How to disable the Downloads Bar in Chrome on Windows PC

Every time the browser starts downloading a file, a Download bar appears at the bottom of the file, which shows the download’s progress. It is advantageous when you download many files and want to keep an eye on the progress. However, the bar in Chrome stays there even after the download is completed until you manually close it. This can be a distraction for some. This post will guide you through disabling the downloads bar in Chrome.

How to disable the Downloads Bar in Chrome

Chrome doesn’t offer any setting that can remove this download bar, but that’s where extensions come into the picture. Here is the list of extensions to get rid of the bar and let the background work behind the scene.

AutohHideDownloadsBar
Close download bar
Disable Download Bar

Any of these extensions will work, but we suggest you evaluate each and see what works best for you.

1] AutoHideDownloadsBar

This extension is best among the lot if you love configuring, according to your experience.

Keep the download bar available when there is a download in progress.
Add a delay before the download bar disappears.
Behavior when you click on the icon Toolbar, i.e., location of the file or the download tab
Show notification if file downloading status has changed
Play notification sound
Select the type of indication on the toolbar

The only drawback is that there is no keyboard shortcut to bring it back instantly.

2] Close download bar

It’s a straightforward extension that adds a keyboard shortcut (ALT+W) to close the download bar quickly. Usually, you use the mouse to hit the close button, but with this, you can have it as long as you want or close it without moving the mouse.

The only thing that I feel missing is that there is no way to quickly bring the download bar back or open the download tab using a keyboard.

3] Disable Download Bar

It works exactly as the above extension, but it offers to either use a keyboard shortcut to hide the download tray or always hide the download tray. So if once in a while you would like to see it, the option is still on the table, and you can enable it from the settings.

I hope the post was easy to follow, and you were able to personalize the experience or disable the download bar in Chrome, so it doesn’t bother you anymore.