Chrome is consolidating all of your downloads into a new toolbar button

Google is working to create a more “out-in-the-open” experience for downloads in the Canary build right now with a brand new downloads button on the toolbar. For those who were unaware, the browser currently displays downloads and their progress only at the bottom of the window, but with this update, they will instead be housed at the top-right of the browser near your Side Panel, profile, and extensions icon.

Coming to us from trusted Reddit user Leopeva64-2, who’s been all over Chrome’s new features as of late, the new downloads icon will only appear if there is an active download in the queue, and will remain visible so long as you don’t clear it out or interact with it.

When something is downloading, the arrow will be blue, and once it’s finished, it will turn grey and have a tray icon underneath of it to indicate that all items are currently being stored at chrome://downloads. Additionally, the active download will display a blue ring around the arrow to indicate the progress of the item – something that Microsoft Edge literally already does right now.

It’s no surprise to see Chrome and Edge mimic one another’s features, but don’t let anyone tell you that one company is copying the other. Both browsers are literally built on the same source code – Chromium. So, when one feature comes to one, it’s bound to come to the other, and all competitors in this space benefit from each other’s efforts.

The only difference is that I’ve noticed Chrome waits much longer to implement things that Edge has had since launch or shortly post-launch, and I think it has to do with the developers wanting to be certain they’re introducing new features in the best way they possibly can. What I mean by this is that if there’s a more unique or specific way to give users something that will benefit their lives in the browser, Google wants to explore all options before releasing it to the public to be sure that it’s tailored properly.

We’ve been utilizing the bottom toolbar for downloads for so long that it feels second nature, but I’m not opposed to the company shifting everything up to the top. It not only feels much cleaner, but it also means there’s less mouse movement and even eye movement necessary to manage downloads, and that’s a win in my book. Let me know if you’re for or against this in the comments, and of course, we’ll let you know when it sees a wider rollout.