You probably have the new Google-Homepage.
If you want the old home-page back you can try the following (this only works in Chrome):
- enter
chrome://flags
in the address bar
- goto
Enable Instant Extended API
- Set it to
Disabled
- Restart Chrome
This worked for me (until Google decides otherwise).
Edit: If you go directly to chrome://flags/#enable-instant-extended-api
you don't have to search :)
Edit 2: If that does not work you can do the following (this also worked for me in Firefox with mixed results):
If that does not work you can do the following:
For the old black bar menu:
document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();
For back to the new menu:
document.cookie="PREF=ID=e66a207a51ceefd8:U=936bafc98b2a9121:FF=0:LD=en:NR=10:CR=2:TM=1378808351:LM=1379592992:SG=1:S=OXyq0fqClYB66VuV ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();
Note: you can't paste a javascript:xxxx
line so you have to manually type javascript:
and paste the given lines after it.
If it doesn't work on the home page (www.google.com
) then first go to Google+ and do it there.
Edit 3:
Wow, this is really annoying. Above method (Edit 2) sets a cookie for google.com
but sometimes Google decides to mess with that cookie. My latest solution is making a shortcut in the bookmark-bar to the javascript code and everytime Google changes it back to the new page I press it so I get the old black-bar page back.
In the bookmark you can type Black bar
as name the following as url:
javascript:document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();
(upside to Edit2 is with a bookmark you can specify javascript:
in front so you don't have to type it every time)
Edit 4:
I can't make a link here which you can drag so do the following:
- Goto Google
- Drag the icon (in front of the address-bar to your bookmark-bar
- Right-click the bookmark and click
Edit
- Change name in
Black bar
- Change URL in
javascript:document.cookie="PREF=ID=5b4ad955416c1d63:U=c5badcc79f7fa108:FF=4:LD=en:NR=20:NW=1:TM=1374684101:LM=1380247074:GM=1:SG=2:S=B6lEsMB1Hk9d6zjs ; path=/; domain=google.com";window.location.reload();
- Now click the bookmark and the black bar should re-appear on the page
At this time I'm getting very mixed results myself. First it worked and I went to Google+ and it was gone. Now a second time it doesn't work. Make sure you keep on Google.com and don't switch to a local page from Google. You need to make sure all Google cookies are deleted. (Goto Settings
, click Advanced settings
. Content settings
, All cookies and site data
, type google in the search box and choose Remove all
.
Okay, the only answer that did work...
- Add --disable-gpu to the chrome shortcut
- Chrome should now launch properly
- Go into settings and turn off hardware acceleration
Add --disable-gpu:
![Add --disable-gpu](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bZFM1.png)
Turn off hardware acceleration:
![Turn off hardware acceleration](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ASQ7r.png)
After you do that you can remove the --disable-gpu flag from your chrome shortcut.
https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/chrome/E6auRoL3p3w/2dhxfqStOtcJ (thanks Mindflux!)
Best Answer
Windows 8 has certain guidelines for the Modern Apps - one such being the absence of the Title bar & the minimize/maximize/close buttons.
Google Chrome looks different when opened from Start Screen than when opened from the Desktop if it is set as the default browser.
Windows 8 sets a default program for each service - For instance, one for the browser, one for opening PDF files, one for opening photos and one for watching videos. If you have set IE as your default browser, you would see Google Chrome opening in the same familiar way, irrespective of how you opened it (and you wouldn't see the black bar). However if you set Google Chrome as the default browser, opening from the Start Screen leads to Windows 8 recognizing it as a Modern UI App (since its the "default" program for browsing) and requires it to be opened in the Modern-UI mode - striping off its Title bar & making it look different (and hence the black bar). Opening it from Desktop poses no such restrictions and hence you see the familiar Google Chrome UI.
About dragging it - you can drag it down to close the browser and if your screen resolution supports it, you can drag it left or right to pan it on the side.