The Intrusive Bubble
Google Chrome completely changed how it handles downloaded files. Previously, downloads appeared quietly in a thin bar at the bottom of the screen. Now, they appear in a “Download Bubble” in the top-right corner, next to the extensions menu. Every time you initiate a download, this bubble automatically springs open, displaying a large panel that obscures the top-right portion of your active webpage. If you are downloading multiple small files (like a batch of images) in rapid succession, this panel constantly flying open and blocking your view becomes incredibly disruptive to your workflow.
Silencing the Download Animation
To regain your screen space and stop Google Chrome from automatically opening the large downloads panel every time a file is saved, you must toggle the specific behavior switch within the browser settings.
Open Google Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the extreme top-right corner to open the main menu. Select Settings from the dropdown list. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on the Downloads section. In the main right-hand panel, look for the option labelled Show downloads when they’re done. Next to this text is a toggle switch. Click the toggle to turn it Off. The change is applied instantly. The next time you download a file, the small download icon in the top toolbar will briefly flash blue to indicate activity, but the large, intrusive panel will remain firmly closed until you actively choose to click on it.