Pages that begin with about:
DocumentedType about:about into Firefox, or chrome://about into Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers such as Edge, and you get an index of internal pages. Firefox's about:config exposes hundreds of preferences behind a “Proceed with caution” screen. Chrome's chrome://flags lists experimental features with a clear warning that they may change, break or vanish, plus a “Reset all” button.
Our readingThese pages are the backstage corridor of a theatre. The warning sign on the door is not decoration; it is the browser being unusually candid about the fact that this is where unfinished things live.
The dinosaur that waits for bad Wi-Fi
DocumentedSince 2014, Chrome's “No internet” page has shown a pixel-art T-Rex. Press the space bar and it becomes an endless runner, hopping cacti and ducking pterodactyls. It was created by members of the Chrome UX team, and you can open it any time at chrome://dino.
Our readingThe team's own joke was that being offline felt like a return to prehistoric times. Turning an error state into a toy is a small act of kindness: the browser cannot fix your connection, so it offers you something to do while you wait.
Reading modes, floating video and the speaker on the tab
DocumentedFirefox's Reader View, Safari's Reader and Microsoft Edge's Immersive Reader strip a cluttered article down to text and images, usually via a small page icon in the address bar. Picture-in-Picture lets a video float in its own window while you work elsewhere; Firefox shows a toggle when you hover over many videos. When a tab plays sound, most browsers show a speaker icon on the tab itself, and clicking it (or right-clicking the tab and choosing “Mute”) silences that tab alone.
Our readingAll three are quiet defences of attention. They do not change the website; they change how much of it is allowed to reach you.
Shortcuts worth knowing by heart
These work in current versions of Chrome, Edge and Firefox. On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.
| Shortcut | What it changes | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+Shift+T | Reopens the last closed tab | Undo for the most common accident |
| Ctrl+L | Selects the address bar | Faster than reaching for the mouse |
| Ctrl+F | Finds text on the page | Long pages, short patience |
| Ctrl+0 | Resets zoom to 100% | Rescues pages zoomed by accident |
| Ctrl+Shift+N / P | Opens a private window (Chrome, Edge / Firefox) | Browsing without saving local history |
Private windows stop the browser saving history on your device. They do not make you invisible to websites, your employer or your network provider.
The console that warns you
DocumentedPress F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I and the developer tools open: the page's structure, its network requests and a JavaScript console. Several large sites, Facebook among them, print a big “Stop!” message in that console, warning that anyone asking you to paste code there is trying to take over your account. The attack is known as self-XSS.
Our readingIt is the only place on the web where a site shouts at you in capital letters for your own good. Look around all you like; just never paste.
- The speaker on a tab: click to mute only that tab.
- The address bar: where internal pages and the real domain live.
- The reader icon: strips clutter from articles.
- Developer tools: look freely, never paste code a stranger sent.
Caveat: flags are experiments
Anything on a flags or config page can disappear in the next update, and some settings can stop sites loading properly. Change one setting at a time, write down what you changed, and use the reset option if anything misbehaves.