Key takeaways
- Search a term without leaving the page. Highlight it, right-click, choose Search Google for — useful when research throws up a term you do not know.
- Fix a slow browser from inside it. Chrome's own task manager shows which tab or extension is consuming the machine, so you can close the culprit rather than everything.
- Mute a tab instead of hunting for the audio. Right-click the tab and mute it — the fastest way to silence an autoplaying advertisement mid-session.
- Stop video autoplay in settings, so a news site does not start talking while you are placing an order.
- Reopen a tab you closed by mistake with Ctrl+Shift+T. It works repeatedly, going back through what you have closed.
- Zoom with Ctrl and plus or minus. On a large trading monitor, a chart that is slightly too small to read costs more attention than it should.
- Pin the tabs you always keep open. They shrink to the icon, move to the left, and cannot be closed by accident.
- Select several tabs at once with Ctrl-click, then move or close them as a group.
- Turn a site into its own window with Create Shortcut and Open as window — no address bar, no other tabs, which is what you want for a web platform.
- The theme is removing small frictions. None of these makes you money; together they stop the browser interrupting you at the wrong moment.
- Not sure where your machine stands? The free benchmark test takes about two minutes.
If you’re a trader looking to improve your productivity and profitability, Google Chrome features can help you achieve your goals. According to PC Magazine's article on the best browsers for 2023, Chrome is the most popular web browser. So there is a high probability you are already using Chrome, but you are probably unaware of some of the hidden Chrome features. Here are some of the top Chrome features that can help traders be more productive and profitable:
1. Speed Up Your Google Searches
When researching a stock to trade, you may come across a new business or technology term that you aren't familiar with. Instead of opening a new browser, you can simply right-click on the term and use the "Search Google for” option to learn more.
2. Resolve Browser Slowness
Not all websites are created equal. Some sites have inefficient scripts that can slow down your browser experience. If your Chrome browser seems to be slower than usual, go to the triple dot on the right side of your Chrome window, click to get the dropdown menu, and select "More Tools" > "Task Manager." This will give you a view of what each tab and extension is up to. Close the unused tabs that are hogging CPU or memory, and disable extensions you rarely use that are big resource hogs.
3. Mute Annoying Ads
Whether you are a day trader or a swing trader, you'll periodically be doing research. And nothing breaks your concentration more than a sudden burst of audio from a webpage. You can right-click on the tab and select "Mute Site" to stop any sound originating from the tab.
4. Stop Video Autoplay
If you prefer not to mute a site, you can take preventive measures to stop video autoplay by downloading an Auto Play Blocker from the Chrome Web Store.
5. Reopen Tabs Instantly
If you have too many tabs open, it’s easy to mistakenly close a tab you need. Use the Control-Shift-T for Windows or Command-Shift-T for Mac to reopen the last closed tab.
6. Zoom In/Out Faster
You might have to zoom in and out to view trading tables and charts. On a Windows trading computer, you can use Control and plus sign(+) for zoom in, Control and minus sign (-) for zoom out, and Control and zero (0) for getting to 100%. On a Mac, replace the Control key with the Command key.
7. Pin Tabs
When you have a lot of trading sites open, it's difficult to keep track of everything on your browser. To stay organized, try the Pin Tab option. The pinned tabs will always stay on the left side of the screen, so you know where your most important websites are. This will also keep you from accidentally closing tabs.
8. Select Multiple Tabs
When you want to break your trading research into groups, the multiple tabs selection option is handy. All you have to do is hold down Control (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click on multiple tabs to select them as a group. Then you can drag them out to create a new Chrome window.
9. Make Application Shortcuts
If you visit a certain trading website regularly, try making a shortcut for it. Just select the URL in the Chrome browser bar and drag it to your desktop or dock. It should create an icon. You can now click on the icon like you would any application and it will take you to the website.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many features that make Chrome an excellent choice for traders looking to improve their productivity and profitability. There are more trading computer tips like this in our EZ Trading Computer's buyers guide. Check out our "How To Buy a Trading Computer" e-book. We hope today's Quick Tip helped you. If you found this helpful, you'll want to check out the other trading computer productivity articles here. You can always call us if you have questions: 800-387-5250
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best browser for trading?
Chrome or a Chromium-based browser like Edge, mainly because web-based trading platforms are built and tested against them first. The browser matters less than what you do with it — the usual cause of a slow trading session is thirty tabs and a handful of extensions, not the software. Whatever you use, keep the trading window separate from the research window.
Why is Chrome slowing down my trading computer?
Almost always tabs and extensions. Every open tab holds memory and many keep running scripts, refreshing advertisements and tracking in the background. Chrome's own task manager, under the three-dot menu, shows exactly which tab or extension is responsible so you can close that one instead of guessing. If Chrome is the top consumer in Windows Task Manager, this is why.
How do I make my browser faster for trading?
Close tabs you are not using, remove extensions you do not need, and run your platform in its own window using Create Shortcut so it is not competing with research tabs. Those three cover most of it. If the browser is still slow afterward, the machine is short of memory rather than the browser being at fault.
How do I reopen a tab I closed by accident?
Ctrl+Shift+T, or Cmd+Shift+T on a Mac. It reopens the most recently closed tab, and pressing it repeatedly walks back through the ones before that. It also restores tabs from a window you closed entirely, which is the version that saves a research session.
Can I run a trading platform in its own window?
Yes. Open the platform, go to the three-dot menu, choose Cast, save and share, then Create Shortcut, and tick Open as window. It gets its own icon and its own window with no address bar and no other tabs, so a stray click cannot navigate away from your order screen.
