After a few weeks of beta testing, Google has released Chrome 117 to the stable channel. If you use it on your desktop, you’re in for one of the biggest interface changes in a long time: Google has revamped the look withMaterial Youelements to celebrate Chrome’s 15th birthday, along with aredesigned Chrome web store. There are also a few other things to look at in thisChrome release, so let’s dive right in.
Chrome 117 turns on Material You for your desktop
Google has been experimenting with a refreshed Chrome interface for desktops for a good portion of the year, and with Chrome 117, the companyhas announced the full launch of Material You for desktop. If you use the default Chrome theme, you will notice that the top bar is now blue rather than gray. If you opt for a colorful theme, some interface elements will pull the prominent colors from it. The company is also rolling out a revamped three-dot menu, with more spacing between elements, a clearer bundling of account-specific settings in it, and icons to better help differentiate menu entries.
These changes may be old news for you if you’ve already activated thechrome://flags/#chrome-refresh-2023flag, but the tweaks are starting to roll out to everyone via a server-side switch with this version, and it should be on all computers over the coming weeks.
Chrome 117 introduces a redesigned Chrome Web Store
While not really a Chrome feature, the Chrome 117 redesign also spreads to the Chrome Web Store, which is the place you go to for new extensions and themes. The new look finally brings the Chrome Web Store in line with Google’s latest interface guidelines, with rounded buttons, and a centered and less cluttered interface arranged with top tabs rather than a sidebar. The new Web Store looks a lot more like the web version of the Play Store, which makes sense given that both of these places are meant to bring new software to you.
Chrome 117 rolls out the Privacy Sandbox for everyone
Google and other browser makers are on a quest to phase out third-party cookies, which are mostly used for invasively tracking your activities across different websites to show you more relevant advertising. Google’s replacement for this is the Privacy Sandbox, which is supposed to move the tracking to your device locally, only giving advertisers access to information actually relevant for them (like which target audience you’re a part of, without them also knowing what websites exactly you visit). With Chrome 117, the Privacy Sandboxis becoming available more broadly, making it possible for advertisers to start relying on it for real-world usage. The Privacy Sandbox also gives you more control over the ads you see, letting you turn on or off specific topics, delete some of your information, or opt out of personalized advertising all via Chrome settings.
Chrome 117 gets rid of the HTTPS lock icon in the address bar
Along with the Material You design tweaks, Google also plans to roll out a redone version of the HTTPS lock in the right of the address bar. The company feels that the lock icon is confusing today, as it implies to many that the website they’re visiting is trusted or otherwise authenticated, even though the icon only refers to the connection itself. The company wants to replace the lock with a settings symbol that also more clearly represents what happens when you click or tap the icon: A few site-specific settings for cookies and permissions show up. Like the Material You redesign, it may take a while to roll out to everyone.
Chrome 117 gives you more control over tab group syncing
Google introduced tab groups a whole while ago, making it easier for you to group different parts of your browsing session together without having to resort to multiple windows. The company wants to expand on this feature with the ability to save tab groups for later usage, a feature that you can already start using by activating thechrome://flags/#tab-groups-saveflag, complete with support for syncing across different devices.
With Chrome 117,Google expands on thiswith the option to granularly turn sync on and off for tab groups in particular with a newSaved tab groupsentry in theManage what you syncsettings. Previously, syncing saved tab groups was controlled with the still-existingOpen tabstoggle.
Chrome 117 lets you unblock third-party cookies temporarily
Third-party cookies will soon be phased out, and a lot of websites don’t rely on them for core functionality anymore, outside of advertising. That’s why many people are blocking third-party cookies in Chrome already. In rare cases, it’s possible to run into broken websites that don’t properly work without third-party cookies. Chrome 117adds a toggle to the third-party cookie blocking noticein the address bar (a crossed-out eye symbol) that allows you to temporarily turn on third-party cookies for individual websites. The site will automatically reload, and a note will tell you that the setting will stick for the next 90 days.
Previously, you’d have to click or tap the lock icon in the left of the address bar, go to Cookies and site data, and turn on or off the toggle there as needed, without an automatic timer. When you still opt for this route after the Chrome 117 update, the new 90-day exemption will also appear there.
Get the Chrome 117 now
Google Chrome 117 is rolling out in the stable channel widely right now, following an early stable release last week. It will automatically replace your existing stable version. If you haven’t already downloaded it on your desktop computer, it’s available todownload from the Google Chrome website.
