Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers in the world, but it’s actually much more feature rich than something simply designed to browse the web. Chrome is almost a little self-contained operating system with its own apps and management structure. In fact, when it comes to Chromebooks, it literally works as an operating system. Here are a few advanced Google Chrome features you won’t know how you lived without.
Operating systems like Windows all have user profiles allowing multiple people to share the same device or application without also having to share the same activity history, preferences and so on. Chrome offers exactly the same functionality. One great way to use Chrome profiles is to set up one for work and another for personal use. This prevents your personal internet habits from impacting your work computer and lets you have separate login information for services that might appear in both settings.
To set up a new profile, click the three-dot menu button at the top right of the Chrome Window and click Settings > Manage Other People > Add person. Give your profile a name. click Add and your new profile is ready to use. You can switch profiles by clicking the profile avatar icon at the top right of the browser window and select the profile you want to use.
Most of us think of the address bar as a place where you put URLs, but Google’s address bar is actually a direct interface with Google’s search engine called Omnibox. You are probably already typing search terms into the Omnibox prompting Google results, but many people don’t know that you can do things like mathematical calculations, conversions, lookup weather, etc. in the Omnibox without ever going to the actual search page to see the answer.
Keeping up with complex passwords can be difficult. Google now includes a proper password manager in Chrome itself. You can easily view and look up usernames and passwords that have been saved in Chrome, which is handy if you need to recover a password you have forgotten. The latest version of Chrome also offers to generate strong passwords for you when you sign up or change your password on a website. These passwords are also synced to the cloud, so they’ll follow you wherever you log into Chrome.
There are many other Chrome features and add-ins that can enhance your efficiency and productivity. If you have a favorite please share!
For more information on solutions for running your businesses’ technology more efficiently, visit our website or contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 448-7100 x210.
