Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Google Chrome, the benefits, and a few tips.

I have three computers, a tablet (Nexus 7), and a phone (Galaxy Nexus). Both of my Android devices are on Android 4.1. Unfortunately for many, to use Chrome on Android, you have to have Android 4.0 or higher, at least at the time of writing. I use Chrome on all of these devices, and I love to be able to keep all my sign ins and bookmarks on all them synced. This is my favorite feature of Google Chrome. It's all simple to use. You sign in to Chrome, and then all of the devices you are signed in will sync your information through your Google account. You can see what tabs are open on other devices, and use your bookmarks, history, website logins, and extensions on all of the browsers. When I use a computer at my school's library, I sign in to Chrome and I have all of my information immediately. It's incredible.

Some tips on organizing Chrome that not everyone knows about.

  • You don't have to name your bookmarks. Many websites have easily identifiable logos that can save you space on your bookmarks bar. When asked to name the bookmark, just leave that spot blank. You can see that in my screenshot. 
  • You can pin tabs, and make them take up less space on your screen. You can see that I have Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive pinned. To pin a tab, right click and select "Pin Tab."
  • You can view tabs on your other devices. Make a new tab (Ctrl + T, or Cmd + T on Mac) and click on "Other devices." You can then load these tabs on the device you are currently using. 
  • You can make folders for your bookmarks for certain topics. I use this for tabs I want to save, but won't use often. 
Some cool keyboard shortcuts as well (Ctrl for most, Cmd for Mac):
  • Ctrl + T  new tab
  • Ctrl + P print dialogue
  • Ctrl + D adds a bookmark for the page you are on
  • Ctrl + Shift + T reopens your last tab
  • Ctrl + Shift + B shows and hides your bookmarks bar
  • Ctrl + Shift + N new incognito window
  • Ctrl + R refresh
  • Ctrl + Y history
  • Ctrl + W closes your current tab
  • Ctrl + F lets you enter a search term to find on the page
  • Ctrl + Tab switches you to the next tab
  • Ctrl + C copy
  • Ctrl + V paste
  • Ctrl + Z undo
  • Ctrl + X cut
  • Ctrl + A select all
  • Ctrl + (number) switched to the tab number (number that you inserted)
  • Alt + Left back
  • Alt + Right forward
There are plenty more, but those are just ones that I know off the top of my head, and use regularly. These are just some tips to be more productive with this great browser.

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