Chrome tips
Use your Android phone to unlock Chromebook
Most Chromebooks now are supporting tablet mode as they are already touch-enabled. But typing the password in a tablet mode is not an easy task as we need to use the Virtual Keyword. But we can change that to PIN when using in tablet mode. Open System Settings and in the ‘You and Google’ section, click on the ‘screen lock and sign-in’ option. Change the option to ‘PIN and Password’ and set the PIN. So every time, you are using the Chromebook in tablet mode, you can just press the PIN to unlock. You can connect your Android phone from the connected devices section and unlock your Chromebook when your Android phone is near it. Just like how you can use Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone.
Quickly compose an email from the URL address bar (Omnibar)
Type mailto: in Chrome’s URL address bar, and it will open your Mac’s email app ready to compose a new mail. You may follow mailto: with an email address to accelerate the process. For example: mailto: [email protected]
Turn websites into Chrome apps
One thing Chrome OS still lags behind is the lack of apps. Of course, we have Android apps and Linux apps. But some of them are not well optimized to work on Chromebooks. Thankfully, you can turn most web apps to standalone Chrome apps with a simple trick. Just head over to Aplicationize website and paste the URL you want to convert into an app. And follow the instructions shown on the Aplicationize website. Google Docs, Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress are some of the apps which don’t work great with Android and are in which you can try this method for a better experience.
Use other search engines like Yahoo, Bing, etc., from Chrome Omnibar
- In the address bar, type bing.com, yahoo.com, youtube.com, or igeeksblog.com, etc.
- Click Search Bing (or whatever it is).
- Type the search query and hit the enter key.
- Important Note: Search website will appear in step 2 only if you have visited that said site at least once before using Chrome.
Control YouTube or other music sites using a tiny handy button
When you play YouTube videos or other music streaming websites in Chrome, you will notice a tiny music icon in the top-right. Click it to control music playback. Tip: Chrome on Mac also lets you enjoy YouTube in picture-in-picture mode. For this, right-click twice and choose Picture in Picture.
Clear browsing data
- Click Chrome and choose Preferences.
- On the left Sidebar, click on Privacy and security.
- Click Clear browsing data.
- Select the time range and click Clear data.
Manage site permissions
You see a small popup before a site that can access your location, Mac’s microphone/camera, send notifications, etc. You can manage all these permissions on a single screen.
- Click Chrome at the top menu bar and choose Preferences.
- On the left Sidebar, choose Privacy and security.
- Click Site Settings.
- Under Recent activity, click a site name to manage its permissions.
- You may also go back and from under Permissions, choose Location, Camera, Microphone, Notifications, etc., to manage them.
Move open tabs to left or right
Place the mouse pointer on the top of a Chrome tab and drag it left or right. Pro Tip: To move multiple tabs, press and hold the command key and click multiple tabs. Now, leave the command key and drag the tabs left or right. All selected tabs will move together.
Use extensions to enhance your Chrome experience
Extensions are a massive part of Chrome that let you add features to it. I wouldn’t be wrong to say what apps are to smartphones; extensions are to Chrome (or other browsers). You can add new extensions from the Chrome web store. To remove or manage extension settings, click the extension icon at the top-right of Chrome. Next, click Manage Extensions at the bottom. You may also click the three-dots icon next to an extension to reveal more options.
Change Chrome download location on Mac
I like to have my new downloads on the desktop. You may want it somewhere else, like a deep folder. You can easily set the download location in Chrome via the following steps.
- At the left Sidebar in Chrome Settings, click Advanced.
- Choose Downloads.
- Click Change next to Location.
- Choose the desired folder and click Select.
