The 13 best tips and tricks for Chrome on the desktop

Become a Chrome expert with these simple but powerful tips

Fast and simple, Google Chrome checks all the right boxes for a good web browser. Over time, it's grown to host a slew of features like extensions, themes, and even serves as the foundation for an entire operating system in Chrome OS. But what about features that aren't advertised? Chrome is packed to the brim with useful tools and tricks that are easily missed. We've collected the 13 best tips and tricks together into this article to help you get the most out of your browser.

Use Chrome's Shortcuts

Shortcuts are the simplest way to boost your browsing productivity. They're easy to learn and can speed up your browsing, even if you just open Chrome to watch cat videos (completely understandable). Here we have some must-have shortcuts, but there's a full list of Chrome shortcuts over at Google's support page.

Action Shortcut (Windows) Shortcut (Mac) Open a new window Ctrl + n ⌘ + n Open a new tab, and jump to it Ctrl + t ⌘ + t Open your home page in the current tab Alt + Home ⌘ + Shift + h Open the previous page Alt + 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

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Answer quick queries with the Omnibox

That funky little box at the top of Chrome is called the Omnibox, and it isn't just for website addresses; it's also a calculator, currency converter, and more. Simply type in your query and the Omnibox will immediately provide the answer. You don't even need to hit Enter to see results, the Omnibox will immediately provide you with an answer in a pop-up window. Here are a few things you can do in the Omnibox:

• 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

Chrome incorporates a series of commands that allow users to access experimental features, open hidden pages, force close the browser, and more — you'll see some examples below. These are run by typing "Chrome://..." followed by the command into your browser bar. However, you can also bookmark these commands for ease of use later. Here's how to create a bookmark for a command in Chrome:

1. Open up Bookmark manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + O.
2. Click the bottommost three-button menu in the top right.
3. Click Add bookmark.
4. Type in the name for the bookmark under Name.
5. Type in the command under URL.
6. Click Save.

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Use the Restart Chrome command

Forcing a restart is one of the most useful commands for Google Chrome. Simply type Chrome://restart into your Omnibox and Chrome will immediately restart. This closes and reopens all Chrome windows and tabs, except for incognito tabs, which will close but not reopen. It will also close any other profiles you had open. Bookmarking this command (as detailed above) will make restarting Chrome even quicker.

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Create custom search engines

Using the Omnibox to search isn't limited to Google's search engine. It's simple to add any website you want instead. Follow these steps to set up a custom search engine.

1. Type chrome://settings/searchEngines into the Omnibox.
2. Click Add next to Site search (under the Search engines section).
3. Type in a name.
4. Type in a shortcut.
   • The shortcut is what you'll type before your query to activate the custom search engine; for example, you could set queries that begin with "gmail" to search your Gmail inbox rather than Google.
5. Fill in the URL of the website you want your shortcut to search with the characters %s standing in for your search query.
   • E.g., https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/%s
   • Note that you have to enter the URL as it appears when you perform a search with %s where the search term normally goes. For example, https://gmail.com%s will not work.
6. Click Save.
7. To search, type your shortcut in the address bar, press Tab on your keyboard, then enter your query.

For a deeper breakdown, check out our guide on how to use Chrome's custom search engine.

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Manage your Chrome tabs with tab groups

If you like to keep scores of tabs open but get overwhelmed when you see them all at once, Google Chrome's tab groups can help you manage your clutter. Here's how to set up tab groups:

1. Left-click on a tab, then hold shift and click on another tab to select a group.
   • The two tabs you clicked and any tabs between these two will be selected.
2. Right-click on any of these tabs.
3. Click Add tab to new group.
4. Name your group to finish adding the tab group.

Once you've created a tab group, simply left-click on the group name to expand and collapse the group.

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How to add a tab to an existing group

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

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Test out Chrome's Beta features

To test the latest features of Chrome before they're released to the general public, you'll want to try out experimental features. To give this a shot, follow these steps:

1. Download and install Google Chrome Beta.
2. Open Google Chrome Beta.
3. Click the Experiments button.
4. Click the drop-down menu underneath the feature you wish to try.
5. Click Enable.

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Manage tasks with Chrome's Task Manager

Those familiar with the Windows task manager will be right at home here. Task Manager is an easy way to check what webpage or extension is causing problems and lets you see how memory and processing bandwidth are being used by Chrome. On Windows, simply press Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager. On MacOS, click Window in the menu bar at the top of your screen, then Task Manager.

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Save files directly to Google Drive

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

After setup, you'll see an extra option called Save to Google Drive when right-clicking on hyperlinks or media. Click this option and the extension will save it to Google Drive.

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Open File Explorer for Windows in Chrome

Chrome can be used as a file explorer for Windows machines. Simply type "C:\" into your address bar and press Enter on your keyboard. You'll be presented with a basic file explorer. While bare-bones, it's a useful way to quickly pull up files if you know exactly where they're located.

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Automatically block third-party cookies

When a website asks you to enable cookies, those are First-party cookies. They are provided by the website you're visiting and can typically be approved or denied when visiting that site for the first time. Third-party cookies are provided by other sites that provide content for the site you're visiting (e.g., ads or images) and blocking those require a little more work. Follow these steps to block third-party cookies:

1. Click the three-button menu in the top right of Chrome.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Security and Privacy.
4. Click Cookies and other site data.
5. Select Block third-party cookies.

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Link to highlighted text

Google Chrome offers the ability to link to a specific piece of text on a webpage. When this link is clicked, the page will auto-scroll down to the selected text and highlight it. It's a great tool if you want to share a particular segment of a page without forcing the recipient to search through the article for the relevant point.

1. Highlight the text you wish to share.
2. Right-click.
3. Click Copy link to highlight.
4. Share the link.

Control sound on a different tab

When playing music or videos in another tab, it can be frustrating to switch back and forth to control the sound. Google Chrome actually has a media player built into the taskbar, but it's easy to miss. While playing media, you'll see a little icon appear to the right of your address bar. Click this and a pop-up window will appear, allowing you to pause, skip tracks, or cast to a device. It will appear on any tab, and also on separate windows.

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Chrome's hidden features are powerful ways to improve your browsing experience, but Chrome extensions can also substantially change how you use the browser. Our roundup of the best Chrome extensions will help you power up Chrome, whether you use it mainly for work, social media, or cat videos.

Now that you're a Google Chrome power user, how about taking a few minutes to tame your Google Photos feed?