What you can customize on Google
Google lets you change how search results look, what Chrome does when you open it, and what information appears in your Google Account. You can adjust these settings without installing anything extra — they live in your browser, your Google Account settings, or Chrome's own preferences. Most changes take effect immediately, and you can undo them just as easily.
The three main areas you'll customize are your search experience (how results display and what Google remembers), your Chrome browser (what appears on the home page and how tabs behave), and your account settings (what data Google stores about you). Each one works independently, so you can change one without affecting the others.
Key Takeaways
- Google Search settings let you change the number of results per page, turn SafeSearch on or off, and set your preferred language — all found in Search Settings under your profile menu.
- Chrome's home page can show your most visited sites, shortcuts you create, or a blank page, and you can change this in Chrome Settings under "Appearance".
- Your Google Account stores search history, location history, and YouTube watch history separately, and you can pause or delete any of these from your account dashboard.
- Extensions add new features to Chrome but also request access to your browsing data, so only install them from the Chrome Web Store and review what each one asks for.
- Syncing your Google Account across devices means your bookmarks and passwords follow you, but it also means Google stores those items on its servers.
Customizing Google Search results
To change how search results appear, go to google.com, click your profile picture in the top right corner, and select "Settings." This opens Google Account settings — scroll down and click "Search settings" to see your options.
From here you can change how many results appear on each page (10, 20, 30, or 50), turn SafeSearch filtering on or off, and set your preferred language and region. You can also choose whether Google shows results in a new tab or the same tab. These changes apply to any device where you're signed into that Google Account.
Google also stores your search history — every search you've typed. You can see this history by going to myactivity.google.com, where you can delete individual searches or clear everything from a specific date range. If you turn off "Web & App Activity" in your account settings, Google stops recording new searches, though it may still use them temporarily to show you results.
Setting up Chrome the way you want it
When you open Chrome, the home page can show different things depending on what you choose. Click the three-line menu in the top right corner of Chrome, select "Settings," then click "Appearance" on the left side. Under "Home button," you can pick what appears when you click the home icon: your most visited sites, bookmarks, a custom URL, or a blank page.
You can also customize the new tab page — the page that opens when you press Ctrl+T (or Cmd+T on Mac). By default it shows your most visited sites and a Google search box. Click the three dots in the bottom right corner of the new tab page to turn off shortcuts, hide the search box, or change the background image. These are purely visual changes and don't affect how Chrome works.
If you sign into Chrome with your Google Account, your bookmarks, passwords, and browser history sync across all your devices. This means if you bookmark something on your phone, it appears on your laptop too. You can turn syncing on or off in Chrome Settings under "You and Google" — just know that turning it off means your bookmarks won't follow you to other devices.
Managing what Google remembers about you
Google stores several types of information separately: your search history, your location history, and your YouTube watch history. You can pause or delete each one independently without affecting the others.
Go to myactivity.google.com to see and manage your activity across Google services. On the left side, click "Delete activity" to remove searches, YouTube videos you've watched, or places you've visited — you can delete everything or just items from a specific date. You can also click "Manage all Web & App Activity" to pause recording entirely, which stops Google from storing new searches and activity.
Location history is separate. If you've turned on location services for Google Maps or other apps, Google may store where you've been. Go to myactivity.google.com, click "Location" on the left, and you'll see a map of places Google has recorded. You can delete specific locations or turn off location history entirely from your Google Account settings under "Data & privacy."
Adding extensions and themes to Chrome
Extensions are small programs that add features to Chrome — they can block ads, save passwords, translate pages, or organize your tabs. To find them, click the three-line menu in Chrome, go to "More tools," and select "Extensions." Then click "Open Chrome Web Store" to browse what's available.
Before you install an extension, read what it asks permission to do. Some extensions request access to "all websites you visit," which means they can see everything you type on any page. Others only need access to specific sites. The permission request appears before you install — if it seems like too much access for what the extension does, don't install it. You can also manage permissions after installation by going to the extension's details page in Chrome Settings.
Themes change how Chrome looks — the colors of buttons, the background, and the font. They don't change how Chrome works and don't request any permissions. You can find themes in the Chrome Web Store and switch between them anytime, or go back to the default look.
Controlling notifications and privacy settings
Websites can ask permission to send you notifications — pop-ups that appear even when you're not on that website. You can control which sites can notify you by going to Chrome Settings, clicking "Privacy and security" on the left, then "Site settings," then "Notifications." You'll see a list of sites that have permission; you can remove any of them.
Chrome also has privacy settings that control how much information websites can collect about you. In Settings, click "Privacy and security," then "Site settings" to manage permissions for location, camera, microphone, and cookies. For each one, you can choose to block it entirely, allow it for specific sites, or ask each time a site requests it.
If you want to browse without Chrome storing your activity, use Incognito mode by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N (or Cmd+Shift+N on Mac). Pages you visit in Incognito don't appear in your history, and Chrome doesn't store cookies from those sites — though your internet provider and the websites themselves can still see what you're doing.
Syncing your account across devices
When you sign into Chrome on multiple devices with the same Google Account, your bookmarks, passwords, autofill information, and browser history sync between them. This means your saved passwords appear on your phone, your bookmarks appear on your laptop, and your browsing history follows you everywhere.
To turn syncing on or off, open Chrome Settings, click "You and Google" on the left, then "Sync and Google services." You can turn syncing on or off entirely, or click "Manage what you sync" to choose which types of data sync — for example, you could sync bookmarks but not history.
Keep in mind that when you sync, Google stores your bookmarks and passwords on its servers so they can reach your other devices. If you're concerned about this, you can turn syncing off and manually manage bookmarks on each device instead. Your passwords will still be available on that specific device, but they won't appear on others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change what Google shows me without signing in?
Yes. You can adjust search results per page, SafeSearch, and language without a Google Account by going to google.com and clicking "Settings" at the bottom of the page. However, Google won't remember these changes if you clear your browser cookies or use a different device — they're stored locally on that browser only.
What's the difference between pausing Web & App Activity and deleting my history?
Pausing stops Google from recording new activity going forward, but your old searches and activity stay in your account until you delete them. Deleting removes the history that's already there. You can do both — pause recording and then delete everything from the past month, for example.
If I turn off location history, will Google Maps still work?
Yes. Location history and location services are separate. Maps needs your current location to give you directions, which you control through your phone's location settings. Location history is the record of everywhere you've been, which you can turn off without affecting Maps' ability to work.
Do I have to use the same theme and home page settings on all my devices?
No. Chrome appearance settings — themes, home page style, and new tab page customization — don't sync across devices. Each device has its own look. Only your bookmarks, passwords, and history sync if you turn syncing on.
Why do some extensions ask for permission to see all websites?
Some extensions need broad access because they work on many different sites — for example, a password manager needs to see login forms everywhere, or an ad blocker needs to see ads on every page. If an extension's purpose doesn't match the permissions it asks for, that's a sign to skip it.