Distraction-free browsing in Chrome: 5 ways compared

Chrome's help pages describe no single distraction-free switch. Five things get you part of the way, and they solve different problems. Full screen, an app window and Focus Mode remove parts of the browser from view. Reading mode rewrites one article into plain text. A site blocker keeps you from reaching sites at all. Pick by your problem: too much on screen, a page full of clutter, or a site you keep opening. The table and the sections below show which tool fits which one.

Way	What it removes	What it doesn't do	What it costs	Undo
Full screen	The browser frame; the page fills the display	Stop you opening other sites	Takes over the whole display	F11, Fn + F or hold Esc
App window	The browser frame, for one site	Cover other sites	One app per site; look depends on the site	Uninstall from the app
Reading mode	Clutter on an article	Work on forms, payments, logins, video	Only for text pages	Close the view
Site blocker	Access to sites you list	Hide anything on sites you allow	An extension; some are paid	Remove it, unless it locks
Focus Mode	Tab bar, address bar, bookmarks	Block sites (that's in Pro)	An extension; desktop only	Esc

1. Full screen

Press F11 on Windows or Linux, or Fn + F on a Mac. Press the same key again, or hold Esc, to leave (Chrome Help). On a Mac, Chrome keeps its toolbar in full screen by default; uncheck Always Show Toolbar in Full Screen in the View menu to hide it. Steps are in the address bar guide.

Choose it when you want everything except the page gone, and you don't need your other windows. It takes over the whole display.

2. An app window

On a site, open More, then Cast, save, and share, then Install page as app (Chrome Help). Google's web.dev says a site can ask for a window "without any browser navigation UI", but the site chooses its display mode, so install it once and look.

Choose it when you spend the day in one web app, such as your email or a document editor. It covers that one site and nothing else.

3. Reading mode

Right-click an article and choose Open in reading mode. Chrome says this opens "an immersive, full screen reading view of the page". You can also press Alt+Shift+R (Windows, Linux, ChromeOS) or Cmd+Option+R (Mac), or open it from More, then More tools, then Reading mode. To use it in the side panel instead, go to its Settings and choose Side panel. Google announced a refreshed reading mode with a full-page interface on April 7, 2026.

You can change the font, font size, color theme and line and letter spacing, hide links and images, and have the text read aloud. Chrome Help also says: "Reading mode is not compatible with all sites and formats, like video or forum websites." It lists image galleries, interactive maps, forms, quizzes, payment pages and login screens as pages where it may not work.

Choose it when the problem is one cluttered article. It changes the page, not the browser, and Chrome Help doesn't say whether the full-screen view hides your tabs and address bar.

4. A site blocker

A site blocker is an extension you install from the Chrome Web Store. It keeps you out of the sites you list, on a schedule or for a set time. As of October 2026, from the Chrome Web Store listings and the makers' sites:

• LeechBlock NG is free and asks for donations.
• StayFocusd is free and limits the time you spend on sites you choose.
• BlockSite installs free, has paid plans, and also has iOS and Android apps.
• Freedom has paid plans and apps for mobile and desktop. Its Chrome extension works alongside those apps.
• Focus Mode includes a site blocker in Pro: $7.99, one payment, no subscription.

Choose it when the problem is a handful of sites you keep opening. One caution on settings you can switch off with a click: a 2021 study of more than 8,000 users of HabitLab, a tool that helps people cut their time online, found they slipped into easier and easier settings over time. Pick a blocker that adds real friction, and don't count on a limit you can lift in one click. A blocker also sees which sites you visit, so read its privacy policy before you install it.

5. Focus Mode

Focus Mode is a free Chrome extension. Press Alt+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac) on any page. The tab becomes a clean window: tab bar, address bar and bookmarks hidden, with no full screen. Press Esc and everything comes back. It works on every site, needs no account, and runs in Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc and Opera.

1. Install Focus Mode from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Open the page you're working on and press the shortcut.
3. Press Esc when you're done.

It does nothing on the New Tab page or on chrome:// pages. You can change the shortcut at chrome://extensions/shortcuts. A free counter shows your sessions, focus minutes and hidden tabs for the day.

Choose it when the tab bar and bookmarks pull your eyes away while you write, code or study, and you still want your other windows within reach. We know of no study that tests whether hiding browser tabs improves concentration, so we don't claim it does. What you get is fewer things on screen.

Pro adds more for the sites that pull you in: it hides the feeds on YouTube, X, LinkedIn and Reddit, and when a feed is hidden the page says so. The YouTube guide shows what that looks like for Shorts.

When to pick which

• You're reading a long article. Reading mode.
• You live in one web app. An app window.
• You want the page to fill the screen. Full screen.
• You switch between sites and want a clean window. Focus Mode.
• You keep opening the same sites. A site blocker, or Focus Mode's Pro.

These aren't exclusive. A site blocker, for example, can sit alongside any of the others.

On a phone

Chrome extensions don't run on phones. Chrome Web Store Help says: "You can only use extensions and themes on computers", and you can't install them on a mobile device even in desktop mode. That rules out Focus Mode and the blocker extensions on a phone.

Reading mode does work on phones. On Android, open a page, then on the right of the address bar tap More, then Show Reading mode. On iPhone or iPad, tap More, then Turn on Reading Mode. Both come from Chrome Help. Chrome says the page may show "Reading mode is unavailable" on Android or "Reading mode failed" on iPhone if the page can't be converted.

To block sites on a phone, use an app. BlockSite and Freedom both have mobile apps, per their sites as of October 2026.

Sources checked October 22, 2026.