How to Use Google Chrome

This wikiHow teaches you how to get started with the Google Chrome web browser on a computer, phone, or tablet. Once you nail the basics, you can move on to adding extensions, personalizing your experience, and using Chrome on your TV.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using Chrome on Windows

  1. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 1
    1
    Install Chrome on your PC. If you haven’t yet installed Google Chrome, you can do so now for free. Here’s how to get it:
    • Go to the Chrome download page and click Download Chrome.
    • Click Accept and Install.
    • Click Run or Save if prompted. If you clicked Save, double-click the file you downloaded to run it, and then follow the on-screen instructions to install.
    • Follow the on-screen instructions to install.
    • Now that you’ve installed Chrome, you can open it by clicking Google Chrome in the Start menu.
  2. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 2
    2
    Sign in with your Google account. This is optional, but helpful if you want your bookmarks, passwords, history, and preferences to be available anywhere you use Chrome. Here’s how:[1]
    • Click the profile icon near the top-right corner of your browser. If you’re not signed in, it’ll be a gray circle with a gray outline of a person inside.
    • Click Turn on sync.
    • Sign in to your Google account.
    • Click Turn on when prompted.
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  3. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 3
    3
    Search the web. You can use the search box at the top of Chrome to either enter a direct URL (e.g., wikihow.com) or search the web. Here’s how:
    • Click the search box.
    • Type your search term (or a URL if you want to access a specific website).
    • Press ↵ Enter.
  4. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 4
    4
    Use tabs. Google Chrome allows you to open multiple tabs within a single window, which makes it easy to browse multiple websites at the same time.
    • Use any of these methods to open a tab:[2]
      • Click + next to the currently-open tab at the top of the browser.
      • Click ⁝ at the top-right corner and select New tab.
      • Press Ctrl+T.
      • To open a link in a new tab, right-click the link, then select Open link in new tab.
    • Click any tab along the top of the screen to bring it into view.
    • Drag tabs left or right to reorder them.
    • Right-click a tab to view options, including Reload, Duplicate (create a new tab with the same webpage), Pin tab (keep the tab in its location), Mute site (turns the sound off for this tab), Close tab, Close other tabs (closes all tabs except this one), Reopen closed tab (opens the tab you closed most recently), Bookmark all tabs (adds all tabs to your bookmarks list).
    • To close a tab, click the X on its right side.
  5. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 5
    5
    Bookmark a site. You can use bookmarks to save links to sites you want to access again in the future.[3]
    • Navigate to the website.
    • Click the star at the far-right side of the address bar at the top of the browser.
    • Click More to view all folders where you can store bookmarks.
    • To create a new folder, click More, click New Folder, and then give your folder a name.
    • Click Save to save the bookmark.
    • To view all of your bookmarks, click ⁝ and select Bookmarks.
    • Click a bookmark to open the site.
  6. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 6
    6
    Use “Find” to find strings of text on a website. If you’re looking for a certain word or sentence on a page, you can use these steps:
    • Press Ctrl+F to open the Find window. A window will appear at the top-right corner.
    • Type the text you’re looking for.
    • Press ↵ Enter. All matches on the page will be highlighted.
    • Use the arrows in the Find box to browse through all instances of the text.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using Chrome on macOS

  1. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 7
    1
    Install Chrome on your Mac. If you haven’t yet installed Google Chrome, you can do so now for free. Here’s how to get it:
    • Go to the Chrome download page and click Download Chrome.
    • Click Accept and Install.
    • Open “googlechrome.dmg” (the file you just downloaded).
    • Drag the Chrome icon to the Applications folder.
    • Enter the administrator password if prompted.
    • Click the Chrome menu at the top of the screen and select Finder.
    • Click Eject.
    • Now that Chrome is installed, you can open it by clicking Google Chrome in the Applications folder.
  2. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 8
    2
    Sign in with your Google account. This is optional, but helpful if you want your bookmarks, passwords, history, and preferences to be available anywhere you use Chrome. Here’s how:[4]
    • Click the profile icon near the top-right corner of your browser. If you’re not signed in, it’ll be a gray circle with a gray outline of a person inside.
    • Click Turn on sync.
    • Sign in to your Google account.
    • Click Turn on when prompted.
  3. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 9
    3
    Search the web. You can use the search box at the top of Chrome to either enter a direct URL (e.g., wikihow.com) or search the web. Here’s how:
    • Click the search box.
    • Type your search term (or a URL if you want to access a specific website).
    • Press ⏎ Return.
  4. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 10
    4
    Use tabs. Google Chrome allows you to open multiple tabs within a single window, which makes it easy to browse multiple websites at the same time.
    • Use any of these methods to open a tab:[5]
      • Click + next to the currently-open tab at the top of the browser.
      • Click ⁝ at the top-right corner and select New tab.
      • Press keypress+⌘ Command+T.
      • To open a link in a new tab, right-click the link, then select Open link in new tab.
    • Click any tab along the top of the screen to bring it into view.
    • Drag tabs left or right to reorder them.
    • Right-click a tab to view options, including Reload, Duplicate (create a new tab with the same webpage), Pin tab (keep the tab in its location), Mute site (turns the sound off for this tab), Close tab, Close other tabs (closes all tabs except this one), Reopen closed tab (opens the tab you closed most recently), Bookmark all tabs (adds all tabs to your bookmarks list).
    • To close a tab, click the X on its right side.
  5. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 11
    5
    Bookmark a site. You can use bookmarks to save links to sites you want to access again in the future.[6]
    • Navigate to the website.
    • Click the star at the far-right side of the address bar at the top of the browser.
    • Click More to view all folders where you can store bookmarks.
    • To create a new folder, click More, click New Folder, and then give your folder a name.
    • Click Save to save the bookmark.
    • To view all of your bookmarks, click ⁝ and select Bookmarks.
    • Click a bookmark to open the site.
  6. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 12
    6
    Use “Find” to find strings of text on a website. If you’re looking for a certain word or sentence on a page, you can use these steps:
    • Press ⌘ Command+F (Mac) to open the Find window. A window will appear at the top-right corner.
    • Type the text you’re looking for.
    • Press ⏎ Return. All matches on the page will be highlighted.
    • Use the arrows in the Find box to browse through all instances of the text.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Using Chrome on an iPhone or iPad

