The Chrome browser is very useful for just browsing the internet, but it can do a lot more useful things. With these ten tips and tricks you can get the most out of it.
1. Sync with your Google account
Do you have certain favorite websites that you visit every day, or do you want Chrome to save your passwords? Very logical possibilities of the browser, but did you know that you can also synchronize all this with your Google account? You can turn it on by going to the three dots on the right and then choosing ‘Settings’ and ‘Sync’.
2. Use extensions
Probably the most important tip for Chrome is to take full advantage of the extensions you have at your disposal. You can use all kinds of useful widgets that are located at the top next to the address bar and help you, for example, to quickly set up a VPN and switch countries, or, for example, to help you with discount codes when you are shopping. Make use of those extensions, because they include very valuable copies.
3. Choose a theme you like
You don’t have to look at Chrome the way Google made it: you can also choose themes in it. You do that – just like the extensions by the way – by going to the Chrome Web Store. There is a heading with themes and there you can find all kinds of backgrounds (sometimes accompanied by their own home page) to show Chrome more in your style.
4. Retrieve a closed page
There’s nothing worse than accidentally closing a page you were just shopping on. Don’t worry, many sites will remember your shopping cart for a while. You can also simply retrieve the closed page (any page). Just press Ctrl-Shift-T and the page just comes back.
5. View pages offline
Do you have poor WiFi or no WiFi at all? If you know in advance that this will happen, it is best to download a page for offline use. To do this, long press the link when you use Chrome on your phone and choose ‘download link’.
6. Using dark mode
Chrome has a dark mode and that saves your computer a tiny bit of power. Your screen is also less bright, which is nice if you don’t want to disturb other people with that bucket of light you’re looking at. You can find this dark mode under settings and then themes, advanced, dark.
7. Switch tabs with your fingers
If you don’t use Google Chrome on your computer, but on your smartphone, you can easily switch tabs by swiping your finger to the right or left on the address bar. That’s a lot easier than the normal way.
8. Save a page as a PDF
Do you find making pages available offline complicated? You can also make a PDF of it so that you can still view it offline. To do this, go to the relevant page, tap the three dots, choose ‘share’, then ‘print’ and then choose ‘save as pdf’ via ‘print’.
9. Pin a tab
You can pin tabs in Chrome, so they take up less space. You will then only see the icon of the website. This gives you a little more space for other tabs. You do that by right-clicking on the tab and choosing pin.
10. Use autofill
Under the settings you will find the option ‘autofill’, which is very useful if you often fill in online forms. This ensures that you immediately see all your data entered, without you having to do anything yourself. It recognizes in a form what ‘address’ or ‘phone number’ is and if you’ve allowed it to save it before, it can fill it in every time. That saves a lot of time, clicks, tabs and hassle.
Laura Jenny
When she’s not tapping, she’s traveling around the wonderful world of entertainment or some cool place in the real world. Mario is the man of her life,…
