Maintenance For Google Chrome, Part 2
For this week let us look at how to maintain your Google Account and Chrome, I suggest you type, “account.google.com” in for your URL in Google Chrome. This will get to your overall Google settings. You will start on the “Home” screen where you can change your password and other account-worthy items. On the left, click on anything you wish to check out; however, I suggest “Personal Info” first. Here you may check your personal info that is available to the world. I would also check in that area, “Choose what others see,” and click “Go to About me.” Set up your basic information here. Then click back.
Now, on the left, in Settings choose, “Data & Privacy” and scroll down to “Plan for your digital legacy.” And here, yes, as morbid as you may feel it is, you can set up how you want Google to handle your account once you are indisposed (dead is another way of putting it). I have set up emails to go to my loved ones. These emails include “bye-byes” along with my passwords to Facebook and other social media, of which I use few, to let them know what to do with those accounts. You can add multiple people to your notification list.
Mine is set for three months of inactivity to let folks know anything I may not have left information about.
Now move to “Security,” on the left menu. I would advise you to at least set up a recovery phone number. This is where you may be contacted if you lose your password to your Google Account. Also, adding a “Recovery email” is a great idea in case of problems with your Gmail account. Just poke around in there and see things that you have just discovered. Ask me or YouTube.com for help, and videos will happily.
Ever wonder how websites remember things about you, like your city on a weather site? It is all thanks to tiny files called cookies that websites leave on your computer. They are like little notes that help sites remember who you are and what you like. But there is a different kind: third-party cookies. Advertisers use these to follow you online. So, if you check out men’s wallets, you might suddenly see ads for men’s wallets everywhere. If you are not into that tracking, you can block them. Just go to Chrome Settings, then Privacy and security, and click Third-party cookies. From there, you can stop them completely or just block the ones used for tracking.
How about managing your Chrome Extensions, which can add powerful functionality to Chrome. But too many, or poorly coded ones, can slow down your browser or even compromise your privacy. Regularly reviewing and managing your extensions can keep Chrome running smoothly and securely. Click the puzzle piece icon (Extensions) to the right of your address bar, then select “Manage extensions.” Here you can toggle extensions on or off, remove ones you no longer need, or review their permissions. Disable extensions you do not use to save resources.
Chrome’s New Tab page can be more than just a search bar. You can personalize it to show quick links to your most visited sites, a custom background image, and even widgets. This makes opening new tabs a more aesthetically pleasing and functional experience.
To do this, open a new tab and click the “Customize Chrome” button (a pencil icon) in the bottom right corner. From here, you can change the background, select shortcuts to display, and even choose to show Google Discover content.
The star icon in Chrome’s URL bar is primarily used for bookmarking web pages. However, its functionality has seen some recent changes that have drawn user feedback. Visit a webpage you like, click the star and save it to a bookmark folder you already have or create another folder to store it in. You may also change the name of the bookmark title before clicking, “Done” to complete the task. Now if you want to visit the page again, click the link in your bookmarks. What if you accidently delete your bookmark(s)? Check here the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9yq3vS0wII
Make SURE you check back next week for an important announcement!
