How to update Google Chrome - New Style Motorsport

Attacks on Google’s popular Chrome browser are on the rise. Consequently, it has never been more important to keep your browser up to date, regardless of the platform you use. This is how you stay safe.

be proactive

While you’ll find a report on every version of Chrome on my page, the best official location is Google’s Chrome blog. The company released each new version of Chrome on all major platforms, allowing it to stay ahead of the curve.

what to look for

If crawling the Chrome blog seems like it’s going too far, the simplest option is to keep an eye on the three vertical dots (representing ‘More’) in the top right corner of your browser. Once an update is available, Google will turn the dots orange and “Update” will appear next to it. This can turn red if you wait too long.

However, as simple as this method is, it has a flaw: waiting for Google to prompt you to update can mean you’ll be waiting days or even weeks longer than other users. As Google warns on its Chrome blog with every new release: “This will be rolling out in the next few days/weeks.”

But there is a way to skip the queue:

How to manually update Google Chrome

Once again, the key is the three-dot/More menu:

  1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome
  2. Click Settings > Help > About Google Chrome.
  3. Chrome will be forced to manually check for an update

How often you do this is entirely up to you. That’s also why following the Chrome blog or my posts (click the blue ‘Follow’ button at the top of my author page) makes sense because it will eliminate random checks. That said, for example, a morning and night check can keep you ahead of the game and you may even get updates before Google officially announces them.

remember to restart

The last step is the most crucial and is overlooked by many: after each update forever restart your browser. This is because Chrome will not be protected until you complete this step. Yes, some updates on platforms like macOS, Linux, and Windows can be applied without restarting your computer, but Chrome requires the browser to be restarted each time.

While this can be a hassle, forgetting/choosing not to restart presents an open target for hackers and undoes Google’s hard work in its attempts to keep users safe. So don’t skip this step. And remember, all Chromium-based browsers work the same way. That means Microsoft Edge, Brave, Amazon Silk, Samsung Internet, Vivaldi, and many more.

Note: If you’re worried about your tabs being lost on restart, be sure to change the setting so that Chrome always restores them when it starts (More > Settings > On startup: Pick up where you left off).

Stay safe. Go check for updates in Chrome now.

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