Google Chrome is an ever-evolving browser that changes and updates continuously, often without news about it.You notice some changes when you happen to be able to do new things or when you notice on the PC of a more informed friend that the behavior of the browser on his PC is not exactly the same as ours.
While in another article I had already listed the most important options to change on Chrome, in this we see some of the more useful hidden and advanced settings which is worth checking and tweaking to take advantage of some recent updates.
Note some of these hidden settings can be changed in the experimental functions tab found by writing chrome :/ / flags on the address bar. The settings on this page always require a browser restart and may even disappear (or be promoted in the Chrome settings menu) in subsequent updates. Since the list is very long, to search for such a setting on Chrome: // flags, press the CTRL-F keys together and search the page.
ALSO READ: Chrome tricks, tools and commands to use
1) Cursor navigation
Normally, in Chrome, you go up and down on a web page using the mouse, but you can also scroll through a web page as if it were a Word document, seeing the mouse cursor blink. This offers some advantages for selecting text to copy. We saw in another article how to activate cursor navigation in Chrome.
2) Hide Extensions
A recent update (which I have not identified) changed the way in Chrome to show or hide the extension buttons in the top right. They can be uncovered or hidden by dragging the right edge of the address bar left and right and moving the various icons to make them disappear to one side. A consequence of this update is also the fact that the extensions active only for some sites no longer appear in the address bar, but between the buttons on the right.
3) Continuous scrolling
The recent update to version 49 of Chrome enabled continuous scrolling by default making vertical scrolling of web pages with the mouse wheel more fluid.
Until now this option could be activated in the Chrome: // flags experimental settings page so with the new version of Chrome there is nothing to change.
4) Profile management system, guest access and supervised users
Chrome as a browser takes many features of Chrome OS in user management. In practice, every person who uses the computer can have his own personalized Chrome browser in the saved settings and favorites, independent from that of others and with his own launch icon.
This type of management can be done from the user menu at the top right (by pressing on the user's emoticon). From the button at the top right of Chrome it is possible to manage accesses and start browsing as a Guest, ideal for letting a friend use the internet on our computer without them spying on our business. In the People menu, from the settings, you can add supervised users, i.e. controlled. This is the option that activates parental controls on children's accounts to monitor what they do on the internet.
5) Spell check
As seen in another guide, you can activate the spell check in Chrome of what you write on open sites.
The great thing is that you can have an automatic spell checker in any language you want to use.
6) Chrome as a password manager
Google Chrome stores and manages the passwords of the stored website accounts.
The important thing to know is that the passwords saved in Chrome are visible on every PC or other browser if you log in with the same Google account. In practice, all the automatic logins to websites are available from any PC or smartphone where the same Google account is used with the possibility of being able to easily recover any forgotten password.
7) Cast from Chrome to Chromecast without extensions
This is possible simply by pressing the transmit key located in the main menu (by pressing the key with three dots at the top right). Obviously both the PC and the Chromecast must be connected to the same wifi network.
8) Mute a card
If you open many tabs and one of them makes noise with an advertisement or music, this is immediately recognizable by the icon with the speaker and, as seen in the written guide on the subject, it can be silenced without having to close it and without having to turn down the overall volume on your computer.
9) Memory management
In Chrome, the memory management used by cards has changed.
I talked about this by explaining how Chrome clears tabs in the background to reduce memory consumption and how this can also be done manually. If you notice that Chrome automatically reloads the tabs and you don't like it, you have to disable the "Auto-delete tab" option on the chrome: // flags page
10) Autofill predictions
Chrome's autofill feature is really handy for filling out forms on websites without having to type in your name, address number, etc. every time. This autofill can be stored in the Chrome settings, under the advanced settings in the Passwords and forms section.
Click on the autofill settings to add one or more profiles. If you want, you can make this function even more intelligent by activating, on the Chrome: // flags page, Show Autofill forecasts
11) Save web pages to read them later
If you press the star button as you would to add a site to your bookmarks, Chrome gives you the ability to add that page to your reading list, a special section of the bookmarks bar useful for saving pages to read later. To activate this function you need to open the Chrome: // flags menu and activate the hidden option called Reading List.
12) Grouping tabs
In the latest versions of Chrome it is possible to press the right button of the mouse on the title of a tab, in the upper part of the window, to find the option that groups the tabs that we have explained in another article.
13) Turn any site into a desktop app with Chrome on Windows (as explained in another article).
14) Create QR Code From Google Chrome it is possible to generate and scan the QR code of a website.
15) Subtitles in videos This is one of the best hidden features of Google Chrome: the ability to read subtitles under any video or music in Chrome, which are automatically generated.
BONUS: The Hidden Dinosaur Game in Chrome (on PC and Android)
