Your Chromebook has a Settings app. However, if you take a closer look, this app has both the Chrome OS settings like display resolution and Bluetooth, and also your Chrome browser settings.

This is about to change.

In fact, this has already changed for me in the Canary channel. Here is a video demo if you want to see how this looks like. Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel while you are at it!

At present, both Chrome and Chrome OS settings both appear on the following address:

chrome://settings

With the new change, Google has split the browser and OS settings into two separate pages. The new OS settings page will be available at:

chrome://os-settings

How to Try This Now

This change is available behind a flag in the Canary channel of Chrome OS. You should be able to see this flag in Dev channel also in a few weeks.

Flag Name: Split OS and browser settings

Description: Show separate settings for the OS and browser – Chrome OS

URL: chrome://flags/#split-settings

Enable this flag, restart your Chromebook. Now, if you open the Settings app, you will see only the Chrome OS settings.

For browser settings, you will have to follow the same method that you follow on your Windows 10 or macOS computer. Click the three dots on the top right corner, and then click Settings. This will open a new tab with Google Chrome settings.

Dark Mode Ready

The new app is all bright and white compared to the blue and white color scheme that we see on the Chrome browser settings. This could be to part of the getting ready for Dark Mode.

We are yet to see a flag to enable Dark Mode in Chrome OS. However, from the way the new Settings app looks, it is ready to take on the Dark Mode challenge.

Will You Welcome This Change?

I initially thought that most Chromebook users will say no to this change. However, when I shared this news on Reddit, most people said, yes, this is something that they’ve been waiting for a long time.

The team that manages the Google Help Center for Chromebooks will have a lot of work to do, changing instructions on the majority of their articles. I will also have to update a lot of my tutorials here.

I usually access settings via the URL chrome://settings on my Chromebook. I am yet to get used to typing the new URL. I have pinned the Settings app to the Shelf to avoid this confusion.

What are your thoughts? Do you welcome this change or is this a bit too much for you?