How To Change Browser Settings On Google Chrome

There are lots of means to get more out of Chrome. Below, we put together ix of our favorites.

We'll besides include how to open up Chrome's experimental settings, known as Flags, and how to reset Chrome to default if you want to start over.

Finding Chrome Settings

To find Chrome settings, become to the Chrome menu (the 3 dots next to your profile moving-picture show) and select Settings, or type chrome://settings into the omnibar.

Here, you'll observe a centralized set of controls that manages tabs, search engines, privacy, how content is displayed, how cookies and site information are used, and lots of other settings.

1. No More Notification Requests

Chrome notifications tin can exist useful but they can also create also much noise. Since near every website at present supports Chrome notifications, you're probable to get way too many requests. Constantly clicking "no" can get distracting.

The good news is, you lot can turn them these notification requests in your Chrome settings.

Beginning here: chrome://settings/content/notifications

notifications chrome setting

You'll see a list of websites with their associated permissions. Right at the top is a toggle switch. By default, information technology's set to "Inquire before sending," which means you'll see the "site.com wants to send yous notifications" popup on websites.

Toggle that switch over to "Blocked" and you shouldn't meet any notification requests. Some still do get through, but non nearly as many.

2. Get Effectually Ad Blocker Blocking

Are you using a Chrome ad blocker to salvage on bandwidth, speed upward browsing, and generally get all those poorly targeted reminders ads off your screen?

Some sites accept gotten more aggressive past blocking ad blockers. They'll either lock admission until you turn your adblocker off or they'll striking yous with a agglomeration of ads asking you to turn ads dorsum on.

Hither's how to take back command. All you have to practise is disable JavaScript on the sites that harass you nigh your ad blocker.

Get here: chrome://settings/content/javascript

javascript chrome setting

The default setting is "Allowed" for all sites. You can cake JavaScript for all sites, or add sites to a block list which cuts off JavaScript but for those sites.

If you cake it across all sites, pretty much the whole net will stop working. So information technology's best to practise it on a site-by-site basis. I recommend blocking JavaScript on a few sites that you lot use regularly. News sites are perfect examples.

3. Font and Sizing

Sometimes extensions can mess with the default fonts that Chrome uses to display content. Other times you might just prefer a larger font or a clearer ane.

Any your reasons, you can hands suit fonts across Chrome in Settings.

Start here: chrome://settings/fonts

customize fonts chrome setting

You tin arrange normal and minimum font sizes also as customizing the font itself.

four. Review your Passwords

If y'all're using Chrome Password Managing director, you're probably accumulating a massive pile of automobile-remembered, auto-generated passwords. That'southward better than using the same password for everything only it comes with some issues too.

One is that y'all could lose them if you reset Chrome to its default settings, though there are recovery options. Some other is that anyone who sits down at a device with a synced Chrome account on it can encounter all your passwords by going here:

chrome://settings/passwords

We recommend getting a more than secure countersign manager.

If you're going to keep the Chrome countersign director, I propose you lot review your passwords for these items:

Repetitive utilize of the same countersign. Sooner or later on, a password will leak. That could be a serious trouble is you employ the same password across multiple accounts.
Old emails for logins. Keep accounts updated with electric current email addresses so you tin can reset them quickly during a security intermission.
Weak passwords. I'd use a password generation tool that creates really complicated passwords, that will make it harder for someone to get access to your account.

5. Customize Your Startup Pages

Past default, Chrome opens a new, blank search page when you start upwardly the browser. Just you tin set information technology to open on whatsoever folio (or pages) you like. That style, if you need the same sites open when you lot sit down down to work, you tin can set Chrome to brandish them automatically every time yous relaunch the browser.

Here'due south where to observe the choice: chrome://settings/onStartup

customize startup pages chrome setting

Yous can utilise an extension to control the New Tab folio. But you can also set Chrome to:

Continue where you left off by reopening all the pages you had open up when you close downward the browser
Open up with a specific set of pages. Y'all can choose these manually or have Chrome open up the pages yous accept open now.

vi. Send a Do Not Track Request

You lot tin set Chrome to automatically send requests to websites to not rails you.

How much this really reduces tracking is open to question. Google doesn't provide information on which websites respect this request. If privacy is a major business organization, you should look into privacy-positive extensions that really do prevent tracking. Sending a request is better than nothing.

Find it here: chrome://settings/privacy

privacy security chrome setting

Enable "Practice Not Track" and click "Confirm."

7. Set Flash to Ask Offset

By default, Flash histrion is blocked completely in Chrome. That's considering information technology's an absolute security and privacy dumpster fire. Which is why Chrome is removing back up for Flash entirely.

You might be stuck using Flash for something. If you can't get effectually it, you can have Chrome ask you if you want to use Flash instead of blocking it entirely. This is a much better option than turning on Flash past default.

Starting time here: chrome://settings/content

flash chrome setting

Select Flash and toggle the switch to "Ask get-go." There are as well Block and Permit lists. You can add together sites to these lists to default to ane option or the other every time you visit.

eight. Mic and Photographic camera Access

If you want to utilise video-calling tools similar Skype, you'll need to mitt over control of your microphone and camera.

By default, Chrome sets photographic camera and mic permissions to "Ask before using." Merely like in other Chrome settings, there'due south a Block list and an Let listing. Adding apps that you lot employ regularly to the Allow list will brand sure your mic and camera always piece of work.

Also, information technology's good to cheque what you've given access to. No ane wants a rogue site accessing their mic and camera.

Go here: chrome://settings/content

Open Camera, then check that y'all recognize and are OK with all the apps that take camera admission. Become back and do the same with Microphone. To remove an app from the Allow list, just click the trashcan adjacent to it.

nine. Transport Reports to Google

The Send reports to Google setting is off by default, but information technology makes sense to enable it. You're not handing Google the keys to the kingdom by enabling this, simply yous are making it more probable that Chrome's automated detection of suspicious websites will meliorate and eventually protect you lot improve.

Enable it here: chrome://settings/syncSetup

google services chrome setting

While y'all're in there, it also makes sense to enable Safe browsing. Yous can always disable it later if information technology seems to exist getting in the way.

Bonus: Flags and Extensions

At that place are means to access more advanced Chrome features. Chrome Flags permit you to control experimental features which tin significantly alter the style Chrome works. The full list of Flags tin can be accessed at:

chrome://flags

Here, you'll notice tools to alter the way Chrome looks, feels, interacts with websites, and more.

We especially love these:

Tab freeze and discard (#proactive-tab-freeze-and-discard), which keeps tabs open but stops them running, and so they don't use memory
Parallel downloading (#enable-parallel-downloading), which splits big files to accelerate downloads
Lazy image loading (#enable-lazy-epitome-loading) which speeds up browsing by forcing images on spider web pages to load only as you curlicue down to them

Here'due south a full listing of Chrome Flags you should consider.

There's also a huge library of Chrome extensions. Some replicate functionality Chrome already has, while others offering really useful additions to what Chrome can do.

Resetting Chrome to Default Settings

If y'all ever break Chrome by accident and want to reset everything, it's super easy. Curlicue to the bottom of settings and click Advanced. Then:

On Mac, Chromebook, or Linux: Nether Reset Settings, click Restore settings to their original defaults > Reset Settings.
On Windows: Nether Reset and cleanup, click Reset Settings > Reset Settings.

chrome reset settings

You tin do this at any fourth dimension. But this won't do a complete reset. Settings like fonts and accessibility might stay the same. To start over completely, you can ever create a new user profile in Chrome. Or uninstall and reinstall.