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Google Chrome Hacks and Tips

How do I do the following in Google Chrome? What is this thing doing in Google Chrome?

I'm concerned about privacy. How do protect my privacy while I browse? How do I block tracking cookies and ad networks in Chrome?

How do I see running processes and tasks, and the memory used by them?

  • In any Chrome window, press the <shift> and <esc> keys simultaneously. A Chrome task manager will appear, allowing you to view tasks and memory use.

What add-ins and plugins are enabled? How can I disable them?

  • Enter about:plugins in the OmniBox. You will see a list of installed plug-ins. You can click 'disable' or 'enable' to... well... disable or enable them.

What is the Chrome "Remote Viewer" plug-in?

Things that go bump in the night:

  • Background Apps are enabled by default. This allows Chrome to run (and consume memory and CPU cycles) even when you've closed all the Chrome windows! You may want to disable it if you aren't actually using any Chrome background apps.
    • To disable background apps, use the Tools:Options:Under the Hood page, and scroll down to the bottom of the page. There's a checkbox that you can uncheck to disable Chrome Background Apps.

Why do online PDF files open inside Google Chrome? I want to download them and view them using my installed PDF viewer application.

  • Google Chrome includes a built-in PDF viewer. To disable it, you need to follow these steps, gleaned from the Google help page:

Disable the PDF viewer

To disable the built-in viewer, enter about:plugins in the address bar and click Disable underneath the entry for Chrome PDF Viewer. The Adobe Reader plug-in will automatically be enabled, if you have it installed.

Thanks for this

I totally hated the pdf viewer in Google Chrome because it is difficult to save the PDF and so on. Sow i came across your post and man thanks for putting this up it is working like a charm now.

Disclaimer

*NOTE: All information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only. Exodus Development, Inc. disclaims all liability for use or misuse of the information presented herein or on external web sites. Use your own good judgement, ask an expert first. Proceed at your own risk.