Even If you’ve been using Google Chrome since it was first rolled out in 2008, the browser can perform some tricks you may not have still discovered. Google is adding new functions regularly, while older functions are lost and forgotten if you don’t use them every day. Here are 12 things you may not have realized you can do in Chrome.
1. Switch to guest mode
If someone needs to borrow your computer temporarily, you probably don’t want them to scroll through your bookmarks and sit alle you’re signed in to, and that’s where guest mode comes in handy. Click on your Google account avatar in the top right corner and choose Guest to make the switch. Getting out of guest mode isn’t difficult at all, but it does add a basic layer of protection and privacy to your own Chrome profile.
2. Play audio and video files
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Chrome can do more than just open websites. IIf you drag an audio file or a video file into a new tab, you can play it right in your browser, as long as it’s in a fairly popular and well-known format. Chrome is unlikely to replace your default media player anytime soon because the playback controls and features you get are pretty basic, but it can help if you need to quickly open a file on your system.
Cast your screen or desktop
If you open the Google Chrome main menu from the three dots up in the top right corner of the interface, you will see a Cast option, which you can use to move individual browser tabs or even your entire desktop to a Chromecast device on your current network. On some streaming sites, including Netflix and YouTube, the video content is streamed instead of the tab or desktop. It works well to show presentations, photos and so on.
4. Group tabs together
One of the most recently added features to Google Chrome is tab grouping, which allows you to organize your tabs into collections of labels and colors. Right-click on the header of an open tab and choose Add a tab to a new group start. Open the same right-click menu and you can add new tabs to a group, extract tabs from a group, and so on. Click and drag the label of a tab group to move it; click once to show or hide the group.
5. Send tabs to other devices
If there is a webpage you want to view on your phone or other device, right-click the URL in the address bar at the top of the Chrome interface and choose Send to your devicesIn this case, ‘your devices’ are any devices where you’ve installed Chrome, signed in with your Google account, and turned on sync. Choose one of the options from the list that appears and the appropriate URL will be sent directly to the other device.
6. Start where you left off
You don’t have to keep Chrome open to avoid losing all your tabs, as the browser can open with the same windows and tabs as when it was closed, if you prefer. Open the browser menu, choose Settings and then At start-up, and choose Pick up where you left offAlso, keep in mind that if Chrome shuts down unexpectedly (your computer crashes, for example), it will also try to restore all the web pages you last viewed.
7. Open the task manager
You may never have realized that Chrome has its own task manager, which can be useful for diagnosing browser issues and checking Chrome’s performance. To access the task manager, open the Chrome menu then choose More tools and Task management (or just press Shift + EscYou can see how much memory, CPU time, and Internet bandwidth is being used by each of your open tabs, as well as any background processes.
8. Customize the keyboard shortcuts for the new tab
You probably spend a lot of time on the New Tab page, so it makes sense set it up in a way that works for you. Standard, The eight shortcuts displayed on the default New Tab page point to websites you visit often, but you can click them Add shortcut if you want something specific on that. You can then also click on the three dots next to a shortcut remove to remove it and click and drag the shortcuts to a different order.
9. Get results quickly from the omnibox
The omnibox at the top of the Chrome interface is more powerful than you might think. Try doing calculations or conversions in the box and you will see the results before hitting Enter. You can also just type “weather” to instantly see a fast weather forecast, without websites or Internet searches. You can also get short word definitions directly into the omnibox, if you type “define” followed by the word you want to look up.
10. Change the theme of Chrome
The default Google Chrome look is no doubt fine for most of us, but you can tweak some of the browser’s aesthetic if you fancy a change. Open the browser menu and choose Settings Appearance and Theme to browse the Chrome Web Store for new themes. You will find all kinds of color themes and illustrations here, from artists and users and from Google itself, and you can always go back to the original look with a click.
11. Turn on reading mode
Chrome has a distraction-free reading mode similar to Instapaper or Pocket, but it’s hidden behind a flag: Open chrome: // flags, find the Enable Reader Mode option and turn it on. After restarting the browser and opening the Chrome menu, you will see that there is a new one Enter reading mode option that appears when you are on a compatible page. Click on it to remove web articles down to just the main text blocks and images.
12. Look for harmful malware
Chrome comes with its own malware scanner that you can use if you experience slow browser speeds, see a lot of popup ads, or notice anything else suspicious. When you open the Chrome browser, click Settings and navigate to it Advanced section, you can choose Reset and clean up thereafter Clean the computer to look for something strange. AAfter the scan is complete, Chrome will report on its findings.