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How to Bring Back the Old Download Menu UI in Chrome Android

In this guide, we will show you the steps to bring back the old Download menu UI in the Chrome browser for Android. This offering from the Silicon Valley giants gets blessed with new updates at regular intervals. Most of these updates are aimed at ironing out underlying bugs, bringing in performances stability, and in some instances, some new goodies as well. However, in recent times, it is the last one that seems to be a point of concern for us rather than being a reason to rejoice.

We are increasingly seeing instances where Google forcibly implements a feature in Chrome. And let alone taking consent from the users beforehand, they even take away the option to disable the feature. The new Chrome Tabs Groups UI is a perfect example of the same. And as of now, there has been another unwanted addition to this list. Up until this point, whenever you downloaded a file via Chrome on your Android device, then it would bring up the Downloads menu at the bottom menu bar.

bring back old Download menu Chrome Android

This was a non-intrusive approach which blended it well with the UI/UX as well. But good things don’t last long, at least not in this browser ecosystem. In the new update, the Downloads Menu would now occupy the upper portion of the screen which would end up covering a major part of the site as well.  What’s even worse from the usability point of view is that they have removed the cross icon as well that we earlier used to have at the bottom right.

bring back old Download menu Chrome Android

As of now, swiping away is the sole way to remove this unnecessary pop-up from your screen. For me, it interrupted my workflow and hence I decided to bid it adieu right away. If you also echo this thought, then this guide shall come in handy. Given here are the detailed instructions steps to bring back the old downloads menu UI in the Chrome browser for Android. Follow along.

How to Bring Back the Old Download Menu UI in Chrome Android

bring back old Download menu Chrome Android

Do note that for this process we will be using one of the Chrome flags. These are experimental features that might bring instability to the browser. On the good side though, that rarely happens, and even if it does you could easily disable that flag.

However, these flags aren’t permanent in nature and could expire without any prior notice. And when that happens, you will have no choice but to stick with the new UI. But until then, let’s bring back the glory to its original form!

  1. To begin with, launch the Chrome browser on your Android device.
  2. Then copy-paste the below location in the address bar:
    chrome://flags
  3. Now go to the Search bar at the top and type in the following flag name:
    Show download progress message

    bring back old Download menu Chrome Android

  4. Tap on the Default keyword next to it and select Disabled from the drop-down menu.
  5. Finally, hit the Relaunch Now button that appears at the bottom of your screen.
  6. That’s it. Once the browser restarts, the old downloads menu will get active.

So these were the steps to bring back the old Download menu UI in the Chrome browser for Android. Let’s now check out some other related information related to this topic that might come in useful.

Revert the Change: Bring Back the New Chrome Downloads Menu

If this flag is leading to browser instability, then you should consider disabling it. Though you should keep in mind that doing so will also revert the process to the original state- that is you will again get the new Downloads UI menu in Chrome Android. So if that’s well and good, then proceed with the below steps:

  1. Head over to the Chrome’s Flags page via the below URL
    chrome://flags
  2. Now search for the following flag
    Show download progress message

    new download menu chrome android

  3. Then change its state from Disabled to Enabled.
  4. Finally, hit the Restart Now button and you shall get back the new Downloads UI.

Fix: Cannot Find the Show Download Progress Message Chrome Flag

If you are unable to find the Show download progress message, then it could be for two reasons- either you are using an older browser build or Google has removed this flag. The first scenario is unlikely as in that case you wouldn’t have searched for this article in the first place! And regarding the second scenario- it is very much a possibility as all these flags come with an expiry date.

With that said, there does exist a workaround through which you bring back the expired Chrome flags. So you may check out our linked guide and stay a step ahead in this cat and mouse game! On that note, we round off this guide on how to bring back the old Download menu UI in the Chrome browser for Android. All your queries are welcomed in the comments section below.


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