Welcome to our new advice series, Help Me Out, where we ask expert Googlers to share their best tips for navigating common tech conundrums. Whether you're trying to achieve inbox zero or want to get a handle on all those Chrome tabs, we've got a Googler who can help you out.

Help me out!

I come to you in need of Chrome tabs tips. First, you should know that Ilove my Chrome tabs. Exhibit A: I apparently have 42 Chrome tabs open on my work laptop right now. Exhibit B: Rumor has it I have 83 additional Chrome tabs open on my personal laptop. You could say closing my tabs feels…taboo.

There’s just so much internet to explore — so many fascinating rabbit holes to fall down with a simple search. Sometimes I’ll bookmark all open tabs into folders that are too vaguely named to be useful. What differentiates “New Folder 1” from “New Folder 2?” No one can say. I’m never going to give up my tabs, but I definitely could use some tidying tips.

—Keepin' tabs on my tabs

Dear Keepin’ tabs on my tabs,

Coming to you live from a tab that’s buried amongst its kind! I confess that I, too, am a tab enthusiast. Since I’ve got the same issue, I decided to ask a Chrome expert to help me help you.

Edward Jung is a UX engineer who works on the Chrome team and describes himself as a “tabs maximalist.” “I’m using an extension right now that tells me I have 250 tabs open,” he says. The difference between us and Edward? He’s got a solid tabs organization system on his side. Edward says in the 12 or so years he’s been working at Google, he’s come up with various strategies to cope with his tabs use. And his tips can help us, too.

First, something that’s helpful to know if you accidentally close tabs: You can always restore them (although Edward says whenever this happens he takes it as a sign from the universe that it’s time to let those tabs go and start over!).

But that doesn’t quite solve your specific issue about organization. For starters, Edward suggests using Tab Groups. “I helped design Chrome Tab Groups because tab organization was a problem I was experiencing,” he says. This feature allows you to group various tabs together, so if you want to open a handful of tabs all at once related to a subject in particular, a project you’re working on or even something like a trip you’re planning, you just need to find that label and everything will open simultaneously. Plus, after grouping, the tabs collapse together, keeping your tab strip less cluttered. You can even add color-coding or use an emoji when you’re naming a Tab Group, which helps you immediately identify it.

If you have multiple windows full of tabs, a great way to instantly recognize which tabs are in which windows is to use Chrome’s window naming feature; you can access this by right-clicking on the empty space in the tab strip and selecting “name window.” “So if you have a window open that has various tabs related to ‘project x,’ you can name the window ‘project x.’ That way you don’t have to remember what a tab was related to, and in your toolbar you’ll see the label, not the name of some random website or document,” Edward explains.

Now that you’ve got a way to organize and identify your many tabs, you still need a way to search them. Edward says there’s a method for that, too: You simply hit the little “down” arrow at the top right of your Chrome browser and type in what you’re looking for, or scroll down the list of what’s open. If you have too many tabs open, you can close some right from this list. Another incredibly easy way to search your tabs? Start typing whatever it is you’re looking for into the URL bar — you don’t need the complete phrase either; if it's a tab you’ve used recently or often, Chrome will fill in the rest. And if you already have the tab open somewhere, Chrome will prompt you to switch to that one instead of opening a duplicate.

Hopefully this helps you organize your tabs better! I’ll leave you with this excellent metaphor from Edward, who likens good tab organization to a utensils drawer. “Youcould just throw everything in a drawer, but it would be chaos! This is like using the organizers so everything has a recognized place, and you easily know where to find what, right when you look at it.”

Browse on,

Molly

We’re more than halfway through a thrilling Formula 1 season, and McLaren is locked in a tight battle in the 2022 World Constructors Championship. Earlier this year, we partnered with the McLaren F1 Team to distribute Chrome browser and almost 500 Android devices – including phones, tablets and earbuds – across their entire racing organization to help streamline communications on race day.

When McLaren debuted Chrome-inspired wheel covers, fans around the world told us they wanted more. Starting at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, you’ll find more Chrome branding featured on their engine covers as part of our ongoing partnership.

You can now personalize your Chrome browser with exclusive themes inspired by the McLaren F1 Team. The six new themes feature McLaren’s papaya car, and race day images from some of your favorite circuits.

Chrome puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to customizing your browser the way you want. So if you want a faster, safer browser that also shows support for the McLaren F1 team, try out one of our new desktop themes on Chrome for race day and everyday.

