How to Access the Updated iGoogle

Note: This post was first published on August 11, 2008.

At the end of June, Google announced that they are testing the new iGoogle with a small number of randomly selected Google accounts. In other words, not everyone can access the canvas view-enabled version of iGoogle yet.

We’ve done some digging on the Internet and gathered details about the new iGoogle. Read on for more information!

What’s New

This time, the new iGoogle places the tabs on the left side of the page instead of at the top. You can expand the tabs to see the list of gadgets in a tree view, similar to Google Reader.

Another significant improvement is that each gadget has an expanded interface known as canvas view. In canvas view, you can access more information and additional features, such as directly reading an email or a subscribed feed.

How to Access the New iGoogle

To access the unofficially released version of the new iGoogle, follow these steps:

1. Visit https://www.google.com/ig
2. Paste this into the browser address bar:

   javascript:_dlsetp('v2=1');

3. To return to the original version, click “Leave the sandbox” at the top of the page or paste this into the browser address bar:

   javascript:_dlsetp('v2=0');