How to Use the Chrome to Phone Extension

Send web pages from Google Chrome straight to your mobile phone

By
Kat Aoki
Kat Aoki
Kat Aoki
Freelance Contributor
  • California State University
Kat Aoki has nearly 10 years worth of professional IT and troubleshooting experience. She currently writes digital content for technology companies in the U.S. and Australia.
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Updated on March 2, 2021

What to Know

  • Turn on Google Sync: In Chrome, select your profile image > Turn on sync. Open web pages and bookmarks sync to all Google accounts.
  • To turn off, choose Sync is on from the profile menu, then choose Turn off.
  • With Sync, passwords, bookmarks, open windows, browsing history, and setting info are synced across devices.

With Chrome, you can send links directly to your mobile phone, allowing you to continue browsing or streaming without interruption. The official Chrome to Phone extension is no longer available, but there's a way to get the same functionality with Google Sync.

How to Set up Google Sync

This feature lets you sync all of your Google services, including Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, and yes, Chrome. You can access your web browsing history and important bookmarks across all your devices.

  1. If you haven't already, you'll need to set up a Google Account and download Chrome to your device.

  2. Open Chrome on your computer.

    Do not use Incognito mode.

  3. Sign in to your Google account.

    Google account sign in

  4. At the top right of your Chrome browser, select your Profile image.

    The profile image in Chrome

  5. Then, select Turn on sync. Your open web pages and bookmarks are now synced to the same Google account on your smartphone. Open the Chrome app to view.

    The "Turn on sync" button in Chrome

To see your open web pages, go to Recent tabs under your phone's Chrome app menu. To see all of your bookmarks, go to Bookmarks under the Chrome app menu.

Once Google Sync is active, and you're signed in, you'll also sign in automatically to all of your other Google products.

When you turn on Google Sync, you can:

  • Access your bookmarks from any device.
  • See your browsing history and any open windows.
  • Access to the same passwords, auto-fill information, settings, and preferences across devices.

If You Don't Want to Sync Anymore

If you later decide Google Sync isn't right for you, you can turn it off with the following steps:

  1. Open Chrome on your computer.

    Do not use Incognito mode.

  2. At the top right of your Chrome browser, select your Profile image.

    The profile image in Chrome

  3. Select Sync is on.

    "Sync is on" in Chrome settings

  4. Select Turn off in the Settings window that appears.

    The Turn Off Sync button in Chrome

A Final Word About Google Sync

Turning off sync won't affect anything. You'll still be able to view and access your browsing history and bookmarks on all of your previously synced devices. But, keep in mind that if you make any new changes (like bookmark an important Google Doc on your laptop), it won't sync to your mobile phone.

Google Sync makes sharing links and web pages across your different devices simple and easy. You can set it up with a few keystrokes, and it doesn't require you to install any additional Chrome extensions.

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