We’re more than halfway through a thrilling Formula 1 season, and McLaren is locked in a tight battle in the 2022 World Constructors Championship. Earlier this year, we partnered with the McLaren F1 Team to distribute Chrome browser and almost 500 Android devices – including phones, tablets and earbuds – across their entire racing organization to help streamline communications on race day.

When McLaren debuted Chrome-inspired wheel covers, fans around the world told us they wanted more. Starting at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, you’ll find more Chrome branding featured on their engine covers as part of our ongoing partnership.

You can now personalize your Chrome browser with exclusive themes inspired by the McLaren F1 Team. The six new themes feature McLaren’s papaya car, and race day images from some of your favorite circuits.

Chrome puts you in the driver’s seat when it comes to customizing your browser the way you want. So if you want a faster, safer browser that also shows support for the McLaren F1 team, try out one of our new desktop themes on Chrome for race day and everyday.

Whether you’re getting back into the swing of schoolwork or already in the middle of the school year, you can use Chrome to help you study.

Here are 10 ways Chrome can help students get their work done in the classroom or at home:

1. Turn on Live Caption

Need to watch a video for history class, but stuck in a noisy study hall without headphones? Use Live Caption on Chrome to automatically generate real-time captions on media with audio. It works across different content like social and video sites, podcasts, and embedded video players. And it can make content accessible if you are deaf or hard of hearing or need to read along while you listen.

2. Organize projects with Chrome's tab groups

If you tend to find yourself with so many open tabs that you can’t keep track of, tab groups are here to help. Keep the chaos under control by sorting open tabs into groups for your projects or classes. Doing research for a paper? You can move all the tabs you’re referencing into a group and then click its name to collapse it when you’re working on other things.

3. Open accidentally closed tabs

We’ve all been there: you find the perfect website for your research project on marine biology, but in a sea of sources you accidentally close the tab. Chrome has your back. Press Control/Command + Shift + T to bring the most recently closed tab back up. Or, check your history to see all of your recently visited sites.

4. Review your security settings

In the event you stumble upon a potentially harmful website or encounter a malicious file while working, Chrome’s security features can keep your computer secure. Looking for extra credit? Turn on enhanced protection to activate additional safety layers against phishing and malware.

5. Sync across your devices

Whether you’re on your phone or your laptop, you can easily sync your bookmarks, passwords and other settings. Finish reading that article from class earlier that day, or brush up on your Spanish vocabulary words from your phone while you wait for track practice to start. At any time, you can turn off sync or choose what to sync in your settings.

6. Right-click to search highlighted text

Another handy shortcut on Chrome is the ability to highlight and right-click to quickly search text. Reading a dense piece of text and not sure what “hyperbolic” means? Have instructions to “use the quadratic formula to solve” and don’t have the equation handy? Highlight the text, right-click and select “Search [provider] for [text]” and a new tab will open with a pre-filled search for the highlighted text.

7. Use the Chrome address bar for answers…

Solve math problems, answer basic questions or perform conversions within your Chrome address bar. Chrome will show you answers without even needing to press enter.

8. …and to quickly complete a task

With Chrome Actions, you can also easily create new Docs, Sheets and more directly from the address bar — just type “Create Google Doc.”

9. Use Chrome extensions

Whether you need a helping hand taking notes, a better way to collaborate with classmates, or a little help with a tough math problem, there’s probably a Chrome extension to make your life easier. Find a list of our recommendations on the Chrome Web Store.

10. Let Chrome manage your passwords

With an endless list of online tools, websites and apps required for school, remembering all your usernames and passwords can be a hassle. Google Password Manager is built into Chrome to help by saving your login information and generating unique, strong passwords across platforms. And now you can also generate passwords on iOS apps when you set Chrome as your autofill provider.

After more than eight years, we introduced a refreshed version of the Chrome icon for the 100th update for Chrome earlier this year. Today, I chatted with user experience interaction designer Elvin Hu and visual designer Thomas Messenger to go behind the scenes and learn more about how the Chrome icon was designed.

What was the Chrome icon meant to represent originally?

Thomas: When we introduced Chrome back in 2008, our goal was to build a browser that was fast and easy to use, and nothing better represented speed than a rocket ship! But our team decided to move away from a literal rocket ship in the end, and came to a design that looked approachable and clickable that still captured the spirit of Google.

Why are you making this change now?

Elvin: The logo hadn't been updated in eight years, and we wanted to give it a refreshed and modern look to reflect how Chrome has evolved as a product. We also noticed that the visual design of modern operating systems was becoming more stylistically diverse, so it was important that the Chrome icon felt more adaptable, native and fresh no matter what device you used.

How will the Chrome icon look different across operating systems?

