7 killer feature hacks for Google Chrome

Sync Google Chrome with other computers

Google Chrome can be synced with other devices, including bookmarks and browser settings; ideal if you run Chrome at home and at work.

1. In Chrome, click the spanner icon, and go to the Options.

2. Under the Personal Stuff tab, click Set up sync.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Sync Google Chrome with other computers

3. A new window will appear where you can enter in your Google account username and password. If you have more than one, pick one that you use most as this makes life easier.

4. Click Sign in.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Sync Google Chrome with other computers

5. From here you can select what you would like to sync - whether this is individual plug-ins and applications, or themes and bookmarks. 

6. Click OK.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Sync Google Chrome with other computers

7. In your Google Dashboard, you can see what has been synced between Chrome and the cloud, and Chrome on your other computers.

If at any point you want to delete your preferences and synced data from the cloud, click the Stop sync and delete data from Google link in your Google Dashboard.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Get Adobe Reader back in Chrome

The in-built PDF viewer in Chrome is not too bad if you have a touch-screen computer, but for most users, they want Adobe Reader back so they can search, rotate the page and save the PDF elsewhere.

So the best bet is to disable the in-built plugin and bring back the Adobe plugin.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Get Adobe Reader back in Chrome

1. In the omnibar (the address bar, but also the search box) at the top, type in about:plugins and hit Enter.

You should already have Adobe Reader installed. If not, you will need to install it.

2. Under Chrome PDF Viewer, click Disable. Under Adobe Reader 9, make sure this is enabled.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Get Adobe Reader back in Chrome

You don't need to restart your browser as this happens instantly, unlike other plugins in other browsers like Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Once you have disabled the in-built PDF plugin then you should be able to simply refresh any page which has a PDF open in it, and it will be displayed once again in Adobe Reader.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Enable instant searching in Chrome

Provided you have an up-to-date version of Google Chrome, you can take advantage of the new features brought out in Google search. 

1. Click the spanner icon and go to Options.

2. Under the Basics tab, ensure your search is set to Google and click Enable Instant for faster searching and browsing.

If you don't have an up-to-date version or you don't see the option to enable instant search, hit the spanner icon and click About Google Chrome. If it isn't up to date, then it'll automatically find you and install a new version.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Auto-start Chrome in incognito mode

If you are using Google Chrome at work or at university, you might want to keep your browsing history private. To enable this to run incognito on startup:

1. Right click any Google Chrome shortcut on the desktop or Start menu and select Properties.

2. Click the Shortcut tab in the properties.

3. In the target box, simply add a space and then -incognito to the end.

4. Hit Apply then OK.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Auto-start Chrome with pre-defined tabs

If you open the same old tabs every time you start your browser, Chrome can do this for you automatically.

1. Click the spanner icon and go to Options.

2. Under the Basics tab, click Open the following pages and then hit Add.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Auto-start Chrome with pre-defined tabs

3. Here you have a list of already visited pages. You can either select them from the list or type them in manually.

4. Click Add and repeat as necessary.

Next time you open your browser, all of the tabs that you selected in the options will be opened automatically. 

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Enable cloud printing from any mobile device

Google Cloud Print allows you to access your home or office printer from anywhere. But you need to have an updated beta version of Chrome to do this.

1. In Chrome, click the spanner icon, and go to the Options.

2. Under the Under the Bonnet tab, click Sign in to Google Cloud Print.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Enable cloud printing from any mobile device

3. Sign in using your Google account. This is best if it is the most common account you use, if you have multiple accounts with Google. 

4. Once you have signed in, Google Cloud Print should be automatically enabled. From here you can print a test page to make sure that it works. 

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Enable cloud printing from any mobile device

5. In your Cloud Print dashboard, which can be opened from the Chrome options menu under the Under the Bonnet tab, this will give you an overview of the printers that are installed on the computer, including local and network printers and PDF printers. 

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Set the default zoom for smaller screens

If you have a small screen like a netbook, you can change the default zoom setting so that all pages appear with smaller text so that you can fit everything on screen. But you need to have an updated beta version of Chrome to do this.

1. In the omnibar (the address bar, but also the search box) at the top, type in about:flags and hit Enter.

2. Under Tabbed Settings, select Enable to turn this on.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.

Set the default zoom for smaller screens

3. Click the spanner icon and select Options. You may notice that the settings are now within the browser instead of a separate dialog box, but all the previous options plus more are still here.

4. In the Under the Bonnet section, look under the Web Content heading and select the Page zoom for netbook viewing to 83%.

This will be saved automatically. All pages will now be shrunk to from 100% to 83% of the original size, making it easier to view web pages on netbooks and smaller screens.

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To read more about these Google Chrome hacks, read the iGeneration blog where it explains all.