Chrome 88 arrives with improved password security features, tab search, more

In brief: Chrome 88 is here, and with it comes several changes to the world’s most popular browser. One of the new features checks for weak or compromised passwords in the software’s password manager. There are also a couple of minor improvements in the UI, including improvements to dark mode and prompts.

The most significant new addition to Chrome 88 relates to its password manager feature. Users are now able to check for suspect passwords by clicking on their profile picture then the key icon (or type chrome://settings/passwords in the address bar). From here, select ‘Check Passwords’ and Chrome will list those it deems to be weak or have been compromised in a data breach.

Chrome is also allowing users to update multiple passwords and usernames by going into the Chrome Settings on desktop and iOS—the Android app will be getting the feature soon. While the browser already prompts users to update saved passwords when logging into websites, being able to manage and edit them all in a single place should prove more convenient.

Google says that as a result of Safety Check, which identifies compromised passwords and installed malicious extensions, the company has seen a 37 percent reduction in compromised credentials stored in Chrome.

As noted by How-To Geek, Chrome’s Dark Mode has been improved by darkening the scroll bars. Elsewhere, insecure FTP URLs are no longer supported, and permissions now appear in a blue oval “chip” next to the address bar rather than an intrusive pop-up. Clicking on the chip brings up the permission prompt.

Finally, the tab search feature that arrived in Chrome 87 on Chromebooks has come to Windows, Mac, and Linux. When enabled, clicking a drop-down arrow on the top bar shows all open tabs, and there’s a search option for finding the tab you’re looking for—helpful for those who keep huge numbers of tabs open.