How to Get the Downloads Bar at the Bottom on Chrome
Developers have offered a flag for it
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Key notes
- To move the Chrome download bar to the bottom, turn off the Enable download bubble flag.
- Read this guide to find out the step-by-step process!
Earlier, the download bar used to appear at the bottom of Chrome, but recently, developers switched to a Chrome download bubble near the top-right corner.
Every piece of information, be it the download progress, recently downloaded files, or failed attempts, appears in the same dropdown list in Google Chrome. And this left many longing for the previous UI with the download tray!
Why is the download bar not showing at the bottom of Chrome?
Chrome made changes to its UI in August ’23 and went with a download button in the toolbar.
The bar that earlier appeared at the bottom of Google Chrome was removed, though not entirely. It can still be accessed by reconfiguring the Chrome flags.
How do I get the download bar at the bottom of Chrome?
- Open Google Chrome, paste the following path and hit Enter to go to:
Chrome://flags/#download-bubble
- Now, select Disabled from the dropdown menu next to the Enable download bubble flag.
- Finally, click Relaunch to restart the browser for the changes to come into effect.
Remember, Flags allows users to enable or disable experimental features in Chrome. They are often removed at later stages after Google releases the feature in the stable channel. So, this solution might not always work unless Google decides otherwise.
Potential issues when getting the downloads bar at the bottom on Chrome
- Anytime you reset the flags, the download bar will automatically disappear.
- Harmful files may automatically begin to download without warning.
- Extension icons may overlap with other icons, making it harder to locate the download bubble icon.
- Experts and developers recommend against manually configuring Google Chrome flags. The browser may malfunction, or data and security might be compromised.
While some may argue that the download bubble in the toolbar is the optimal position, a few, accustomed to the old ways, want the download bar at the bottom of Chrome. And there’s nothing wrong with it. We used it that way for far too long!
Besides, Chrome is a far from perfect browser, and we do encounter issues with it. For instance, a few users found the address bar missing, or some couldn’t find the toolbar. Also, there’s another bug in the browser that shows Download in progress when there are none.
For any queries or to share your thoughts on these changes by Google, drop a comment below.
