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