How Do I Use Google Chrome Commands?

Google Chrome is highly customizable, allowing you to fine-tune the browser through hundreds of settings that affect everything from the application’s appearance to its security-related features to changing download destinations. You can make many of these tweaks through the interface’s graphical menu buttons and links, but Chrome commands that you enter into Chrome’s address bar (also known as the Omnibox) allow you to take full control of your browser. Below are some of the most useful Chrome commands, along with a brief description of each.

chrome://settings/searchEngines

This command opens settings related to managing search engines. Change the browser’s default search engine, edit individual search strings, and remove installed engines.

chrome://settings/clearBrowserData

This command opens the Clear browsing data dialog box, where you can delete browsing history, download history, cache, cookies, saved passwords, other browsing data, and licenses for protected content for a time period you specify.

chrome://settings/autofill

This command opens the Autofill options window, from which you can choose to view, edit, or remove existing autofill data and manually add new entries.

chrome://downloads

This command displays Chrome’s download history, which contains icons, filenames, and URLs associated with each file within the log. Alongside each file are links to delete the entry from the download list and to open the folder where it’s located.

chrome://extensions

This command displays all installed browser extensions, including names, icons, sizes, version numbers, and permissions data. Toggle extensions off and on, and instruct Chrome whether or not to allow each to run while the browser is in Incognito Mode.

chrome://bookmarks

This command opens the bookmarks manager, which displays all of your stored web pages organized by folder and title. Add, edit, or remove bookmarks on this screen as well as import and export them in HTML format.

chrome://history

This command displays your browsing history, all searchable and categorized by date. Remove individual items from this log and access the Clear browsing data interface.

chrome://settings/help

This command tells you what Chrome version number you’re running and gives you access to help and issue reporting.

chrome://crashes

Here, you’ll find detailed information about recent browser crashes as well as how to enable crash reporting.

chrome://gpu

This command brings up a wealth of information about your system’s graphics card(s) and settings, including driver specifications, hardware acceleration data, and workarounds for conflicts and other related problems detected by Chrome.

chrome://histograms

This command gives you access to dozens of in-depth visual interpretations of browser statistics accumulated from the time you launched Chrome to the most recent page load.

chrome://system

This command brings up comprehensive system diagnostic data, including details about your operating system, BIOS, and various hardware components. The amount of data available depends on your particular operating system.

chrome://flags

This command brings up a window where you can enable and disable dozens of experimental features, some of which are platform-specific. Each feature set includes a brief description and a link to toggle it on and off. Only advanced users should tamper with these settings.

chrome://quota-internals

This command brings up details on the amount of disk space allotted for and currently being used by Chrome, including how much each site occupies in the browser’s cache.