Chrome Metro Mode on Windows 8 – How To Enable and Disable
So I got my main PC upgraded to Windows 8 today and things are looking bright. Might need some tweaking to make it run smooth. But that doesn’t stop me from exploring Google Chrome in here and giving you some tips.
The main reason I upgraded to Windows 8 soon after it was released is trying out Chrome and giving you some useful stuff. I’ve been using Windows 8 on my little netbook for a while now, but due to resolution limitations, I couldn’t run live tiles and many other things.
First, we will learn how to run Google Chrome on Metro mode on Windows 8
How to Enable Metro Mode on Google Chrome
Its simple. You go to settings menu and select Relaunch Google Chrome in Metro Mode. To turn off metro mode, or to go back to the desktop mode, go to settings menu again and select Relaunch Google Chrome in Desktop Mode.
So, that’s how you toggle between metro mode and desktop mode on Windows 8.
What more do you get on metro mode?
- You get to run Chrome in full screen mode, the metro style.
- There will be a charms bar. From charms bar, you can access Chrome Settings.
- Charms bar has share option, which does not do much for now. I hope to see web intents working here please!
- You have the snapin option. From the top of the window, click and drag to activate this, like any other metro app.
- You can close the app by clicking and dragging it all the way to the bottom.
- When you have multiple windows open, you get a window switcher icon on the top right corner.
Making Metro Mode Default for Google Chrome
I thought this will be tough. Turns out, its pretty easy. There is nothing that you will need to do to handle this. If you run Chrome in Metro mode and close it, next time you open Chrome App, it will go straight on to the metro mode.
In the same way, if you close Chrome while in desktop mode, it will open back in desktop mode. Neat
How To Force Metro Mode or Desktop Mode on Chrome
Now, what if you want to tweak and poke Chrome app on windows 8 a bit more? I’ve got two flags for you to play with.
- force-immersive - This flag will force Metro mode for Chrome Windows 8 App
- force-desktop – This flag will force desktop mode for Chrome Windows 8 App
Did I miss anything? Is there something that you want me to try on Chrome + Windows 8? Do you have any tip for me to try? Do let me know!
4 Responses to “Chrome Metro Mode on Windows 8 – How To Enable and Disable”
Pro tip: If you want to force desktop mode with a shortuct, add –force-desktop.
It was useful for me as Chrome doesn’t like the Windows 8 Release Preview metro… it crashes when launched in metro mode.
thanks.. I was also going through the same thing. To force metro mode, use force-immersive
I don’t know if I missed it or not, but could you please publish a couple of screen shots of the two modes of Chrome? I’m anxious to upgrade, but Chrome is my #1 concern and I need to make a VERY informed decision. Chrome is the heart of just about everything I do on my computer! Thanks for all your help! It’s invaluable!
I will try