Google Hangouts on the web now has a dense mode without the clutter

You may know that you can access Hangouts via classic Google+ and Gmail, but did you know it also has a standalone web client over at hangouts.google.com? Now, Google has announced that you can show the list of conversations at all three sites in a new denser view.

This might be particularly enticing if you were a long-time GChat user, as it ditches the profiles images and frills to provide an experience that’s straightforward and simple…

As per Caio Tenca on Google+:

I’m excited to announce that today we have launched a new dense mode for Hangouts. You can access the new mode by going into the settings and choosing “Use dense roster”. It will remove avatars and recent messages to give you a more condensed view of your conversations.

To find the new mode, head over to the Hangouts settings and enable “Use dense roster”. If you’re in Gmail you can find the setting by clicking the drop-down arrow next to your username. Alternatively, you need to click the three dots on the left side of the screen on the Hangouts site and click “Settings”. Once you change the setting at one site, it applies universally.