Google Chrome’s default settings can hinder your looking expertise, compromise your privateness, and chew by means of system assets. That is why I at all times disable the next settings when putting in Chrome on a brand new machine.
Autofill and Passwords
Like most browsers, Chrome permits you to save private info, passwords, and cost particulars, which it then autofills the subsequent time you want them. Whereas handy, this characteristic poses a safety danger since anybody with entry to your system may misuse or retrieve delicate info, and a breach may depart your information within the flawed arms.
Because of this, I at all times hold the autofill settings disabled. To disable them, click on on the three vertical dots within the top-right nook and choose “Settings.” Then, navigate to “Autofill and Passwords.” Within the Fee Strategies part, flip off the toggles for any info you don’t need the browser to avoid wasting.
Then, open “Google Password Supervisor,” choose “Settings,” and switch off “Supply to Save Passwords and Passkeys.”
Pop-Ups and Redirects
By default, web sites can ship pop-ups for adverts, promotions, and different intrusive content material and use redirects to take you to doubtlessly dangerous websites. Not solely does this pose a safety danger, however it will probably additionally disrupt your looking expertise. Thankfully, Chrome permits you to block pop-ups and redirects. I like to recommend turning off these choices.
To block pop-ups in Chrome, go to Settings > Privateness and Safety > Website Settings, scroll all the way down to “Pop-Ups and Redirects,” and choose “Do not enable websites to ship pop-ups or use redirects.”
Preload Pages
Chrome features a characteristic that preloads pages within the background, loading sure hyperlinks you have visited earlier than you click on on them to make them open quicker subsequent time. Whereas this may pace up looking and save time, it additionally consumes extra system assets, doubtlessly affecting your browser’s efficiency. That is why I desire to maintain it disabled.
To show off web page preloading, go to Settings > Efficiency, discover the Velocity part, and toggle off the “Preload Pages” possibility. Turning off this characteristic improves Chrome’s speed.
Third-Occasion Cookies
As you browse the net, third-party cookies observe your exercise and create a profile of your on-line habits, which is then shared with third-party advertisers to focus on you with personalised adverts. I view this as a big privateness difficulty. To stop trackers from following me and to keep away from intrusive focused adverts, I block third-party cookies.
To disable them, go to Settings > Privateness and Safety > Cookies and Website Information, and choose “Block Third-Occasion Cookies.” Some web sites may not work correctly with this setting turned off.
Digicam and Microphone Permissions
Whenever you go to web sites that will require microphone or digital camera entry, a pop-up asks on your permission to permit the location to make use of your {hardware}. This will seem even should you do not plan to take part in a gathering, and granting permission by mistake may let others hear sounds or see your face unintentionally.
To keep away from this, I prevent websites from requesting these permissions and solely allow them after I select to provide particular websites entry. To disable these permissions, go to Settings > Privateness and Safety > Website Settings. Below Digicam, choose “Do not enable websites to make use of your digital camera,” and below Microphone, choose “Do not enable websites to make use of your microphone.”
Background Apps
By default, Google Chrome is set to run apps in the background even after you shut the browser. Whereas this helps web sites load quicker, permits Chrome to verify for updates, and allows you to shortly reopen the browser, it will probably eat system assets and drain your battery. For these causes, I desire to disable this characteristic.
To show off this setting, go to Settings > System and switch off the toggle for “Proceed operating background apps when Google Chrome is closed.” It will cease Chrome-related processes from operating within the background. Nonetheless, this selection is just out there in Chrome for Home windows, not in Chrome for macOS.
Net Notifications
When looking web sites, you might encounter pop-ups asking for permission to ship notifications. If by accident clicked, these notifications can develop into a nuisance and even lead you to dangerous web sites. To keep away from this, I disable the characteristic, guaranteeing that websites do not ship notifications, even when I mistakenly approve them.
To dam notifications, click on the three vertical dots within the top-right nook and go to “Settings.” Then, navigate to Privateness and Safety > Website Settings, and discover “Notifications” below Permissions. Choose “Don’t enable websites to ship notifications” to forestall any notification requests, retaining your looking expertise free from distractions.
{Hardware} Acceleration
{Hardware} acceleration lets Chrome use your laptop’s GPU to deal with duties like video rendering or picture processing, which helps ease the load on the CPU. Whereas it will probably enhance the efficiency of each your CPU and browser, I’ve discovered that retaining this characteristic enabled usually causes crashes, particularly throughout live-streaming. Disabling it resolves this difficulty for me.
To stop glitches, I keep hardware acceleration turned off. To show it off, go to Settings > Superior > System, and toggle off “Use Graphics Acceleration When Accessible.”
Automated Downloads
By default, web sites are allowed to robotically obtain associated information alongside the primary file you’re downloading, which may save time. Whereas handy, this additionally opens the door for malicious information to be downloaded with out your data or consent. Because of this, I at all times block this characteristic to forestall web sites from robotically downloading a number of information directly.
To disable automatic multiple downloads, go to Settings > Privateness and Safety > Website Settings, and scroll to “Automated Downloads” below Extra Permissions. From there, choose “Do not enable websites to robotically obtain a number of information.” Now, you’ll be requested to grant permission earlier than any extra information are downloaded.
Proceed The place You Left Off
Chrome permits you to set which pages or web sites open whenever you launch the browser. You’ll be able to select to open particular pages, a brand new tab web page, or restore all the pages that were open when you last closed Chrome. I used to make use of the “Proceed The place You Left Off” possibility, however I discovered it to be a privateness concern as a result of others may see the pages I used to be utilizing throughout my final session.
The choice to open a particular web page or set of pages may trigger pointless load at startup, and malicious websites could also be set to open robotically. For these causes, I hold each choices turned off and set Chrome to open solely a New Tab web page on startup. To do that, go to Settings > On Startup, and choose “Open the New Tab web page.”
These are just a few settings I at all times hold disabled in Chrome to enhance privateness, efficiency, and safety. Should you’re utilizing Chrome with its default settings, I like to recommend disabling them to get pleasure from a smoother and safer looking expertise. Should you discover that disabling any of those settings negatively impacts your expertise, you possibly can at all times return and revert the modifications.
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