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5 Chrome tricks for power users

Ready to exercise your supreme Chrome skills? Learn how to set your location, easily view cached pages, and more!

Nicole Cozma
Nicole Cozma has an affinity for Android apps and devices, but loves technology in general. Based out of the Tampa Bay Area, she enjoys being a spectator to both sunsets and lightning storms.
Nicole Cozma
2 min read

Nicole Cozma/CNET

If you're using Chrome as your primary Web browser, then you probably know about a few of the shortcuts that you can use. The Digital Inspiration blog created a list of 15 Chrome tricks to boost your browsing experience. Check out the full list on its site, but here are five of the best ones to get you started:

Note: The instructions for these tricks are written from a Chrome for Windows perspective and may vary slightly for Mac users.

Pick your geolocation

Not interested in sharing your current location with the websites you're visiting? Or maybe you want to see if you can get a better price on travel when booking from another state? Try this tip.

  1. Open Developer tools (F12, or Ctrl + Shift + I)
  2. Click the phone icon in the top left-hand corner of the developer tools area
  3. Click the Emulation tab in the lower half of the tools window
  4. Pick Sensors on the left, then tick the check box next to Emulate geolocation coordinates
  5. Enter values for latitude and longitude

Delete autocomplete entries from the omnibox

When you're typing out a URL and you see a few embarrassing entries in the omnibox suggestion list, you can delete them by pressing Shift + Delete while they are highlighted.

Easily view cached websites

Want to see the cached version of a website? Just add "cache:" in front of the URL. Now you can skip searching for it and click the tiny arrow to select Cached on the Google homepage.

Install Chrome extensions manually

If the location you're seeking isn't available on the Chrome Web Store, you can download the CRX file and drag and drop it on your Extensions page. For detailed steps, check out this how to post.

View mobile versions of websites

When your Internet connection is slow, the last thing you want to do is load a huge image-heavy website. This is especially true when you are trying to stay within a bandwidth limit, whether you are traveling or just trying to be conservative with your own plan.

  1. Open Developer tools (F12, or Ctrl + Shift + I)
  2. Click the phone icon in the top left-hand corner of the developer tools area
  3. Click the Emulation tab in the lower half of the tools window
  4. Pick Device on the left, then choose a device from the Model drop-down box.

Have any other power user tips? Share them in the comments!

(Via DigitalInspiration)