Google Chrome: Six reasons this browser shines

Where once Internet Explorer – the browser bundled with every PC – was the most commonly used browser in the world, now Google Chrome takes the throne. 

It rocketed to popularity after its launch in September 2008, gaining traction thanks to its speed, functionality and stability, having abandoned web tools which were known to cause crashes.

And with about half of all internet browsing being done in a Chrome browser – whether on desktop or on mobile platforms – it’s popularity is showing no signs of waning.

As such, we round up six top tips to get more from working with Chrome.

Open multiple pages on startup

At the start of a working day it is likely you will want to open several tabs at the same time. Instead of manually doing this every day, you can configure Chrome to open specific pages every time it is opened. To do this, follow these instructions:

Click Settings > On Startup > Open a specific page or set of pages and then click on ‘Set the pages you want to be loaded’.

Carry your settings with you

If you use several computers it can be a pain to personalise every computer’s version of Chrome. To save you from needing to do this, you can carry your settings with you by using Chrome Sign in, which allows you to keep and use your bookmarks, themes and extension settings on any computer. Just press ‘sign in to Chrome’ from the settings menu.

Autofill details

It can be a laborious and tedious process to input your name/address/email address/phone number time and again. For several years, various browser extensions or programs, such as Roboform, could do this for you, however Chrome has this feature pre-installed. Just go to Settings > Options > Personal Stuff then choose ‘AutoFill options’. By selecting ‘Add address’, you can enter your details.

Quickly switch between tabs

Using keyboard shortcuts to quickly switch between open tabs can save time. Use Ctrl+Tab to navigate tabs one by one, or press Ctrl-1 to go to the first tab, Ctrl-2 to go to second tab and so on. You can also switch to the last tab by pressing Ctrl-9.

A calculator in your browser

The URL bar can also be used as a calculator, which is a handy time-saver. Just input the calculation and Chrome instantly calculates your maths for you.

Reopen closed tabs

It can be irritating when you accidentally close a tab, having to then reopen it and navigate back to the webpage you were on. But Chrome has an option just for that. Right click the new tab button and select ‘Reopen closed tab’. And if that even sounds too slow for you, then just use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + T. Presto.

Learn more

Growth of Chrome in browser traffic
 Web developer tracks the changes in browser use
 W3Schools

Google’s platform dominating internet use
 How Chrome is the definitive multi-platform tool
 ZDNet

A full introduction to Chrome
 Lynda’s definitive round-up of functions
 LinkedIn Learning