  1. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 13
    1
    Install Chrome. If you haven’t yet installed Google Chrome, you can do so now for free. Here’s how to get it:
  2. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 14
    2
    Sign into Chrome. This is optional, but helpful if you want your bookmarks, passwords, history, and preferences to be available anywhere you use Chrome. Here’s how:[7]
    • Tap ⋯ at the bottom of Chrome.
    • Tap Settings (the gear).
    • Tap Sign in to Chrome.
    • Select an account and/or log in.
    • Tap Continue.
    • Tap OK, got it.
  3. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 15
    3
    Search the web. You can use the search box at the top of Chrome to either enter a direct URL (e.g., wikihow.com) or search the web. Here’s how:
    • Tap the search box.
    • Type your search term (or a URL if you want to access a specific website).
    • Tap the Search key on the keyboard.
  4. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 16
    4
    Use tabs. Tabs are different browser windows that allow you to keep more than one website open and accessible at the same time.
    • To open a new tab, tap ⋯ at the bottom-right corner, then tap + New Tab.
    • To view open tabs, tap the square in the bottom icon row containing a number.
    • Swipe up and down to see what’s open, then tap a tab to bring it into view.
    • To close a tab, tap the square to view all tabs, then tap the X at a tab’s top-right corner.
    • To view recently-closed tabs, tap the third icon at the top of the screen (a square with an overlapping rectangle).
  5. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 17
    5
    Add a bookmark. You can use bookmarks to save links to sites you want to access again in the future.
    • To bookmark a site, open the site, tap ⋯ at the bottom-right corner, then tap the star.
    • To view bookmarks, tap ⋯ and select Bookmarks .
    • Tap a bookmark to navigate to the site.
  6. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 18
    6
    Search within a webpage. Use “Find” to find strings of text on a website. If you’re looking for a certain word or sentence on a page, you can use these steps:
    • Tap ⋯, scroll down, and tap Find in Page…
    • Type the text you’re looking for. All matches on the page will be highlighted.
    • Use the arrows at the top of the screen to browse through all instances of the text.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Using Chrome on an Android

  1. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 19
    1
    Install Chrome. Chrome comes pre-installed on most Androids. You should find its a round red, blue, green, and yellow icon on the home screen or in the app drawer. If you don’t have Chrome, here’s how to get it:
  2. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 20
    2
    Sign into Chrome. This is optional, but helpful if you want your bookmarks, passwords, history, and preferences to be available anywhere you use Chrome. Here’s how:[8]
    • Tap ⁝ at the top-right corner.
    • Tap Settings.
    • Tap Sign in to Chrome.
    • Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in.
  3. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 21
    3
    Search the web. You can use the search box at the top of Chrome to either enter a direct URL (e.g., wikihow.com) or search the web. Here’s how:
    • Tap the search box.
    • Type your search term (or a URL if you want to access a specific website).
    • Tap the Enter key on the keyboard.
  4. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 22
    4
    Use tabs. Tabs are different browser windows that allow you to keep more than one website open and accessible at the same time.
    • To open a new tab, tap ⁝ at the top-right corner and select New tab.
    • Tap the square near the top-right corner of Chrome to see all open tabs.[9] Swipe up and down to see what’s open, then tap one to bring it into view.
    • To close a tab, tap the square to view open tabs, then tap the X at a tab’s corner.
  5. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 23
    5
    Add a bookmark. You can use bookmarks to save links to sites you want to access again in the future.
    • To bookmark a site, open the site, tap ⁝ at the top-right corner, then tap the star.
    • To view bookmarks, tap ⁝ and select Bookmarks. If your address bar is at the bottom, tap the star to open your bookmarks.
    • Tap a bookmark to navigate to the site.
  6. Image titled Use Google Chrome Step 24
    6
    Search within a webpage. Use “Find” to find strings of text on a website. If you’re looking for a certain word or sentence on a page, you can use these steps:
    • Tap ⁝ and select Find in page.
    • Type the text you’re looking for. All matches on the page will be highlighted.
    • Use the arrows in the Find box to browse through all instances of the text.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I get Chrome to open up to a particular bookmark?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    On your computer, open Chrome. At the top right, click More. Click Settings. (If you're using a Chromebook, click "Show advanced settings" at the bottom of the page.) Under "On startup," click "Open a specific page or set of pages". Click Set pages. Enter the web address of the page you want to see when you open Chrome. Click OK.
  • Question
    How do I clear a Chrome browser?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Assuming that you are referring to clearing your browsing history, it's simple. Press Ctrl+H, and click on "clear browsing data." Select your preferred options, and click "clear browsing data."
  • Question
    How do I print documents in Chrome?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Click the three dots at the top right of the Chrome window and select "Print."
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/185277?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en
  2. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2391819
  3. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/188842?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop
  4. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/185277?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en
  5. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2391819
  6. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/188842?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Desktop
  7. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/185277?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&hl=en&oco=1
  8. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/185277?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&hl=en&oco=1
  9. ↑ https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2391819?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en

About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
Nicole Levine, MFA
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 175,811 times.
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Co-authors: 23
Updated: January 31, 2023
Views: 175,811
Categories: Featured Articles | Google Chrome
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