Google Chrome Will Show Full-Page Warnings to Users Downloading Risky Files

• Although Google already warns users about risky downloads on Chrome, it has decided that small-sized popups, which it currently uses, are not very effective.
• The tech giant is now planning to display full-page warnings. This will consist of a dark red background with white text that will inform you about the danger and guide you to the next best step.
• From this page, you can either go back to safety or continue downloading; it's up to you.

Google Chrome will now show full-page warnings to users when they try to download a risky file. According to reports, this new feature will be called DangerousDownloadInterstitial.

It's well worth noting that Google Chrome already has a Safe Browsing tool that protects users from malware, intrusive ads, risky domains, and phishing attacks. It shows a warning when you try to download a file that could be risky.

However, the current warnings are quite small-sized. They only show up as a tiny dialogue box at the top of the screen, which might not be enough to deter most users.

So, the search engine giant has decided to switch to full-page warnings, similar to the ones you get when you accidentally enter a malicious website.

A full-page warning is expected to better relay the severity of the users. Also, the disruption might help them take a moment to rethink their actions.What Will the Warning Look Like?

The warning will consist of a deep red background (because, as you know, red represents anger and also draws more attention) with a bold Download Warning" label in white.

It will be followed by a line explaining why the file is dangerous and a multiple-choice question asking you why you want to download this file.

From the warning/alert page, you can either go back to safety or continue to download-the choice is indeed yours.

It's important to note that if you choose to go back to safety, you can ignore the multiple-choice question. However, if you choose to continue, answering the question is mandatory. The options include I created this file," I trust the site," and I'm willing to accept the risk."

The feature is yet to be launched and, unfortunately, we don't have an official timeline for it at the time of writing. However, you might still be able to activate it as an experimental flag.

All you have to do is head to chrome://flags on your Chrome browser or on Chrome Canary and search Download Warning Improvements. Then, turn on the flag and restart your browser. That's pretty much it, and the next time you want to download a risky file, a full page warning will show up.

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