How to Restore Missing Toolbar in Chrome

The Google Chrome toolbar helps to quickly access many things, including bookmarks and extensions. Therefore, it can be frustrating if the toolbar suddenly goes missing. However, you can bring back the missing toolbar in Chrome in no time using the steps mentioned in this article.

Good to know: is your Google Chrome not responding or crashing often? Learn how to fix that.

Basic Solutions

First, try these simple fixes before jumping into specific troubleshooting steps to restore the missing toolbar on Chrome.

• Restart the Chrome browser: to not lose any tabs, type chrome://restart in the address bar, and press the Enter key.
• Restart your PC: rebooting your system is the easiest and most effective solution to resolve many issues, including those related to Chrome.
• Check extensions: have you recently installed any new extensions on your Chrome browser? If so, it’s worth disabling them individually and checking whether they’re causing issues with Chrome’s functionality.

1. Exit Full Screen Mode

When you use Full Screen mode on Chrome, many elements – like the address bar, toolbar, and settings – will be hidden. This feature can be helpful when watching videos, but not while browsing.

If you’ve accidentally enabled Full Screen mode on Chrome and can’t see your toolbars, press F11 or Fn + F11 to exit Full Screen mode and restore the missing toolbars.

FYI: want to protect your eyes? Learn how to use dark mode on Chrome.

2. Check Whether the Bookmarks Bar Has Been Disabled

If you have added bookmarks to Chrome, they will always appear below the address bar. If you cannot see them, check whether the Bookmarks toolbar has been disabled, and re-enable it to view them.

1. Launch Chrome and click the three-dot icon on the top right.
2. Click “Settings” in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, type chrome://settings in the address bar, and press Enter.

3. In the left pane, click “Appearance.” In the right pane, ensure that the “Show bookmarks bar” field is enabled.

4. Instead of the two steps listed above, press Ctrl + Shift + B to show or hide the Bookmarks bar on Chrome.

Tip: want to get rid of the annoying pop-ups in Chrome? Learn how to do that.

3. Check Whether Extensions Are Enabled

Are you having trouble finding your frequently used extensions in the Chrome toolbar? If you have installed a bunch of extensions and disabled all of them, you won’t see the Extensions icon or the shortcut for the individual extension in the toolbar. The Extensions icon will appear on the Chrome toolbar if at least one extension is enabled.

1. In Chrome, click the three-dot icon on the right, then “Extensions -> Manage Extensions” in the drop-down menu. Alternatively, type chrome://extensions in the address bar, and press Enter to launch the “Extensions” screen.

2. Move the slider for the extension to the right in the Extensions screen to enable it. Repeat this step for all extensions you wish to enable.

3. There is another method available to pin a specific extension to the toolbar. Click the Extensions icon (if it’s visible) in the top right, then press the Pin icon next to the desired extension.

4. If the extension shortcut does not appear in the toolbar, even after enabling or pinning it, remove and reinstall the extension from the Chrome store.

Tip: learn how to download and save the Chrome extension as a CRX file.

4. Reset Chrome Settings

If you suspect someone has changed the settings on your shared Windows PC, it’s best to reset Chrome to the factory defaults.

1. In Chrome, type chrome://settings/reset in the address bar, and press Enter.

2. Click the arrow to the right of “Restore settings to their original defaults.”

3. Click “Reset settings” in the pop-up window. Do remember that resetting won’t affect bookmarks, saved passwords, or the browsing history on Chrome.

4. After restoring the settings to their defaults, check whether the missing Chrome toolbars reappear.

FYI: learn how to view websites with IE mode in Chrome.

Restore Your Chrome Workflow

To ensure a smooth browsing experience, make sure you have installed the latest version of Chrome on your Windows computer. Also, it is good practice to avoid installing any dubious extensions. You can enable security features, such as Strict Site Isolation, for an improved and safe browsing experience on Chrome. Also check out these Chrome flags to boost your browsing experience.

All screenshots by Meenatchi Nagasubramanian.

Meenatchi Nagasubramanian

Meenatchi is always passionate about learning new technological advancements and would love to try out new gadgets, software, and apps. After quitting her career as an Embedded Software Developer in 2009, she took up a career in content writing.