To open Chrome flags, copy this address, paste it into Chrome’s address bar and press Enter:
chrome://flags
Websites cannot link to chrome:// pages, so you have to type or paste it. The page is called Experiments, and it opens with Chrome’s own warning: “By enabling these features, you could lose browser data or compromise your security or privacy.” Google’s guide What are Chrome flags? puts it plainly: most Chrome users never need to use flags.
How to turn a flag on or off
- Open
chrome://flags. - Type the flag’s name in the Search flags box at the top.
- Open the menu next to the flag and choose Enabled or Disabled. Default leaves the choice to Chrome.
- Chrome shows “Your changes will take effect the next time you relaunch Chrome.” Click Relaunch.
Google’s flags guide says any flags you have changed are listed first on the page, so they are easy to find again.
Jump straight to one flag
Every flag has its own address: chrome://flags/# followed by the flag’s ID. Opening it scrolls to that flag and highlights it. For example, this opens the Parallel downloading flag:
chrome://flags/#enable-parallel-downloading
How to reset all flags
If Chrome starts acting strangely after you changed a flag, put every flag back to its default:
- Open
chrome://flags. - Click Reset all at the top of the page.
- Click Relaunch.
Reset all puts every flag back to Default. It is not the same as resetting Chrome’s settings. For that, Google explains how in Reset Chrome settings to default.
Why a flag is missing
- It was removed. Google’s flags guide warns that features behind a flag “may stop working or be removed without notice.” Some flags go because the feature is finished: Google’s own example is picture-in-picture video, which started behind a flag and is now on for everyone.
- It expired recently. When flags expire, chrome://flags offers a “Temporarily unexpire” flag that brings the recently expired ones back for a short time. Chrome’s description says those flags “will be removed soon.”
- It is not for your device. Under each flag’s description Chrome lists the platforms it works on, such as Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS and Android. Flags that do not apply to your computer are on the Unavailable tab.
Flags, settings and policies
Google’s flags guide draws the line this way: flags turn experimental features on or off, while chrome://settings is for customizing the features Chrome already ships. If you are an IT administrator, Google says not to use flags in production and to use Chrome Enterprise policies instead.
Flags can also be set by starting Chrome from the command line. Those do not show up in chrome://flags. To see them, open chrome://version and look at the Command Line line.
Related
- Chrome flags worth knowing about: a short list of flags that exist today, each checked in chrome://flags.
- Every useful chrome:// page: settings shortcuts, diagnostics and developer pages, each with a copy button.