Elvin: We simplified the main brand icon by removing the shadows, refining the proportions and brightening the colors, to align with Google's current brand design. We also found that placing certain shades of green and red next to each other created an unpleasant “glow” between the two colors, so we introduced a very subtle gradient to the main icon to make the icon easier to the eyes compared to using flat colors. Then we created OS-specific customizations. We want the icons to feel recognizably Chrome, but also well crafted for each operating system.

It seems like a subtle change. Did you consider a more significant departure?

Thomas: We did! In the exploratory phase, we tried all kinds of ideas; softening corners, different geometries, whether or not to separate the colors with white. We also tried options that further departed from the overall shape we’ve been using for the past 12 years. But we knew how well the four Google colors and circular composition are recognized, so we decided not to deviate too much from that.

What surprised you about the design process?

Elvin: The design process was a fun and collaborative challenge for everyone involved. The team held virtual brainstorm sessions that produced a variety of concepts that strived to become the new “face” of Chrome.

After coming up with the overall direction, we stress tested many color, gradient and proportion options in different contexts. Even if the change to color is subtle, we wanted to ensure the icon would not get lost in any of the places it appears. At one point, we felt happy about a specific green gradient in the icon, but after comprehensive testing, we found that it blended in with the default Windows 11 wallpaper (and taskbar) – which is popular with lots of our users. It was tests like that which ensured our icon would work well everywhere.

How did you think about making the icon more accessible to more communities?

Thomas: We revised the proportions of the central blue ball. Working with Googlers who are low-vision, we found that the refined proportions and updated central white stroke made it more recognizable. We also made different versions of the icon for small sizes to improve legibility and avoid fuzziness by aligning to pixel boundaries.

Would you ever bring back the original Chrome icon?

Elvin: Never say never! We’ve investigated custom app icons, and found that each platform has different levels of support for it. Maybe one day we will bring it back as an option on platforms that support it.

If you're one of the many families who share a computer in your home, or someone who uses their computer for both work and personal browsing, these stories may be familiar: You spent the previous day hand-picking your favorite browser colors and theme, only to discover that someone changed everything up. Or, you're trying to login to a retailer site to buy a saved pair of shoes, but autofill keeps suggesting the wrong password (your partner's, you guess?). It can be frustrating and messy, and that's why Chrome is revamping its profiles experience, making it even easier to create, customize or switch to your personal space within Chrome.

You can easily give everyone with whom you share a computer a space that’s just for them, including a color scheme and background (check out the new theme series by Black artists for inspiration), bookmarks organized just the way they want them, and their saved passwords. Also new in this update: for all those articles you want to read later, you can now add them to your reading list in Chrome on Android and desktop.

Once everyone's set up, it's easy to select the right profile for the right moment, switch to another profile as needed or instantly create a new one. Using different colors for different profiles makes it easy to distinguish them at a glance.

You can also access your Chrome profile on your other devices. Just turn on sync and get that theme you’ve selected, along with anything else you’ve saved such as your new reading list, your favorite bookmarks and your saved passwords across your devices.

We hope Chrome's new profiles experience brings you more structure and ease, and helps you better separate work from personal activities for each member of the household. Keep an eye out for these new features as they roll out on desktop over the coming weeks.

If you're one of the many families who share a computer in your home, or someone who uses their computer for both work and personal browsing, these stories may be familiar: You spent the previous day hand-picking your favorite browser colors and theme, only to discover that someone changed everything up. Or, you're trying to login to a retailer site to buy a saved pair of shoes, but autofill keeps suggesting the wrong password (your partner's, you guess?). It can be frustrating and messy, and that's why Chrome is revamping its profiles experience, making it even easier to create, customize or switch to your personal space within Chrome.

You can easily give everyone with whom you share a computer a space that’s just for them, including a color scheme and background (check out the new theme series by Black artists for inspiration), bookmarks organized just the way they want them, and their saved passwords. Also new in this update: for all those articles you want to read later, you can now add them to your reading list in Chrome on Android and desktop.

Once everyone's set up, it's easy to select the right profile for the right moment, switch to another profile as needed or instantly create a new one. Using different colors for different profiles makes it easy to distinguish them at a glance.

You can also access your Chrome profile on your other devices. Just turn on sync and get that theme you’ve selected, along with anything else you’ve saved such as your new reading list, your favorite bookmarks and your saved passwords across your devices.

We hope Chrome's new profiles experience brings you more structure and ease, and helps you better separate work from personal activities for each member of the household. Keep an eye out for these new features as they roll out on desktop over the coming weeks.