We all know about Google Chrome. It is one of the most used web browsers in the world. Despite the fact that the browser boasts a plethora of useful features, many of them are not enabled by default. Before rolling out the new features, Google put them behind flags. The purpose of this exercise is to carry out experiments and test them in beta form. After the beta testing, some of these Chrome flags make it to a stable release, while others that have not performed as expected disappear forever.
Google Chrome users can enrol for these flags and use the beta features. However, keep in mind that these are experimental features. Thus problems are prevalent and can backfire! If you’re ready to take the risk, here’s our complete guide on how to enable flags in Google Chrome to use unreleased features.
How to Enable Flags in Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome on your device and type ‘chrome://flags‘
- Now search for the flag name or any process or task that you are looking to accomplish
- Tap on the drop-down menu situated beside the flag
- Select ‘Enabled’ and restart your browser
How to Disable Flags in Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome and type in ‘chrome://flags’
- Search for the flag you want to disable
- Tap on the drop-down menu situated beside the flag
- Select ‘Disabled’ and restart your browser
Note: Google Chrome flags will work on any device, whether Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac and the process is the same on each operating system. The flags will also run on any Chromium-based browser.
Top 10 Google Chrome Flags to Try
Now that you know what a Chrome Flag is and how to enable or disable it, you might want to try a few. Here are the 10 Google Chrome flags to get you started on your modding adventure.
Auto Dark Mode
We all love the dark mode on our devices. It saves battery life and gives better eye comfort. But It feels annoying while surfing the web, as all the websites don’t have a dedicated dark mode. However, there is a Chrome flag here for your rescue. Just type in the ‘Auto Dark Mode for Web Contents’ and enable it. The flag will force the dark mode on all the websites.
Smooth Scrolling
Are you experiencing any stutter while scrolling through the web? Well, there can be multiple reasons behind it. But this flag will likely improve the situation. Just search for ‘Smooth Scrolling’ and enable it.
Reader Mode
The internet is a reader’s paradise, yet it often fails to provide a great reading experience as many websites keep pushing non-stop ads to churn out some extra bucks. Fortunately, you can enable the ‘Reader Mode’ flag to keep all the distractions away.
Parallel Downloading
Slow download speed can irritate you, especially if you are downloading a large file. The Parallel Downloading flag will enable faster download by dividing the file into smaller parts.
Side Search
As the name suggests, the ‘Side Search’ flag will add a sidebar to Google Chrome’s right side that looks similar to the one in Microsoft Edge. It allows you to search for anything on Google directly from the website you’re currently on instead of bothering to open a new tab.
Enable Back-forward cache for screen readers
This Chrome flag improves the browser’s efficiency by allowing quick back and forward navigation on web pages, even while a screen reader is in use.
Zero-copy rasterizer
The zero-copy rasterizer Chrome flag allows threads to write directly to the GPU memory associated with tiles. It improves Chrome’s rendering process.
UPI/VPA Values
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has become India’s most popular mode of payment. In order to make payments even easier, Google has introduced the ‘UPI/VPA values’ flag. It will allow the autofill of the UPI/VPA (Virtual Payment Address) values in the payment forms.
Incognito Screenshot
We all know the benefits of using an Incognito mode. However, for privacy reasons, Chrome doesn’t allow capturing screenshots in Incognito mode. Luckily the ‘Incognito Screenshot’ flag allows you to bypass this restriction. Remember that this flag is only available for Android smartphone users.
Hover Cards
If you are working with a lot of tabs open, this flag can be a saviour. The flag will enable a preview image of the tab in the form of a hovercard.
Also Read: How Old Is My Phone: How to check Age of any Smartphone
FAQs
1. Where is the flags menu in Chrome?
In order to get the flags menu, type in ‘chrome://flags’ in the address bar. It will open up a long list of all the Google Chrome flags with the search bar on top.
2. How do I enable Chrome flags on Android?
Open Google Chrome > search for ‘chrome://flags’> select the flag > tap on the drop-down menu > select the ‘enabled’ option and restart the browser.
3. Is it OK to use Chrome flags?
The Google Chrome flags are experimental features and haven’t gone through the extensive testing required to make it into the main version of the browser. We advise you to disable the flag or use a different browser while doing online banking or other sensitive activities.