How to improve browser security in Chrome and other browsers

Browsers are one of the main ways people access email, cloud services, banking, document platforms, and day to day websites. Because of this, browser settings can affect privacy, exposure to malicious websites, unsafe downloads, misleading notifications, and other avoidable risks.

This guide explains how browser security settings help, why similar options exist across Chrome and other major browsers, and how DNS filtering services such as NextDNS or Cloudflare can add another protective layer. It is intended as a practical explanation page rather than a permanent checklist, because browser features and security controls change over time and should be reviewed periodically.

Most people use the browser without changing many settings, but modern browsers include controls that affect how websites connect, what content is allowed to run, what permissions a site receives, and whether suspicious activity is blocked or limited.

These settings do not make browsing risk free, but they can reduce unnecessary exposure. In practical terms, they can help limit risky downloads, reduce unwanted site permissions, improve privacy, and make it harder for some malicious or deceptive websites to behave normally in the browser.

Safe browsing or phishing protection

Secure DNS or encrypted DNS lookups

Site permissions such as camera, microphone, location and notifications

Download controls

Password and autofill handling

Privacy and tracking controls

Browser update status

Google Chrome is a common starting point because many people use it, but similar security and privacy settings also exist in Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and other modern browsers. The names and layout may differ slightly, but the main ideas are usually very similar.

This matters because the guide should not imply that only one browser can be hardened properly. A person may prefer Edge at work, Firefox at home, or Chrome across several devices. The practical approach is to understand the types of controls that matter, then look for the equivalent settings in the browser being used.

When a browser opens a website, one of the early steps is resolving the site name into an address the device can use. Secure DNS helps protect that step by sending DNS lookups through an encrypted method rather than leaving them more exposed to interference or inspection on the local network path.

This does not replace every other security control, but it can improve privacy and help reduce certain risks around DNS requests. In practical terms, Secure DNS can be combined with a trusted DNS provider so that the browser is not only using encrypted lookups, but also benefiting from the provider’s filtering policies where those are available.

Browser settings are useful on their own, but they become stronger when combined with a filtering DNS service. This is where services such as NextDNS or Cloudflare can add value.

A DNS filtering service can help block access to known malicious domains, phishing pages, deceptive advertising networks, trackers, or other unwanted destinations before the browser fully loads the content. That does not mean every harmful page will always be blocked, but it can reduce exposure earlier in the connection process.

This is a good example of layered security. The browser has its own protections. The DNS layer can add another filter. Account security measures such as strong passwords, multi factor authentication, and security keys still remain separate and important.

NextDNS can be useful because it allows a more tailored filtering policy than the default settings built into many browsers or networks. Even the free version can still provide meaningful extra filtering, especially for people who want more control over what is blocked and what is allowed.

In practice, a NextDNS profile can help improve protection by adding filters for malicious domains, phishing sites, trackers, and other selected categories. It can also create more consistent protection across different browsers and devices, because the filtering logic sits outside the browser itself.

That point is important for the page. The value is not only in Google Chrome. A configured DNS filtering service can support Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers, helping to improve the overall browsing environment rather than relying on one browser’s built in choices alone.

These controls are useful, but they should be described carefully so the page remains credible.

guarantee that all malicious websites will be blocked

replace software updates

replace anti malware or endpoint protection

replace strong passwords or multi factor authentication

directly secure an account in the same way as identity controls

remove the need for periodic review

A more accurate way to describe the benefit is that these controls can reduce exposure to harmful websites, phishing pages, trackers, and other unwanted domains, which helps lower risk during normal browsing.

A sensible review does not require changing every setting. The aim is to confirm that the main protections are active and that unnecessary permissions are limited.

Many important systems are now reached through a browser, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, banking, business web portals, and support platforms. That means weak browser configuration can increase exposure across work and personal accounts alike.

The browser is often the visible part of a wider chain involving DNS, websites, identity systems, downloads, and user decisions. Improving the browser settings and using a filtered DNS layer does not solve everything, but it can make common web based attacks and unwanted connections less likely to succeed in normal day to day use.

This page should not be treated as a one time permanent checklist. Browser interfaces change, security features evolve, and the right settings can vary depending on whether the browser is used on a home device, a business laptop, or a managed environment.

For that reason, browser settings, extensions, permissions, and DNS filtering choices should be reviewed from time to time. Layered security remains the right approach. Browser settings are one layer. DNS filtering is another. Identity protection, software updates, email security, and endpoint protection remain separate layers that still matter.

This guide forms part of a broader layered security approach. For structured guidance on security and resilience planning, see our Security and Resilience page.

For information about practical implementation and ongoing support, you can review our IT services and local IT support coverage across London, Hertfordshire, and Essex.

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Author
Elías Sánchez
IT Support Consultant
Evening Computing
London, United Kingdom

This guide was prepared by Elías Sánchez with research and drafting assistance from AI tools. All technical content has been reviewed and adapted for clarity and accuracy.

Last reviewed
02 April 2026