After the article last week on reader questions, I received a few more questions. Kyle emailed and asked about a thing or two he has seen on his Google Chrome Browser. I thought this was a good place to take another look, as everyone will see at least two of them. All three will be available if you add the third, as shown below.
First, look at the Omnibar/address bar where you type in a website you want to visit, like GrayHaired.Tech. Type nothing yet, just look to the right end of the bar. The first thing you will notice on the very right end is a Star. It will be clear or a color, usually blue if it has a color. Click the star with your left mouse button and a small window will open. It is for creating a bookmark for that site. You can choose to rename the bookmark.
You can also choose where you want the bookmark stored. I put all of mine on the “bookmarks bar” for easy access, but there are other choices. You may also choose to “un” bookmark a site if you no longer want to visit it later. You can also click on “More” which will let you create a new folder to store it in or choose any that are already available.
The second button, to the left of the Bookmarks Star, is the Sharing icon. It appears as a small box with a curved arrow. When you click it, you can copy the link to send to someone else. You may also create a QR code or “Cast it.” You most likely will not use those. The Cast feature allows you to send the page to a smart TV or other device equipped with Chrome. For this button, you can share the link on the various social media sites shown.
Finally, one that is not there by default…yet. It is a Chrome Flag (I talked about a few weeks ago) and I love it. It is called, “Reader Mode.” To set it up, type, “chrome://flags/#enable-reader-mode” in the Omnibar. It will open a tab with that mode at the top, click on the right to “Enable” it. For it to take effect, you will need to restart the Chrome Browser.
Now get ready for something neat. When you are on a website with lots of ads, flashing lights, video playing, etc. Click the Read Only Mode icon, on the right, of the Omnibar that resembles an open book, and see the page with no ads. Yes, as hard as it is to believe, everything but the topics and information covered on the page will be removed from the page. Then you may easily read what interests you, without distractions.
Enjoy trying these out and please do not stop sending questions via the contact page here. You all are great readers with wonderful questions which I really appreciate. Have an excellent week and I will see you again here next week!
