Get Back Old Google Icons With This Chrome Extension

Life is constantly changing, but experiencing change during the extremely uncertain times that we are all going through is especially maddening. Fortunately, you can still gain some control in your web browser – this new Chrome extension created by designer Claudio Postinghel lets you replace Google’s recently redesigned but confusingly similar icons with old ones (via Gizmodo).

When announced in early October, we described Google’s big G Suite rebrand as a way to configure the search giant’s products to better compete with Microsoft Office. However, the newly named Google Workspace brought in a collection of cohesive and redesigned app icons that are, in my opinion and that of my coworkers, very difficult to recognize from a distance.

Image: Google

The new icons kept the basic shape of the old ones, but swapped light, distinct colors for thick outlines made from Google’s usual red, blue, green, and yellow color scheme. It makes the icons look like one piece, but that same quality also makes them disappear in a cluttered collection of tabs. The change also makes it much easier to lose an important tab or close one for the wrong reason. A separate problem, but with similar effects: if you are color blind and trust the clear difference between the old icons, your job of using Google Workspace has potentially become much more difficult.

I have downloaded the extension and can confirm that it works as well as you expected. If the reviews and comments on the Postinghel extension are any indication, many people were upset by the change and also satisfied with this solution. Now there’s a way to go back to Google’s tried-and-true icon designs, with a similar extension for Firefox to come, according to Postinghel’s site. Give it a try if you feel like you need a little control. It could make a difference.