After installing a Chromium-based browser, you might want to block ads, enlarge font, change default download location, and put the icon on desktop. Among others, I suggest you uBlock Origin and HTTPS Everywhere extensions below. I use Iridium Browser (libre version of Chromium) here as example, so you can apply the same to Chrome as well as other Chromium-based browsers. I hope this article helps you. Enjoy!
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See also Iridium on Trisquel
Add Chromium to desktop
For Budgie, KDE, XFCE, and LXDE desktop environments, simply drag-and-drop Chromium icon from start menu to desktop area. For GNOME, I assume you use version 3.30 or later, install first Desktop Icons extension and then do the same thing.
(Iridium icon on desktop of Ubuntu Budgie 18.04)
Change search engine
You might have heard search engine recommendation by this, this, this, this, and this to leave Google as soon as possible. If you want to know why, I like DuckDuckGo's explanation so far. I recommend StartPage Search Engine, one among them, for you. To do so, go to https://www.startpage.com > right-click your address bar > select Edit Search Engine > there choose StartPage as default one.
Have Ad Blocker
uBlock Origin is an extension to block ads as well as internet trackers for you. You will never again see ads on websites. Install it from Extensions Repo.
Have Security Extension
HTTPS Everywhere is a security extension to force everything encrypted while you are browsing the WWW. Install it from Extensions Repo.
Enlarge font
Few times I met people with problems with clicking and typing. In short, I found out that they have difficulties to read small fonts on their screen. So I made the font looks bigger for them and surprisingly the problems vanished. If you experienced things like that, enlarge Chromium font by.
If this is not enough, change font size from your system. For example, if you use Ubuntu Budgie, you go to start menu > Budgie Desktop Settings > Fonts > for starter, set Documents=15 and Interface=15 > check Chromium window once again. Is that convenience for you?
Switch to light theme
If you use Ubuntu Budgie (with Pocillo theme), you may feel hard to read the tabs, as Chromium got black theme there. Other operating system with similar dark theme may experienced same issue. The solution is simple: change your desktop theme to the light one. This depends on your own system. For example, if you use Ubuntu Budgie, go to start menu > Budgie Desktop Settings > Widgets > switch it to Adwaita and see your Chromium.
(Iridium with Adwaita theme on Ubuntu Budgie)
Make default browser
Do you want Chromium as your default browser instead of any other browser installed? If so, go to Settings > Default Browser > Make Default.
Change download location
Go to Settings > scroll down > Advanced Settings > Downloads > change the path there. You can also choose either to "always ask" or "disable asking" every time you download.
Continue At Startup
You want your last visited tabs to be opened every startup? If so, go to Settings > On Startup > Continue where you left off.
YouTube? Invidio!
Related to your privacy, even though you are logged in to Google, this is my recommendation: instead of youtube.com, opening invidio.us is better as you can watch YouTube videos without ads, without popups, without JavaScript, without being tracked, and you can direct download video being watched. Invidio.us is a website that proxies YouTube.com and you can view it as great solution to find many videos if you still dislike MediaGoblin or PeerTube.
TIP! If you find a YouTube URL youtube.com/watch?v=blablabla just change the main address to be Invidio URL invidio.us/watch?v=blablabla.
(With Invidio.us, you can save video from YouTube easily without JavaScript and ads)
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.