Access Hidden Chrome Features and Settings

Google Chrome looks like a simple browser from the outside, but hundreds of pages are built-in for advanced settings, tweaks, tests, and many more.

All of these pages are hidden behind the chrome:// prefix. However, before we get into that, it’s probably a good idea to explain how these chrome:// pages work. This article will explain how you can get access to Chrome’s hidden features and settings.

Chrome://About: All of Chrome’s Internal Pages in One Place

For instance, the first option you want to look at–chrome://about, you’ll just need to enter exactly that into Chrome’s URL bar.

The most useful of all the chrome:// pages is probably chrome://about, because it shows all of Chrome’s other internal pages in an easy list.

Chrome://Flags: Experimental Features and More   

This is probably the most popular of all the chrome:// pages because it’s where Google hides experimental features, things that are in the works, but not yet ready for prime time. These let you explore beta features with a simple toggle, so if issues arise you easily can revert to the stable setting.

These are all kinds of hidden features, just keep in mind that they are still in progress. That means they may break other parts of Chrome or cause instability issues. They could also be removed at any point if Google decides to kill the whole idea. Still, it’s cool to explore.

Chrome://System: Get Detailed Build Information   

Here you’ll find everything from software and firmware versions to details about all the hardware on the system. There’s a lot of great info here, especially if you like to improve or repair something.

Chrome://Net-Internals: Realtime Network Diagnostics   

If you’re looking for some advanced details about Chrome’s network usage, this is where you’ll find them. A lot is going on here, and most of it won’t be useful to average users.

Chrome://Inspect: DevTools At Your Disposal   

If you want a deeper look at what Chrome has going on in the background, this is a good page to start digging through. The chrome://inspect page is a clear tool that will let you know what Chrome is doing behind the scenes.

You can also access all of Chrome’s Hidden Features with a Simple Extension: HiddenChrome   

While you can see all of Chrome’s hidden pages on chrome://about, there’s a nicer and more convenient way to do this, all you need is to download HiddenTools for Google Chrome and add Hidden tools to your Google Chrome. It puts all of Chrome’s pages into a nice, tidy, organized list.

You’ll find developer tools, a quick link to the flags page, internal diagnostics, logs, source code, and all sorts of other goodies here.