Create Group.
Tabs you haven’t used for a while move to an Inactive Tabs section at the top of the tab switcher. To change that timing, go to More > Settings > Tabs and tab groups > Inactive, or choose Never move.
To save a page for later, tap More and tap Add to Bookmarks. To send it to someone, tap the Share button next to the address bar and pick an app.
Troubleshooting
I can’t see the + button
Chrome hides the bottom toolbar while you scroll down a page. Scroll up a little and the toolbar comes back. In landscape the buttons move to the top of the screen. If you still can’t find it, use More > New Tab.
My new tab opened in Incognito
The tab switcher keeps Incognito tabs in their own section. Tap Switch tabs, swipe to your regular tabs, and tap + there. If links from other apps keep opening in Incognito, check More > Settings > Privacy and security > Ask to open links from other apps in Incognito.
I closed a tab by mistake
Tap More > Recent Tabs and tap the page under Recently Closed. Closed Incognito tabs can’t be brought back this way.
Chrome looks different from these steps
Update Chrome from the App Store, then reopen it. Older versions used a search button in the middle of the toolbar instead of +, and the steps in Method 2 work in either layout.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open an Incognito tab instead?
Tap More and tap New Incognito Tab, or touch and hold + and choose New Incognito Tab. To lock and close private tabs, follow the steps for opening an Incognito tab in Chrome on iPhone.
Can I make the New Tab page less cluttered?
Yes. Tap Edit at the top left of the New Tab page and turn off Site Shortcuts, Cards, or Discover Feed. The search box stays.
Is opening a new tab the same in Safari?
No. Safari has its own tab buttons and menus. For Safari, follow the steps for opening a new tab in Safari on iPhone.
Do my Chrome tabs show up on my computer?
If you’re signed in to Chrome with the same Google Account on both devices and sync is on, the tab switcher shows tabs from your other devices in its own section, and Continue with This Tab can appear on the New Tab page.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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