We’ve all been annoyed by irritating pop-ups before. Even with pop-ups disabled in your Chrome browser, some websites find a way to create an exception by tricking you into clicking the wrong button.
Then there are sites that create cookies to store and track your personal information. Of course, you can disable cookies entirely, but that makes it difficult to use web services like email or e-commerce.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to customize these options on a site-by-site basis? It turns out that in Google Chrome you can. That is how.
What are content settings and why are they important?
Content settings, or site settings as it is now called, allows users to change site permissions for various activities. This includes cookies, pop-ups, Javascript and background sync, as well as things like location, camera and microphone access.
The benefit of using this method instead of disabling cookies and JavaScript entirely in your web browser is that you can be selective about it. You can choose to restrict only problematic web pages, leaving the rest of your browsing experience unaffected.
The best part is the accessibility of these settings. Not so long ago, you had to overcome many obstacles to find something similar. Chrome now lets you change every aspect of your browsing with just a few clicks.
Accessing content settings in Google Chrome
Accessing content settings is easy. In the previous version of Chrome, you had to go to chrome://settings/content, which was difficult to remember. You can now find it in your usual Google Chrome settings.
- To edit site data and permissions, open Chrome, click the three-dot button in the upper-right corner to open the Chrome menu, then select Settings in the drop-down menu.
- Now on the Settings page, select the Privacy and Security tongue.
- There are a handful of options, including Site settings. Select it to view all content settings in Chrome.
- The settings are divided into two categories: permissions Yes Contents. Each also has an additional settings option to view advanced settings.
- You can see the current authorization with the entries. Most are set to “Site may request-“, which prompts the user for permission for each site. Very few are assigned automatically, such as javascript. You can select the setting to show the option to disable JavaScript if desired. A better idea is to add particular websites that you want to block (or enable).
- Some configurations have more options. selection Cookiesit allows for example to customize the behavior of third-party cookies both in normal browsing and in incognito mode.
- The basic screen content settings are all you need to configure. selection Additional permissions it brings many advanced settings such as motion sensors and MIDI devices, which rarely come into play.
8 additional permissions
- If you are just looking to close annoying notifications from particular websites, the best way is to add them to Unauthorized ready. This disables authorization for that specific webpage, even if the setting itself is set to automatically allow it.
And that’s all there is to it. You can customize site permissions for all of the settings described in the list, from all sites to custom settings for individual sites. The changes will be saved to your Google Account, allowing you to access the same profile on any PC you sign in to.
Change content settings from Omnibar
You don’t need to go to Google Chrome settings every time you want to change content settings. The omnibar, basically the bar that contains the address field, allows you to change these settings much more conveniently.
- To get started, click on the little padlock icon next to the web page address on the omnibar. Select Site settings in the drop-down menu that appears.
- This opens the same content settings interface as before, but specific to the current website. You can now easily adjust permissions for any of the fields.
Keep in mind that this method works on a site-by-site basis, so if you’re looking to make drastic changes across the board, using Google Chrome settings is your best bet.
But if you want to restrict permissions for a boring site (or make an exception for them), this is the way to go.
What content settings are worth changing?
The problem with content settings is that there are too many. For a casual user, it can be difficult to determine which options to play with and which to leave at their default. Here’s a quick rundown of some settings that are worth tweaking.
pop-up windows
Pop-ups are rare these days, but they are not yet extinct. Some websites, especially ad-infested ones, will always try to interrupt your browsing with pop-up ads.
By default, Google Chrome will ask for your permission before showing pop-ups. Since there aren’t many use cases where you’d like to see one, you might as well disable them altogether. You can temporarily enable pop-ups for special situations on certain trusted sites.
Sound
Typically, you want sites to be able to play audio. But when you’re browsing the web looking for information, it can be irritating to hear a sudden sound coming out of your speakers, especially if you’re at your workplace. That’s why it’s often a good idea to disable sound permissions in content settings. Although if you forget what you did, you might end up thinking that the sound is not working in Google Chrome. To avoid this, you can add exceptions for useful websites like YouTube.
advertisement
When it comes to ads, you’ll be disappointed to learn that Chrome doesn’t let you turn off ads completely. After all, ads are how most Google services are monetized, so they won’t allow you to opt out completely.
What it can do is block intrusive or misleading ads, which run on less reputable websites. If you want to block ads in bulk, you’d better use an ad blocker.
Background synchronization
Few users know this, but just as applications can run in the background on your computer, some sites continue to run in the background on your browser. This is designed to give you a more responsive Internet experience.
For example, social networking sites can notify you when you receive a new message, synchronizing with the web server at all times. Although not harmful on its own, it can lead to excessive resource usage and even drain the battery life of laptops.
You may also have privacy concerns regarding a process that is constantly syncing in the background. Therefore, it is often recommended to disable background sync from content settings. You can always turn it back on if you want.
Do I need to change Google Chrome content settings?
For the most part, the default settings are good enough. Most of these permissions are set to allow only when prompted, allowing you to confirm things like background syncing, automatic downloads, and more.
The others are core features that are too hard to shut down, like JavaScript and cookies. For these, it is more efficient to create exceptions for the websites you are interested in, allowing other web pages to load normally.
And if you’re concerned about your privacy, you’ll also find all the site-specific permissions for your browser here. For example, you can restrict access to potential data collection vectors like your microphone or motion sensor, enabling them only for the web apps you need and use.
