How To: Enable Google Chrome's Secret (And Possibly Dangerous) Experimental Features

I use Google Chrome every day for my browsing needs, and I had no idea they were hiding something from me. So, I was pretty surprised to see that Chrome has an entire hidden experimental add-ons section.

There are add-ons that work for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS, so there's something for everybody.

Now, as the disclaimer states, these extensions do carry some inherent risk, like data loss and security issues, but those things could happen anytime you log onto your computer. There really are bunch of cool things here if you are looking to customize or enhance your Google Chrome experience, so it may be worth the risk.

To find them, just go to the following address in Chrome:

• chrome://flags

Here are some of the best they have to offer.

Tab Overview (Mac Only)

Tab Overview allows users to swipe down with three fingers on the trackpad to see an overview of all your open tabs in Chrome, very similar to Mac OS X's Mission Control.

Discovery (Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS)

This add-on will display suggested links to consider based on each tab's content. It's a nice way to explore the web and find great content that you might not have seen otherwise.

Smooth Scrolling (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS)

Firefox has had this same function for some time now. While smooth scrolling may not be a life changer, it is a nice addition to have for those that read a lot when browsing. It simply takes away the jerky scrolling when moving up or down a page.

This is just the tip of the iceberg—there are a bunch more experimental add-ons that Chrome offers, so be sure to check them all out. Let us know which ones are your favorites, and more importantly, if they cause any problems, so the rest of us are aware.