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How to Open Helperbird in the Chrome or Edge Side Panel

Dock Helperbird in the Chrome or Edge side panel so it stays open beside the page you are reading. What you need, two ways to open it, and what is inside.

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  • getting started

The Helperbird popup closes the moment you click back on the page. The side panel does not. It holds Helperbird open in a column beside whatever you are reading.

What You Need

  • Chrome 114 or later, or Edge 114 or later. Older versions have no side panel for extensions.
  • Helperbird installed. See how to install Helperbird.

Open It From the Browser

Chrome. Click the side panel icon in the top right of the toolbar. If you cannot see it, open the three dots menu and choose Side panel. The panel may open on your reading list or bookmarks, so open the dropdown at the top of the panel and pick Helperbird.

Edge. Click the sidebar icon in the top right of the toolbar, or press Ctrl + Shift + /. Then pick Helperbird.

Open It From the Floating Toolbar

Open Helperbird and click Floating Toolbar in the popup header. An owl button then sits on the web page itself. Click it, then click Settings. The side panel opens. Click Settings again to close it.

That Settings button is on Chrome and Edge only, because it drives the side panel. The Floating Toolbar is drawn on the page rather than in the browser toolbar, so you do not need the toolbar to reach it. See how to use the floating Helperbird button.

Admins can push the Floating Toolbar on for a whole group. See how to enable the Helperbird floating button.

What Is in the Panel

The panel holds the same Helperbird menu as the popup: the same features, the same search box, the same settings.

  • Drag the panel's inner edge to make it wider or narrower.
  • It stays open while you move from page to page.
  • Your browser remembers the panel you picked, so Helperbird is still there next time.

The owl icon in your toolbar is a separate way in. See how to turn Helperbird on and off.

On Firefox and Safari

Firefox has a sidebar rather than a side panel. It is a different browser feature and it opens a different way, starting with the owl icon. See how to open Helperbird in the Firefox sidebar.

Safari has no side panel. Open Helperbird from the owl icon instead.

Need Additional Help?

Having trouble opening Helperbird in the side panel? Reach out to our Helperbird support team and we'll walk you through it!

Printed from the Helperbird Help Center · Updated August 12th, 2026

Questions? We are happy to help — helperbird.com/support

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an absolute lifesaver

This extension has been an absolute lifesaver. I have that fantastic combo of ADHD and Dyslexia while trying to go through college. I have difficulty keeping letters in order, seeing the gaps between words, and with ADHD on top, I lose focus A LOT. The immersive reader has been my new best friend. It drowns out the rest of the content on the page, changes the font to something I can read, and highlights the word as it reads to me. My eyes are forced to keep going in the right direction. I can slow down and pay attention to what I'm reading. I don't even have to go back and read the same paragraph 5 times to understand it! The screen overlay has been outstanding for eye strain and being able to distinguish between words and spaces. The custom font and spacing for research articles have been an enormous advantage! I can actually read the research papers now and not have this daunting 2 column fine print page to squint over.All around, this has been the best purchase I've ever had. I use this every day, with every assignment. I don't even struggle with story-based questions anymore. The immersive reader helps me read, listen, and understand the question all at once. I am still exploring what I can use this with and how it can make my academic career, and I keep getting impressed with every new way I find to use it. Seriously, try it out. You won't regret it at all. Even if you don't have dyslexia or ADHD, just try it out. You might find that it helps you understand the content you're trying to learn even better!
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my eyes are flowing through text

Just added it and it feels like my eyes are flowing through text!
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Font Sizes can be increased or de...

You can bookmark the websites or pages for future reading. Font Sizes can be increased or decreased to our own satisfaction. You can translate the page or website using Google Translator.
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