25 October 2018
The new version of Google Chrome, in addition to a number of functional changes, also includes a new version of the Material Design UI, called "Material Design Refresh" and it is automatically activated after the browser is updated. Tabs, buttons, and other UI elements are now displayed with rounded corners. And, quite strongly rounded. Of course, these design changes do not affect the functionality of the browser, but for sure there will be those who want to "return everything as it was".
Fortunately, Google Chrome allows you to switch to the old version of the UI design. But you must bear in mind that it is not the browser settings option, but hidden from common user "flag" — the experimental options that may be changed or deleted at any time by browser's developers
Therefore, it is unclear how long the ability to restore the old interface will be available to Chrome users.
So, to disable rounded tabs and return the old design to Chrome 69, follow these steps:
1. Launch the browser and open following address in the new tab
chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md
2. At the very top you should have a highlighted option named "UI Layout for the browser's top chrome" (see screenshot below). If for some reason the page has not scrolled to this option automatically — you can use the search and find this option yourself.
3. Set the option "UI Layout for the browser's top chrome" to "Normal"
4. Relaunch the browser.
The classic view of the browser will be restored.