The update introduced an immutable bookmarks bar in Google Chrome 148.

Chrome 148 Update (May 5) – New Features and a Minor Issue

Google released the fifth version of the Chrome 148 browser update, adding several useful features. Among them is deferred loading of video and audio files, which saves bandwidth and speeds up page opening.

However, along with the new features came a small but annoying bug: the bookmarks bar appears on the “New Tab” page even when it’s normally hidden. This happens regardless of whether there are any bookmarks in it – sometimes the bar looks empty.

How to hide the bookmarks bar as usual

- Ctrl + Shift +B
- Disabling the feature through browser settings

Both methods do not work in Chrome 148. Attempts to change “hidden” parameters, such as disabling the *chrome://flags/#ntp-simplification-bookmark-bar* option, are also ineffective.

Where the bug manifests

The problem is limited only to the new tab page. If you go to any regular site, the bookmarks bar hides as usual. That’s why users started noticing its appearance and expressing dissatisfaction.

How to work around the issue

1. Install a new‑tab extension that completely replaces the standard page. Popular options:
- *Tabliss*
- *Infinity New Tab*

2. Roll back to Chrome 147 – but this is not recommended, as updates patch security vulnerabilities.

Thus, Chrome 148 brings useful improvements but temporarily suffers from a bug with the bookmarks bar on the new tab page. Users can use extensions or wait for a fix in the next patch.