How to Disable the Annoying Download Shelf in Chrome
Make no mistake – the download shelf in Chrome has its uses. It allows you to easily monitor the progress of large downloads while giving you the means to open them easily once the download is complete.
But sometimes you just want to start a download and not have it in front of you all the time, right? What's more, the download shelf itself takes up a significant portion of the real estate screen, and it becomes tiring to tap that minute “ X '' icon. just to delete it.
If that sounds familiar to you, disabling the download shelf should help make Chrome a little less annoying every time you download a file. But Chrome has no built-in way to disable it. So how do you do it? The solution – extensions.
Extensions to the rescue
Since Chrome doesn't offer any switches or toggles to turn off the download shelf, you have to use extensions to get the job done instead. After spending some time in the Chrome Web Store, I have found three extensions that can help you get rid of the download shelf quite easily.
Warning: Future updates to Chrome or a lack of developer support may cause some overtime to stop.
Disable download bar
With the Disable Download Bar extension, disabling the download shelf in Chrome couldn't be easier. Go to the Chrome Web Store, install Disable Download Bar, and you're done. The download shelf will never mount its ugly head as long as you keep the extension installed.
You can also hide the Disable Download Bar extension icon, as it is really useless and ends up cluttering up the Chrome UI unnecessarily.
To do this, right click on the extension, then select Hide. You can still access it via the Chrome menu if you want.
AutoHideDownloadsBar
AutoHideDownloadsBar is another extension that completely disables the download shelf as soon as you finish installing it. However, it does contain a few additional options that you can use to customize how the extension works. And they are worth seeing.
Start by right clicking on the extension icon and select Options. In the Settings pop-up window that appears, you can change the different options listed in. They're pretty self-explanatory, so spend some time playing with them.
You can, for example, briefly bring up the download tray for the duration of a download and close it automatically afterwards. Or you can change the way the extension icon works each time you click it – it can display the Downloads folder on your computer, the Chrome download manager, or a pop-up listing all of your downloads. There is also an option that will notify you whenever the download status of files changes.
Close the download bar
Closing the download bar works differently. It doesn't deactivate the download shelf in Chrome. Rather, it provides you with a shortcut that you can use to hide the download shelf whenever you want.
After installing it, press Alt + W keyboard shortcut to get rid of the download shelf in a jiffy. This works wonders since you don't have to manually point the cursor at the tiny "X" icon in the download shelf every time you want to close it. If you don't hate the download shelf and want to keep using it, this extension should make it less boring to manage.
You can also modify the shortcut to include any other keys you want. Start by clicking on the extension icon – in the floating window that pops up, click Edit. You can then add any combination of keys that you can then use to close the download bar.
Disable the download tray in incognito mode
If you want to use one of the extensions listed above in Chrome incognito mode, you need to do a little configuration for the extension settings. Otherwise, you cannot deactivate or hide the download shelf when surfing privately.
Start by right-clicking the extension icon in a normal Chrome window – from the context menu that appears, select Manage Extensions. Scroll through the list of options, and then clear the button next to Allow in incognito mode. This should make the extension functional in incognito mode.
Get rid of the annoyance
Now that you have disabled the download shelf, you will no longer be harassed every time you download a file. Remember, you can always access the integrated Chrome download manager at any time to manage your downloads – bring up the Chrome menu, then click Downloads. I bet you already know that.
But an even faster way to get there is to use the keyboard shortcut instead – press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + J to instantly display the Chrome download manager in a new tab. Or, if you've opted for AutoHideDownloadsBar, you can also link the extension icon to the Chrome download manager.
Then: Chrome blocks some downloads by default. Here's how to unblock downloads in Google Chrome.