Google releases Chrome 29 with Reset button, omnibox improvements

Google releases Chrome 29 with magical Reset button

chrome web browser — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Making its Google+ Photos app available to all Chromebooks isn’t the only thing Google announced yesterday; the company also released Google Chrome 29, which patches 25 vulnerabilities and brings some new features users may not be immediately aware of. One such feature, and the biggest addition to Chrome 29, is the “Reset browser settings” button, which allows you to turn back time and go back to the way things were before you downloaded all those crazy Web apps and extensions.

Chances are you won’t actually need to restore Chrome to its near-factory default settings, but if a problem arrises that you just can’t fix, this is a good option to try while troubleshooting. Your purchases made in the Chrome Web Store are still safe, as are your bookmarks, saved passwords, and browser history. Nothing’s changing there. As for where you’ll find this new option, just click on the settings icon (the three stacked horizontal lines in the upper right-hand corner of your browser), select settings, click Show advanced settings at the bottom of the page, and click on the button that says “Reset browser settings.”

But that’s not the only thing Google has in store in Chrome 29. The company also made improvements to its omnibox (also known as the address/search bar) suggestions based on how recently you visited certain websites. Google believes this will result in “more timely and contextually relevant suggestions.”

Other additions to Chrome are rich notifications for Mac users. Chrome on Android is also getting some love with improved scrolling and startup performance, as well as the introduction of WebRTC support that will let users have video conversations straight in the browser – no plugin required.

Chrome 29 will be rolling out over the next few days. Let us know what you think of it.

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