Drag Multiple Tabs at Once
Most people are familiar with the ability to drag
and drop Chrome tabs into their own browser windows, or mix and match
them between browser windows, but they may not know that it can be done
with more than one tab at a time. Just hold down the Shift key and click
on all the tabs you wish to move and you can move them as one. If
you're on a Mac, hold the Command key.
Your Omnibox Is a Calculator
As you may or may not know, Google will calculate
basic math in the search bar. However, did you know that you can access a
similar math function in your omnibox without ever going to
Google.com? Just type in a basic math problem and the correct answer
will appear in the suggestions below the omnibox without pressing enter
(as you have to do on Google.com).
This handy little trick appears only to work if your default omnibox
search is Google—you won't get an answer if your default is, say Yahoo
or Bing. It also doesn't appear to work if you are typing into an
incognito window, no matter what your default browser.
Your Omnibox Is a Unit Converter
Your omnibox can also perform Google-like unit
conversions without going to Google. As with the calculator, the correct
answer will appear in the suggestions below without ever hitting enter.
As you type, Chrome will automatically convert your number into a unit
that you may or may not want. So, if you type "9 inches," Chrome may
automatically suggest conversion rate to centimeters. If you want a
different conversion, just type an equals sign with the conversion you
do want (e.g. "9 inches = km" or "9 inches = mm" or "9 inches squared =
m squared").
Once again, this particular function only appears to work if Google is
your default omnibox search engine and it won't work in incognito mode.
Zoom In and Zoom Out
On a PC, you can zoom in or out on a page by
pressing Control while turn your scroll wheel up or down (or by pressing
Control-Plus or Control-Minus). Once you zoom in or out from the
default, a magnifying glass icon will appear in the right side of the
omnibox. You can click the magnifying glass to manually zoom in or out
or hit "Reset to default" to return to the normal 100 percent view.
Conversely, you can also click Control-0 to return to the default.
On a Mac, you can zoom in and out by pressing Command-plus or
Command-minus. Pressing Command-0 function will still bring you back to
default.
Drag to Search
Highlighting a word and performing a drag and drop
is fundamentally the same as performing a cut and paste, so it stands to
reason that you could just highlight a word or phrase and drag it into
the omnibox to perform a Web search. Conversely, you can also just right
click on highlighted word or phrase and you will prompt a pop-up option
to conduct a Google search (on a Mac, Control-click on a highlighted
word).
Drag a URL to the Bookmarks Bar
If you come across a website you will want continual
and easy access to, you can quickly add it to your Bookmarks Bar by
highlighting the URL and dragging directly down to the Bar. Boom. You
can edit it later if you want to change the name. You can drag a URL in
from sources other than Chrome as well.
Navigate Up and Down Using Key Commands
You can use the spacebar to scroll down on any
webpage, and you can scroll back up by pressing Shift and the spacebar.
Open Accidentally Closed Tabs
Have you ever mistakenly closed a tab? We all have.
BUT thankfully Chrome is a forgiving browser and makes it possible to
get it all back. All you have to do is press Control-Shift-T
(Command-Shift-T on a Mac) and Chrome will reopen any recently closed
tabs. You can keep hitting it for more closed tabs working your way back
through your browsing history.
Easy Key Command to Delete Browsing History
If you ever want to delete your browsing history,
including past URLs, cached images, passwords, and cookies, you can do
that all through the clear browsing window in Settings. You can access
it quickly by simply pressing Control-Shift-Delete and a "Clear browsing
data" window will open. (Press shift-Command-Delete to access this
function on a Mac).
A Lot of Information Hidden in That Omnibox
If you didn't know, clicking the little star in the
far right side of the omnibox will prompt a bookmark list, which allows
you to easily add a site to your list of favorites (I honestly didn't
know this until embarrassingly recently).
You may have also noticed on the far left of your omnibar a little icon
that resembles a folded piece of paper or lock (to signify a secured
site). If you click on it, it will prompt a window with all sorts of
information about the site as well as permissions particular to that
site, which you can then manipulate.
Drag Links Directly to Your Desktop
There's numerous ways to store and organize links to
like to click on later. However, one method you may not be utilizing—or
even aware of—is the ability to create a link icon directly on your
desktop. All you have to do is highlight a URL from the omnibox and drag
and drop it on the desktop. Chrome automatically creates a clickable
icon that you can use later, or organize as you would like.
