With Google’s continual updates and releases of new features, it can be difficult to stay up-to-date with the tools and options in Chrome. But did you know that there are hidden settings called “flags” that can open the door to even more interesting features? With the 21 Chrome flags listed in this article, you can unlock the hidden features of this web browser. These flags are available on Google Chrome for Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, Fuchsia, Lacros, and Android.
Flags are hidden settings or features in the Chrome browser that can’t be accessed from the standard browser interface. There are hundreds of different Chrome flags that you can enable or disable to improve your browsing experience. Try experimenting with a few and see which ones work best for you.
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How to Access Chrome Flags
If you’re a Google Chrome user, you must be familiar with the Flags page. It lists experimental features unavailable in the Chrome browser settings. However, you can try those features via the Flags page.
To access the Flags page, type chrome://flags into your Chrome browser’s address bar and press Enter.
Alternatively, you can choose Settings from the Chrome menu (the three dots in the upper-right corner of the browser), then select “Advanced,” and click Experiments.
Once you’re on the Flags page, each experimental feature is listed with a brief description. To enable a feature, click the Enabled button next to the flag. Once you’ve enabled a feature, restart your browser for the changes to take effect.
Before you go ahead and check out the experimental flags, do not forget to check out our list of 300+ most amazing websites on the web and discover how you can enhance your internet experience and get tasks done faster.
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List of the Best Chrome Flags
Many hidden features in Chrome can be accessed by opening the browser’s Flags page. Here are some of the best working Chrome flags you can try now.
Note: I have provided the URL for each flag listed below. You can paste it into the browser’s address bar to go to a particular flag.
1. Enable Smooth Scrolling
This flag makes scrolling smoother and less jittery. If you’re a fan of smooth scrolling, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a Chrome flag that enables this feature. To enable smooth scrolling, simply open Chrome and type chrome://flags into the address bar. Then, search for the Enable smooth scrolling flag and click the Enable button. Once you’ve enabled smooth scrolling, you’ll notice that pages scroll more smoothly and fluidly. You can always disable the flag and return to normal scrolling behavior.
URL: chrome://flags/#smooth-scrolling
2. Autofill Settings
Chrome’s autofill feature is useful because it can sync across devices. So, if you’ve saved your addresses and payment methods in Chrome on your desktop, they’ll be available on your laptop or phone too. Chrome backs up everything automatically. Type “autofill” in the search field on the chrome://flags to check similar flags as well.
URL: chrome://flags/#show-autofill-type-predictions
3. Password Strength Indicator
You can use this Chrome flag to check the strength of your passwords. The indicator will show you how strong your passwords are and whether or not they are secure. You can also use the password strength indicator to check the security of your passwords by looking at the flag displayed next to each password.
URL: chrome://flags/#password-strength-indicator
4. Password Manager Settings
With the flag enabled Chrome will automatically fill in your username and password when you visit a website added to your password manager. You should also check out these tips to use Chrome’s password manager.
URL: chrome://flags/#password-manager-redesign
5. Revamped Password Management Bubble
This flag makes accessing and managing the saved passwords easier. It also allows users to add notes with a newly redesigned popup menu. You can access this menu by clicking the key icon in Chrome’s Omnibox when you’re on a site where you’ve saved a password. It also lets you copy the username and view and copy the password. Moreover, you can also add a note about the saved credentials.
URL: chrome://flags/#password-manager-redesign
6. Enable Reader Mode UI
This flag activates the built-in reader mode, allowing you to read online articles and other content with fewer distractions and ad clutter. When enabled, this feature gives you access to a simplified version of the web page optimized for reading. It strips away unnecessary distractions and makes it easier to focus on the content. This can be particularly helpful when reading long articles or documents.
URL: chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode
7. Site Isolation for Security
This flag isolates webpages into separate processes for improved security and stability against malicious websites that try to exploit vulnerabilities in one tab by attacking another open tab or window in the same browser instance. Site isolation has been a part of Chrome’s security architecture since the browser’s launch in 2008, but it was not enabled by default until the release of Chrome 63 in October 2017. Since then, Google has continued to refine and improve the feature to make it an integral part of Chrome’s security model.
URL: chrome://flags/#site-isolation-trial-opt-out
8. Enable GPU Rasterization
Google Chrome’s “GPU Rasterization Enabled” flag enables GPU-accelerated rasterization of web pages. This can improve the speed and responsiveness of web pages, especially those with complex graphics. However, it can also lead to increased battery consumption and CPU usage. If you have a dedicated GPU on your PC, you can enable this flag to force rasterization to be always completed by GPU instead.
URL: chrome://flags/#enable-gpu-rasterization
9. Back/Forward Cache
Back/Forward Cache is a browser feature that speeds up page loading by caching pages as you browse. When you click the back or forward button, the page loads from the cache instead of going to the server. This can speed up browsing if you frequently go back and forth between pages.
The feature can cause issues with some sites, such as not loading the updated content or not loading pages at all. If you encounter these problems, you can try disabling the Back/Forward Cache or clearing your browsing data (including cached images and files). Moreover, you can also try to clear browser data, cache, and cookies in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox to fix browser issues.
