How to Open Helperbird in the Chrome or Edge Side Panel

Learn how to access Helperbird through the side panel in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge so it stays open while you browse.

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What is the Side Panel?

The side panel is a built-in feature in Chrome and Edge that lets extensions like Helperbird stay open in a panel on the side of your browser window. Instead of opening and closing the popup every time, you can keep Helperbird visible while you browse.


Google Chrome

Step 1: Open the Side Panel

Click the side panel icon in the top-right area of your Chrome toolbar. It looks like a small square docked to the right side of the browser window. If you do not see it, you can also click the three dots menu, then select Side panel.


Step 2: Switch to Helperbird

The side panel will open — it may show your reading list or bookmarks by default. At the top of the side panel, click the dropdown menu and select Helperbird from the list of available panels.


Step 3: Browse with Helperbird Open

Helperbird will now stay open on the side of your screen. You can navigate to any website, adjust your settings, and use any Helperbird feature without the panel closing.


Microsoft Edge

Step 1: Open the Sidebar

Click the sidebar icon in the top-right area of the Edge toolbar, or press Ctrl + Shift + / to toggle the sidebar open.


Step 2: Find Helperbird

In the Edge sidebar, look for the Helperbird icon. If you do not see it, click the + button at the bottom of the sidebar to add Helperbird to your sidebar apps.


Step 3: Browse with Helperbird Open

Click the Helperbird icon in the sidebar. Helperbird will open in a panel on the side of your browser and stay visible as you browse from page to page.


Tips

  • Resize the panel by dragging its left edge to make it wider or narrower.
  • Close the panel at any time by clicking the side panel icon again or pressing the keyboard shortcut.
  • The side panel remembers your choice, so the next time you open it, Helperbird should still be selected.
  • For Firefox users, see our guide on How to Open Helperbird in the Firefox Sidebar.

Video Tutorial

Coming soon


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!

What People Are Saying

Join over 1,000,000 people who use Helperbird every day.

so useful and helpful!! i can actually retain so much more info in my head now. thanks man, you are so awesome and i appreciate all the kind words. thank you. :)

A Google User

A Google User

Helperbird user

Amazing in eliminating embarrassing mistakes. Am one happy kid here!

Brian Borland

Brian Borland

Helperbird user

I got this tool as an extension to try out first of all. I was amazed at what it can do in terms of accessibility. I have shown my friends and brother who suffer from dyslexia and they have all downloaded the extension. Great step forward from a company looking to help people!!

Luke Pottinger

Luke Pottinger

Helperbird user

I purchased this for my daughter who has been having a lot of difficulty accessing the online work set remotely by her teachers during our National Lockdown because of Covid-19. Her dyslexia was really hindering her ability to complete tasks and keep up which in turn led to increased anxiety levels...a really horrid place to be in during a global pandemic! Helper bird has been a vast help and I fully recommend it and wish more schools knew about it. Thank You Helper Bird.

Michelle Howard-Price

Michelle Howard-Price

Assistive technology specialist

So far ive got nothing but amazing things to say about this extension. It helps everyday life so much!

Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson

Helperbird user

Helperbird is an excellent extension supporting a range of learning differences. Aside from providing many evidence-based dyslexia-assistive tools, the extension also functions as an easy-to-use, feature-rich web experience customization tool suitable to support a wide range of cognitive differences (i.e., color blindness and ADHD-related focus concerns, among others). Also, the developer is a very good person who supports the various learning-different communities in many ways, including by designing the free version of Helperbird to provide enough functionality to be beneficial to people who cannot afford to subscribe to the full-function version.

Kirk Smith

Kirk Smith

Helperbird user

Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

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