Chrome flags are experimental settings within Google Chrome you can enable to improve your browsing experience, security, and more. Here's a rundown of the best Chrome flags you can start using immediately.
Best for Fast Downloads: Parallel Downloading
![Downloading conceptual image](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/S6WXwlCofXJwzx5o-t-M2c4e9FI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Downloadingimage-49a3a63e11ae4c15aa0a07f5865ac95f.jpg)
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Increases download speeds for all types of files
No negatives we can see
Don't like waiting for software, music, or movies to download? Parallel downloading is a nifty flag that can significantly decrease your file download times. It accomplishes this by splitting up the task into parallel jobs that run at the same time. You won't see the jobs running separately, but you should see your download times improve.
Best for Security: Anonymize Local IPs Exposed by WebRTC
![Internet security conceptual image](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/3g3T4STK_h01NhYOPQMBvSGWQUg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Internetsecurityimage-f636d51e7760447aa298f4fe50c698cf.jpg)
Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images
Adds an extra layer of protection
Not a full security solution (VPNs are better for hiding your IP address)
For the security-minded, the Anonymize local IPs exposed by WebRTC flag can give you an extra layer of security and peace of mind. When enabled, this flag will conceal local IP addresses with mDNS hostnames. This can help keep you more secure when browsing the internet.
Best for Easy Reading: Reading Mode
![Chrome Distill page](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/WDfToB_hjSWPMwYrmkkHhYYUC_M=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Distillpage-9ab07d092c2341d1bc357428d932a0b3.jpg)
Simple to access and use
Doesn't work for every web page
Enabling the Reading Mode flag will turn on Chrome's Reading Mode feature. It turns some web pages into a more reader-friendly version.
Best for Fast Browsing: Experimental QUIC Protocol
![Networking conceptual image](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/HVGM1BVmKzLWfDyKtk48gi-4Mh4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Networkingimage-8d1f939d0b424f5f869ee0e7bad16fe3.jpg)
bymuratdeniz/Getty images
Web pages do seem to load faster when enabled
Still in the experimental phase
The name of this one sounds a little cryptic, but don't let that put you off. The Experimental QUIC protocol (pronounced "quick") is an internet transport protocol combining the best of UDP and TCP. QUIC works by making internet traffic look like generic layer 4 UDP traffic, which helps speed up surfing and increases security to boot.
Best for Long Pages: Smooth Scrolling
![Woman scrolling a web page on a tablet](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/0XNLvBppR2RBDJ9NElZVUBknFSg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Scrollingonatablet-5c92a95c46e0fb000165df7e.jpg)
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Does help to cut down on stuttering
Fewer interruptions while browsing
Uses more system resources
If you've ever scrolled down a long web page, especially one packed with images and other media, you're sure to have noticed stutters, hang-ups, and screen tearing. Smooth Scrolling works to eliminate that, providing a much more fluid browsing experience.
Best for Privacy: Secure DNS Lookups
![HTTPS Browser](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/NvjNGZ0CxMP3GlcK_BeREaSdgGM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/13792583873_340ca55f5f_o-Yuri-Samoilov-HTTPS-Browser--56a2883e5f9b58b7d0cbd6ac.jpg)
Added security
No additional setup required
Not available on every platform
Doesn't work with every site
Unavailable in the latest version of Chrome
By now, most people are aware that an HTTPS connection is more secure than HTTP because it encrypts your data as it moves between your computer and the site you're browsing. What most people don't know is your request to the site is still out in the open. Secure DNS Lookups attempts to change that by sending your request to a site's name server over HTTPS as well.
Best for Switching Tabs Quickly: Omnibox Tab Switch Suggestions
![Chrome Omnibox Tab Switch](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/mfP2AFkZvfHhKrSABQd6DfxyuTM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ChromeOmniboxTabSwitch-6f5a2e208f864e5eaa74f1e494cc6184.png)
Easy way to jump to open tabs
Only really useful if you have a lot of tabs open
Unavailable in the latest version of Chrome
The Omnibox Tab Switch Suggestions flag can help you save time by allowing you to switch to a currently open tab as part of your search. For example, if you type the word "CNN" in the omnibox, and you already have the CNN tab open, you can select Switch to this tab on the right to quickly switch to that tab.
How to Access Chrome Flags
Accessing Chrome's experimental settings is easy. Just type chrome://flags into the address bar and press Enter. This will display all the available flags you can edit.
Chrome flags may be buggy and cause your browser to behave in unexpected ways. If you run into problems, you can always disable a flag, or select Reset all at the top of the Experiments page to reset all flags to their default settings.