Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Google Chrome on Desktop

Quick and simple, Google Chrome ticks all the right boxes for a good web browser. Over time, it has grown to host a host of features such as extensions, themes and even serve as the basis for an operating system – Chrome OS. But what about features that aren’t advertised? Chrome is full of nifty features to help you get the most out of your browser. We have collected the top 10 tips and tricks in this article.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts are the easiest way to increase your browsing productivity. They’re easy to learn and can speed up your browsing even if you’re just opening Chrome to watch cat videos (completely understandable). Here we have some must-have shortcuts, but there is a full list of Chrome shortcuts on Google’s support page.

action	Shortcut (Windows)	Shortcut (Mac)
Open a new window	CTRL + not	⌘ + not
Open a new tab and navigate to it	CT+ you	⌘ + you
Open your home page in the current tab	Other + House	⌘ + Change + h
Open previous page	Other + left arrow	⌘ + [
Close the current tab	Ctrl + w	⌘ + w
Close the current window	Ctrl + Shift	⌘ + Shift + w
Minimize the current window	Alt + Space then n	⌘ + m
Go to the top of the page	Home	Shift + Space
Quit Google Chrome	Alt + f then x	⌘ + q

Google Chrome tips & tricks

Omnibox

That funky little box at the top is called the Omnibox and it isn’t just for website addresses; this guy is also a calculator, currency converter, and more. You don’t even need to hit enter to see results, the Omnibox will immediately provide you with a result.

• Simple math problems
• Convert currency
• Convert units

You can of course always use it as a search engine, and more complicated commands can be run by hitting Enter (e.g. setting a timer)

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Bookmark commands

Many Chrome features are performed by typing “Chrome://…” into your browser bar. However, you can also mark these commands to make them easier to use later.

1. Open the bookmark manager by tapping Ctrl+Shift+O.
2. Click on the lowest three button menu top right (.
3. Click on Add a bookmark.
4. Type the name of the bookmark under Name.
5. Type the command under URLs.
6. Click on To safeguard.

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Restart Chromium

Type “Chrome://restart” in your Omnibox and Chrome will restart immediately. This closes and reopens all Chrome windows and tabs, except for incognito tabs. It will also close any other profiles you had open

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Personalized search engine

Using the Omnibox to perform searches is not limited to Google. It’s simple to add any website you want instead. For example, it’s a great way to quickly find your emails without opening Gmail first.

1. Type chrome://settings/searchEngines in the Omnibox.
2. Click on Add under the Default search engines section.
3. Type the name.
4. Type in the keyword (this is what you will type in to search).
5. Copy the website URL.
6. Click on To safeguard.
7. To search, type your keyword in the address bar and press Tongue on your keyboard.

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Tab groups

A recent addition to Chrome, tab groups help you manage your tab clutter.

1. Left-click on a tab, then Shift-click on another tab to select a group (all tabs in between will also be selected).
2. Right-click on any of these tabs.
3. Click on Add a tab to the new group.
4. Name your group to complete adding the tab group.

Once you’ve created a tab, simply left-click on the group name to close and open the group.

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Add a tab to an existing group:

1. Right click on the tab.
2. Click on Add a tab to the group.
3. Select the group you want to add to.

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Experimental Features

To try out the latest Chrome features before they’re released, you’ll want to try experimental features. You will need to download the Chrome beta for this.

1. Download the beta version of Google Chrome.
2. Open Google Chrome beta Click on the Experiences button.
3. Click the drop-down menu under the feature you want to try.
4. Click on To permit.

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Chrome Task Manager

Those familiar with the Windows Task Manager will be at home here. An easy way to check which webpage is causing problems, Task Manager lets you see how memory and CPU usage is being used by Chrome.

To open the task manager, tap Change + Esc.

Save files directly to Google Drive

Rather than downloading files and immediately uploading them to Google Drive, you can skip the middleman with this nifty extension from Google. Once installed, you’ll have the option to save the file to Google Drive instead.

After configuration, you will see an additional option when saving a file. To use the extension, click Save to Google Drive when downloading a file.

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File Explorer for Windows

Chrome can be used as a basic file explorer for Windows machines. Just type “C:” in your address bar and hit enter on your keyboard. You will be presented with a basic version of Windows File Explorer.

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Block third-party cookies

When you are asked to enable cookies, these are Proprietary cookies. They are provided by the website you are visiting and may or may not be permitted when you visit that site for the first time. Third party cookies are provided by other sites that provide content for the site you are visiting (eg advertisements or images) and blocking them requires a bit more work.

1. Click it three button menu at the top right of Chrome.
2. Click on Settings.
3. Click on Security and privacy.
4. Click on Cookies and other site data.
5. To select Block third-party cookies.

These are our favorite Chrome extensions, and we’ll add to this list as we learn more.

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