How to enable Reader Mode in Chrome for Windows

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In October of last year I wrote about a way to view Web pages in Chrome for Android without any of the distracting ads or other page elements. This feature, called Reader Mode, presents only the elements within the body of the story, so you can stay focused on the text and pertinent images.

Now this feature can now be enabled on the desktop version of Chrome for Windows, according to SlashGear, but it carries a new name: Distill mode. Here’s how to use it on your desktop:

Step 1: Locate your shortcut for opening Chrome, whether it’s on your taskbar, desktop or within the Start menu. Right-click it and open the Properties settings.

Step 2: Next to “Target” you will see the file path for the Chrome application. Add a space and then the following words to the end of the text:

–enable-dom-distiller

Step 3: Click Apply and then close down all instances of Chrome. If you are using Hangouts or Google Now for your desktop, you will need to close the icon in your system tray, too.

When you want to test out the Distill mode: Open Chrome from the shortcut you edited, then click the hamburger (three lines) icon in the top right-hand corner and choose Distill page.

The Distill feature is a little wonky in terms of how well it will reformat the page, but is a great option on sites that use flashing or video advertisements. What do you think?

(Via SlashGear)