Questions
Before you press anything
Short, plain answers to the questions readers send most often. Where something depends on your browser or the site you are visiting, we say so.
Safety and settings
Exploring without breaking things
Are hidden browser features safe to try?
Built-in features such as Reader View, Picture-in-Picture and tab muting are safe and reversible. Experimental pages like chrome://flags or about:config are documented by Google and Mozilla but can make a browser unstable. Change one setting at a time, note what you changed, and use the reset option if anything misbehaves.
What do about:config and chrome://flags do?
They expose advanced and experimental settings that are not in the normal settings menu. Both open behind a warning screen, and flags in particular may change or disappear with any update. See Browser Features.
Why do some sites show a warning in the developer console?
To stop self-XSS scams, where people are persuaded to paste code that takes over their account. Looking at the console is harmless; pasting code because a stranger asked is not.
How can I tell where a button will take me?
On desktop, hover over a link to see its destination at the bottom of the browser window. After it opens, check the domain in the address bar rather than the logo on the page.
Curiosities
The odd ones
What is an easter egg on a website?
A hidden joke, animation or feature placed deliberately by a site's creators. Google's results page famously spun when people searched “do a barrel roll” in 2011. Easter eggs are often retired without notice.
Can a button really be a placebo?
Yes. A 2004 New York Times report found most of New York City's crosswalk buttons no longer affected the signals, and many US elevator door-close buttons are inactive during normal service. Read more in Hidden Controls.
How do I play Chrome's dinosaur game?
It appears on Chrome's “No internet” page; press the space bar to start. Or type chrome://dino into the address bar at any time.
Do the experiments you mention collect my data?
Each site sets its own policies, so check its privacy page. Treat camera, microphone and location prompts as real choices: decline if a request seems unnecessary, and revoke permissions later from the site-settings icon next to the address.
About this site
How we work
Does Curious Button Rang accept payment to feature websites?
No. We are independent and do not accept payment, free products or affiliate fees in exchange for inclusion. See Our Approach.
How do I suggest a curious button?
Use the Send a Find page to prepare a note, then email it to [email protected]. We read everything, though we cannot reply to every message.