How to Customize Google Chrome With Themes and Colors
Chances are you spend a lot of time in your browser, so it makes sense to make it look the way you want as you navigate the web, and the desktop version of Google Chrome has more customization options than you might realize.
While the websites you visit certainly take up most of your screen real estate, Chrome controls the appearance of your toolbars, menus, new tab page, and more. The design of all these elements can be changed to your liking.
These customization options have actually been around for a while, but they are now easier to access and use than ever before. With just a few minutes of effort, you can change the look of Chrome.
Chrome’s design language continues to evolve as Google improves it, but as we’ll show you here, you don’t have to settle for the default lookâand you can even revert to a more classic browser look if you prefer.
Theme settings
Ready to ditch the standard Google Chrome look and give the browser a little more visual appeal? Open a new tab, then click the “Customize Chrome” link in the bottom right corner (it may appear as a pen icon). This will open a sidebar that’s only available on the New Tab page, and one of the easiest adjustments you can make right away is to switch between light and dark modes (or select Device to follow the Windows or macOS lead).
Click the thumbnail at the top of the sidebar or select Change Theme to choose a new theme for Chrome. Themes let you change the entire look and feel of your browser with one click, covering everything from tab title color to new tab wallpaper, and there’s plenty to choose from: Select any of the listed thumbnails to see a preview of the theme. in Chrome.
As well as choosing from Google Chrome’s selection of themes, including artwork, landscapes and more, you can also select ‘Load Image’ – this sets the wallpaper for the New Tab page, and then you can set the colors separately (see below). ). Another option you’ll see is “Solid Colors” for a minimalist look that relies on a single color.
Every time you go deeper into a theme category, such as Textures or Cityscapes , you’ll see a toggle at the top that says Update Daily . Turn this switch on and Chrome will cycle through all the options in that specific category, choosing a new one each day. If you want to constantly change the look of Chrome without having to constantly dig into these settings, this is a convenient option.
The final option when it comes to Google Chrome themes is the Chrome Web Store . It will take you to a gallery of themes online created by Google and third-party developers. The quality of these themes may be a little hit or miss, but they come with user reviews so you can spot the best ones – just click Add to Chrome to apply one.
Other settings
Apart from the theme options in the customization sidebar, you will also find several color schemes to choose from. They can be used with or instead of the theme picker (if you don’t want to change the new tab wallpaper but want to change the colors). Simply click on any of the color swatches to apply those colors.
If you want to try making your own color combinations, click the color picker icon (it looks like a little eyedropper). You can then select your primary color using a simple slider (and the changes are previewed in real time) – Google Chrome will then select additional colors for you based on the primary you chose.
Below the color options and light and dark mode buttons, you’ll see a toggle switch for “Follow device colors.” If this option is enabled, Chrome colors will match the color scheme set in Windows or macOS. If you want your browser to seamlessly follow your operating system’s color scheme, you can leave this setting enabled.
The last few customization options in the toolbar relate to the shortcuts that appear whenever you open a New Tab page. You can hide or show these shortcuts, and decide whether you want to create them yourself (using the Add Shortcut button) or let Chrome choose them based on the sites you visit most often.
Finally, if you click the three dots in the top right corner of the Chrome interface and then select Settings and Appearance , you’ll have access to a small number of other customization options. From here you can change the font style and size, and choose the placement of various browser elements (such as the sidebar).