Side Panel in Avast Secure Browser for Windows and Mac provides quick access to various tools and features. You can search the web, use Smart Chat, read news, write notes, play games, and access utilities. You can customize the panel by adding suggested sites or any websites you prefer, making them easily accessible from the Side Panel.

Side Panel features

To access the Side Panel, open Avast Secure Browser. By default, the Side Panel appears on the right side of the browser window. The following options are available:

1. Search: Use the Side Panel to search the web. The Side Panel uses your default search engine.
2. Smart Chat: Use the AI-powered chatbot to ask questions, summarize the page in your main browser window, and more.
3. News: View news and trending stories from around the world.
4. Notes: Create and manage notes.
5. Games: Play mini games.
6. Utilities: Access tools such as Calculator, World Clock, Unit Converter, or Currency Converter.
7. Settings: Customize the Side Panel by pinning website shortcuts.

Use Smart Chat

1. Click Smart Chat in the Side Panel.
2. Type your question, then click Submit (the arrow icon).
3. Optionally, click ⋮ Menu (the three dots) to start a new session or to Allow / Deny access to page content.
   Allowing Smart Chat to access the current page content is useful if you want it to summarize the page or answer questions related to it.
   

Customize the Side Panel

1. Click Smart Chat in the Side Panel.
2. Enter the website URL you want to add, then click Add (the plus icon). Alternatively, use the slider next to a preselected website (such as Facebook or YouTube) to add or remove it from the Side Panel.

Hide or show the Side Panel

To hide or show the Side Panel, click the Hide / Show Side Panel icon in the top-right corner of the Avast Secure Browser screen.

Change Side Panel position

1. Go to ⋮ Menu (the three dots) ▸ Settings.
2. On the left panel, select Appearance, then use the Side Panel position drop-down menu to move the panel to the left or right.

Further recommendations

To learn more information about using Avast Secure Browser, refer to the following articles:

• Avast Secure Browser - FAQs
• Avast Secure Browser - Getting Started

Updated on: 12/30/25