The main job of Google Chrome is to give you a window to the web. With so much engaging content out there on the internet, you may not have given much thought to the browser framework that serves as the container for the sites you visit.
You’d be forgiven for still using the default toolbar configuration that was in place when you first installed Chrome. But if you take a few minutes to customize it, it can make a significant difference to your browsing. You can get quicker access to the key features you need, and you may even discover features you didn’t know about.
If you’re reading this in Chrome on the desktop, you can experiment with a few customizations right now—all it takes is a few clicks. Here’s how the toolbar in Chrome is put together, and all the different changes you can make.
The Default Layout
Take a look up at the top right corner of your Chrome browser tab and you’ll see two key buttons: One reveals your browser extensions (the jigsaw piece), and the other opens up your bookmarks (the double-star icon). There should also be a button showing a downward arrow, which gives you access to recently downloaded files.
Right away, you can start customizing. If you click the jigsaw piece icon to show your browser extensions, you can also click the pin button next to any one of these extensions to make it permanently visible on the toolbar. While you don’t want your toolbar to become too cluttered, it means you can put your most-used add-ons within easy reach.
For the extension icons you choose to have on the toolbar, you can choose the way they’re arranged, too: Click and drag on any of the icons to change its position (though the extensions panel itself has to stay in the same place). To remove an extension icon (without uninstalling the extension), right-click on it and choose Unpin.
Making Changes
Click the three dots up in the top right corner of any browser window and then Settings > Appearance > Customize your toolbar to get to the main toolbar customization panel, which has recently been revamped. Straight away you’ll see toggle switches that let you show or hide certain buttons on the toolbar.
These buttons include Home, the Forward button, the Bookmarks button (the double star) that’s visible by default, and a quick shortcut for opening up a new incognito window. You can also include quick links for the Reading list (pages you’ve saved to read later) and the browser History (websites you’ve recently visited).
There are certain features that you might not have come across before, including the ability to Search with Google Lens (a visual search based on anything on screen) and the Create QR Code feature (which creates a QR code you can use to share the webpage you’re currently viewing).
These features are all available through the Chrome settings and menus, but having them on the toolbar means you’re able to access them much more quickly. The Reading mode button quickly reformats the current web page to cut out distractions, for example, while the Copy link button instantly sends the current page URL to the system clipboard.
The Task Manager is one of the buttons that’s most useful to have on your toolbar. Click on it and it brings up a new dialog showing the open tabs and processes that Chrome is managing, together with how much memory and processor time they’re taking up—very useful for finding the tabs and web apps slowing down your browser (or using up all of your battery life).
Again, you can reorganize the order of these buttons on the toolbar, up to a point: Just click and drag them into position. To hide the buttons again, right-click and choose Unpin (or choose Customize toolbar for more options). To go right back to the beginning, click Reset to default in the toolbar customization pane.
Themes and Colors
There’s another way to customize the toolbar, which applies to the whole of Chrome, and that’s to change up the theme and colors used by the browser. You most likely spend a lot of time staring at your browser, so you may as well get it looking the way you want.
Open a new tab inside Chrome, then choose Customize Chrome (bottom left). If you then click Change theme, you’ll be taken to a gallery of different looks for Chrome, which will modify a variety of elements all in one go: the new tab background, the look of the toolbar, and the colors of menus and dialogs.
For less drastic changes, you can pick one of the color combinations further down, below the Change theme button. As you select from the different options, you’ll see the appearance of the browser change in response. To go back to the original look of Google Chrome, pick Change theme > Default Chrome.
The post Make the Most of Chrome’s Toolbar by Customizing It to Your Liking appeared first on Wired.
