Google adds a hidden feature to Chrome that improves file downloads


Google has been working on a new user interface for downloads on the desktop version of Chrome and, although the function is not yet enabled by default, the apps is getting some love in the latest version of Chrome that has been released so far.

The download bubblewhich replaces the old download shelf at the bottom of the browser window when enabled, uses a button on the Chrome menu bar to display a list of recent downloads in a popup window.

That button itself is now getting a new feature to help you keep track of simultaneous downloads quickly and efficiently (unlike before, which was a bit of a mess).

Discovered by Leopeva64 on Reddit, the new download menu icon now has an overlay showing the total number of active downloads. This number only appears when there is more than one download in progress, and disappears once the downloads are complete or the current number drops below two.

Google Chrome

How to activate this function of the Google browser

The new function is present in the desktop version of Chrome 111which is currently only available on the Canary and Developer preview channels. Chrome Stable is currently at version 109while Chrome Beta has moved to version 110 with other changes.

To check it out for yourself, You will first need to enable the new download bubble UI in Chrome’s hidden features flags menu at “chrome://flags#download-bubble”.

Google Chrome

Next, activate a second option in “chrome://flags#download-bubble-v2” to activate this and other bubble interface improvements and finally, restart the browser for the changes to take effect.

This new counter is just one of the tweaks coming soon to the Google Chrome download experience.. Google has also targeted suspicious web pages that are HTTP onlyso they will make it difficult to download files from unsafe sources.


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