SQLAuthority News – Chrome Browser – Personal Technology

Almost every computer you can buy these days will come with Microsoft Windows installed on it automatically.  Also installed automatically – Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s web browser.  Many of us use this browser without a second thought, but in this latest Personal Technology Tip and Trick I thought I’d expand your horizons and talk about my favorite browser – Google Chrome.

1. Pin Tab

Most browsers now have the tab option, which allows you to have multiple browser windows open with easy access.  However, if you’re like me and have so many tabs open that you no longer can keep track of them, you need this streamlined service to be even more linear.  Welcome to pin tabbing.  When you pin a tab, it will form a much smaller, more minimized tab on the bar – usually just the web page icon.  It takes up much less space and allows you to focus on one set of multi-tasking jobs at a time.

Before pinning:

After pinning 1st two tabs:

2. Omnibox

The address bar in Google Chrome is so much more than a way to navigate to sites whose addresses you know.  In Chrome it’s called the “Omnibox” and it really can do everything.  Type in your search terms to do a quick Google search, and it can even do your math for you.  Type in equations, unit conversions, or distances, and have them quickly translated to exactly what you’re looking for.

3. Incognito – Secret Mode

In Incognito browsing, Chrome allows you to open a new window and perform all your regular internet surfing, without recording your browsing history (it even deletes the cookies after you close the window).  If this sounds like something only shady people up to no good would use – reconsider.  You could be logged into two accounts under two different user names using Incognito, without irreparably confusing your e-mail server.

4. Reopen Recently Closed tab

We’ve all done it – we have fifteen tabs open at the same time, and we are trying to sort through them and oops – there goes the tab that we really wanted.  But in Google Chrome you can easily retrieve the tab you accidentally closed.  There are two opens – Ctrl+Shift+T or right click on the tab bar and select “Reopen closed tab.”

5. Task Manager

If you are a multi-tasker, you know that sometimes you can outwork your computer and it slows down to the point where you can’t work anymore.  Google Chrome helps you fix this by showing all the CPU usage by every tab you have open.  It allows you to pinpoint windows that are using too much memory and close them down for later use, and then you’re back up and running at full speed.  Access this Task Manager by right clicking on the tab bar and selecting “Task Manager.” You can also enable Task Manager by pressing Shift+Esc.

6. Drag and drop downloads from Chrome

Being able to download documents or applications from the internet is, in itself, amazing.  But let’s admit it, operating through the download menu can be a little bit frustrating.  Google Chrome now allows you to drag and drop your download directly from Chrome into a new folder, the desktop, or wherever it belongs.

What is your favorite Chrome Trick?

Reference: Pinal Dave (https://blog.sqlauthority.com)