The last major addition to Keep’s online client was a dark mode last July. A tweak sees a new docked sidebar for Google Keep that’s always visible on the web and works like Gmail’s.
The Google Keep sidebar lets you switch between “Notes” and “Reminders,” as well as “Archive” and “Trash.” It’s also how you access and edit labels, with settings and help still located in the top bar. Previously, tapping the “main menu” hamburger button in the top-left corner would show or hide the navigation element completely.
A compact version of that sidebar is now always present. Namely, the Material Theme icons for each section remain visible. As your cursor approaches the left edge of the screen, a sliding animation shows the name.
The behavior is identical to the nav drawer in Gmail on the web. However, there is an issue with Google Keep’s implementation. Users that have a slew of labels are just presented with a long list of identical tag-shaped icons. There’s no way to mark them by color to distinguish the appearance.
Another impact of this change is for those that use Keep in a narrow configuration. The navigation rail shrinks the screen real estate available for notes, requiring some adjustment.
This new sidebar for Google Keep on the web is widely rolled out today. It will appear the next time Keep has to reload.