How to Access Secret Chrome Menus and Commands

If you’re a Google Chrome user like me, or a user of a Chromium-based browser, you know that to control Chrome, it isn’t done through an option panel, but rather a chrome:// URL. So, if you’ve ever wanted to know every single chrome:// page, here’s where you can access it.

Open up Chrome, and type in chrome://chrome-urls. On the page, you’ll notice it looks like a basic text-based website; it’s not meant to look cool; it’s meant to be functional. On the page, you’ll probably see familiar places like chrome://apps, and chrome://settings, but you’ll also see a lot of different functions used like chrome://print, which is the print dialogue that shows up when you go into the menu to print. It doesn’t do anything when there’s nothing underneath to print, but it’s cool to see how Chrome works by using the different chrome:// pages. Going to chrome://dino lets you open the page when your network gets disconnected to play the dinosaur game. You’ll also notice some commands useful for Chrome OS device troubleshooting, and for when Chrome acts up, commands like chrome://kill to crash a webpage, chrome://restart to restart all of Chrome, and chrome://quit to completely shut down Chrome.

Chrome is a powerful tool, so use these commands wisely. Add your favorites to the bookmark bar and prank your friends by naming chrome://kill something like “the best website ever.” Chrome on!