URL: chrome://flags/#back-forward-cache
10. Tab Groups
The Tab Groups flag allows users to create and manage groups of tabs in Google Chrome. This can be useful for organizing tabs, keeping track of related tabs, or simply for aesthetics. When creating a tab group, you can assign it a name and color. Tabs can then be added to the group by dragging and dropping them into the desired group. Tab groups can be collapsed and expanded, and tabs can be moved between groups. The Tab Groups flag is an experimental feature and is subject to change.
URL: chrome://flags/#tab-groups-save
11. Apply Background Color and Images
This flag applies a background color or image of your choice to all website pages visited in Chrome, creating a more unified experience when surfing around different websites.
URL: chrome://flags/#customize-chrome-color-extraction
12. Enable Force Dark Mode
This Google Chrome flag enables a forced dark mode for all web content. To enable this flag, open Google Chrome and enter “chrome://flags” into the address bar. Then, search for “Enable Force Dark” and turn on the flag.
URL: chrome://flags/#enable-force-dark
13. Enable Tab Hover Cards
This flag enables hover cards for tabs, giving you information about active tabs at a glance without having to click into them first. Having enabled this feature, you can quickly preview the page content when you hover your mouse over a tab, which can be helpful if you have multiple tabs open and want to find the one you’re looking for. The tab preview image shows the exact area of the web page.
URL: chrome://flags/#tab-hover-card-images
14. Connect to Cast devices on all IP addresses
This flag activates an improved cast dialog on sites with media streaming capabilities, allowing you to quickly send audio and video content straight to compatible devices such as TVs and speakers with one click. When enabled, it allows Chrome to discover and connect to Cast devices on all IP addresses, not only the ones broadcasting on the local network. The flag is designed for users who have multiple Cast devices. Enabling it means that Chrome can find and connect to all of them without switching between networks.
URL: chrome://flags/#media-router-cast-allow-all-ips
15. Autofill Accessibility Improvements
This flag enables accessibility improvements in Chrome’s autofill feature, allowing visually impaired people to fill out forms on a webpage with voice commands quickly.
16. Speed up Downloads with Parallel Downloading
This Chrome flag enables Chrome’s built-in download manager feature. It allows the browser to download multiple files simultaneously using multiple connections to the download source, rather than one at a time. It can significantly speed up your downloads by up to 4x, especially if you’re downloading several files.
URL: chrome://flags/#enable-parallel-downloading
17. Experimental QUIC protocol
The Experimental QUIC protocol flag in Google Chrome allows users to enable the upcoming Quick UDP Internet Connection protocol. This new internet protocol is designed to speed up web browsing by reducing latency and improving connection reliability. The flag is currently only available in the Canary and Dev channels of Chrome and is not yet ready for use in the stable release. Users who enable the flag may experience some instability and should report any issues to the Chromium team.
URL: chrome://flags/#enable-quic
18. Password Import
The Password Import flag in Google Chrome allows users to import passwords from other browsers into Chrome. This can be useful if you’ve switched to Chrome from another browser and want to bring your passwords to it. To use this feature, simply open Chrome’s settings, and click on Passwords followed by the Import button. You’ll then be prompted to select the browser from which you’d like to import your passwords. Note that this feature is only available in Chrome’s latest beta release, so you may need to update your browser before using it.
URL: chrome://flags/#password-import
19. Enable Fuzzy Search for Tab Search
Enabling the Fuzzy Search for Tab Search flag in Google Chrome can improve your tab management productivity. This feature allows you to quickly locate tabs that contain specific keywords, even if those keywords are not spelled correctly. For example, if you have a tab open for “www.google.com” and want to find all other tabs that have “google” in them, you can use the fuzzy search to locate those tabs. Simply type “ggl” into the search field and all tabs with “google” in them will be displayed. This can be a great time-saver when trying to locate specific tabs amongst a large number of open tabs.
URL: chrome://flags/#tab-search-fuzzy-search
20. Show Chrome What’s New Page
This Chrome flag enables a new page that provides users with information about the latest changes and features in Chrome. This page can be accessed by going to chrome://whats-new in the browser. It contains a summary of the latest changes to Chrome, including new features, security fixes, and performance improvements. There’s also a link to more detailed information about each change.
This flag is currently only available in the Canary and Dev channels of Google Chrome. However, it is expected to roll out to the Beta and Stable channels shortly.
URL: chrome://flags/#chrome-whats-new-ui
21. Enable the Screenshot Tool
This is a little screenshot tool with basic features. It allows you to capture a selected area as a PNG image and save it to the clipboard to share this screenshot. To use this feature, click the Share button next to the URL in the address bar. To enjoy the screenshot-editing feature, enable the Desktop Screenshots Edit Mode flag.
URL: chrome://flags/#chrome-whats-new-ui
chrome://flags/#sharing-desktop-screenshots-edit
Troubleshooting Common Issues with Chrome Flags
If you’re having trouble with a particular Flag, here is how to troubleshoot the issue. First, make sure that the Flag is enabled on the chrome://flags page. If it is, try disabling and re-enabling the Flag to see if that fixes the problem. If the Flag is still not working properly, you can try resetting all Flags to their default values.
To do this, go to the chrome://flags page and click on Reset all to default at the bottom of the page. This will reset all Chrome Flags, so only do this if you’re sure that the Flag you’re having trouble with is causing the issue. If you still encounter trouble after resetting all Flags, you may need to uninstall and reinstall Chrome.
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