Google Chrome has long been the most used browser in the world and in Italy, with a very large user base that uses it both on the computer and on Android smartphones. Although for many it is enough to install it and use the navigation bar to access their favorite sites, using Chrome and all its features may require the help of a dedicated guide.
Given its popularity, it is worth spending a few minutes to read some tips and tricks, so as to learn all the features of the Google browser and also discover new (often hidden) things.
For this we have created a user guide of all the main functions for Google Chrome browser on PC, so that we can also learn lesser known features that can make us take full advantage of this fast and powerful browser.
READ ALSO: Download or update Google Chrome with offline installation
1) Customize the main interface
Google Chrome has a minimal interface, with all the space for the web page, the address bar with the configuration and navigation buttons next to it and above the space for the tab selectors.
The rightmost button of all (three dots) is used to access the Chrome main control menu and settings.
By pressing the combination of keys CTRL + Shift + B on the keyboard you can make the favorites bar appear and disappear, which will still be shown when we display an empty card (without address).
Even if you can save space without the bookmarks bar, the bar is convenient for having your bookmarks easily accessible.
To organize and manage bookmarks you can create folders and use the favorites management screen (accessible from the main menu at the top right (three dots), by clicking on the favorites item).
If we always visit the same websites, once opened inside the tabs we can click the right mouse button and lock the tab .
Every time you open Google Chrome, the blocked tabs will open automatically without the need to manually reopen the sites.
By adding extensions to the browser (which will appear at the top right next to the Menu button) we can remove or hide their icons by right-clicking on them and selecting Hide in the Chrome menu .
READ ALSO: Cheats with the bookmarks bar in Chrome
2) Customize the browser with a graphic theme .
A minimum of customization to the browser can be done in the new tab by choosing the favorites to be shown under the Google bar and choosing a background image, by clicking on the gear symbol at the bottom right.
In Google Chrome you can still change the theme; to do this just install a theme from the official gallery of the Chrome Web Store.
There are a lot of different styles and, as mentioned in the article on themes for Google Chrome, you can also create a new custom theme.
Personally, I use an all black one from James White.
Still on the main interface, you can also change the home page that appears when you open a new tab .
From Chrome Settings it is possible to indicate an initial web page under the Appearance section and selecting the text field immediately under New Tab Page ; to get a new homepage we insert the site in the text field, so as to have it as the first page every time the browser is started.
If you don't like the Chrome homepage, we can customize it reading our guide to improve the Chrome tab by installing some extensions .
3) Settings
Using Chrome without customizing the settings really means not exploiting its full potential.
As mentioned above, by pressing the button at the top right with the three dots we can access the general settings of the browser.
The main options are:
- Synchronization of data, favorites, settings, passwords, extensions and also synchronization of open tabs between devices.
In advanced synchronization settings we can choose what you want to save.
Synchronization is really useful if you use multiple computers or if you also use Chrome on iPhone, iPad and other Android devices.
The synchronization is passed to the Google account, which then becomes the "custodian" of our browser favorites wherever we use this account.
A huge advantage of this system is a full backup of the browser settings so, if you use a new computer, it will make a complete automatic transfer of our preferences, we only have to activate synchronization by logging into Chrome with the Google account already used.
READ ALSO: Disable automatic access to Chrome with Google account
- Manage and customize the search engines to be used in the Omnibox, i.e. the bar where the addresses of the websites appear which in Chrome also works the search bar.
Google is the default search engine but you can also choose to search on other sites such as Bing or Virgilio, giving a choice command.
Pressing on Set search engines we can see, in the second column, the command to recall the search on that site and all the sites added by the browser as possible multiple search engines.
For example, to search for a video quickly, just write on the omnibox: word youtube.
- Create multiple accounts on the browser : this feature is useful if there are multiple users using the same computer.
We can access it by clicking on the account icon next to the Menu button, at the top right.
In practice, as explained in the guide to create multiple profiles in Chrome, if at home all family members use Chrome with different favorites and different settings, each can open their own profile separate from that of the others.
Obviously no one will prevent someone from accessing the other profiles "out of curiosity", which is why it is preferable to act at the PC account level (an account for each member of the family, complete with a password).
- Management of Privacy settings
This section appears by pressing the Advanced button at the bottom of the Settings page.
Given its great importance when browsing, we recommend reading the guide to privacy and security options in the Google Chrome browser, so as to know exactly what to activate and what to leave off.
From this section you can clear browsing data and all usage history by clicking on Clear browsing data .
- Google Cloud Print setting
To print using the computer printer from other devices such as the tablet or mobile phone, you can activate this really useful function, which transforms any printer into a cloud printer accessible anywhere in the world via the Internet.
To find out more, please read the guide dedicated to Cloud Print, to print via the Internet with the printer shared by PC and mobile phones.
4) Use extensions and bookmarklets
Extensions can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store, reachable from here -> Google Chrome Extensions .
Extensions add very useful functions to the browser while applications are like programs that can launch websites or web applications without having to have the entire browser interface active.
For example, you can install the Navigaweb.net extension to read the latest articles or the Navigaweb application to have a direct link to this site on the initial tab.
The extensions are managed by writing on the address bar chrome: // extensions (or by pressing the key with the three dots at the top right and taking us to the menu Tools > Extensions ).
On this blog we often talked about the recommended extensions for Chrome, just open the guide to understand which ones should be installed for our workstation and for the use that we have to make of the Google web browser.
In Chrome you can also use bookmarklets, i.e. interactive buttons on the bookmarks bar that can perform some functions (see how to install scripts and extensions outside the Chrome store).
5) Other advanced features
Pressing the button at the top right with three dots you can expand the Tools section; from this menu you can:
- create an application shortcut which means, in fact, to add the visited page to the Windows application bar or to the desktop, so as to immediately open a site as if it were a PC program.
- Manage extensions, as we have already seen.
- Open the browser's internal task manager to check if any extension, site or application occupies too much memory (in case we notice slowdowns or blockages by Chrome).
- Open the tools for developers, useful to see the code of the web pages and inspect it.
5) Other articles on Chrome
In another article we have listed all the Chrome pages: // with advanced tools and experimental functions; one of the most interesting menus appears by writing the address chrome: // flags on the Ominbox bar, and is useful for activating new and lesser known Chrome functions.
In another article we talked about what to do if Chrome consumes too much memory, which is possible if we have installed too many extensions or if we have a PC with less than 4 GB of RAM.
To complete the user guide and make you a true power user of internet browsing, we recommend you read the article with the main tricks commands and options to navigate as an expert on Google Chrome, where we will learn to surf incognito and to use combinations keyboard to navigate faster.
