The Best Google Chrome Extensions

Google Chrome is a good browser on its own – it’s fast, lightweight, and doesn’t get in the way of the content you want to see. But what makes Chrome unique, maybe even powerful, is when you add Chrome extensions and apps to your personal installation. There are tens of thousands of choices on the Chrome Web Store, most of which (despite the name) are free. Some of the apps in the web store will be familiar to those you might find in the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store.

Others, however, are completely unique to Chrome. These extensions can be installed on Chrome for Windows, MacOS, Linux, as well as Chrome OS based devices like a Chromebook laptop. However, they will not work on mobile versions of Chrome browser for Android or iOS.

Here are the best Google Chrome extensions that could revolutionize your workday.

Interface

Momentum replaces Chrome’s somewhat stoic New Tab page with a more colorful alternative. While there are many similar options on the Chrome Web Store, the landscape images curated by Momentum focus on a large clock that is easy to read and looks great. Those who use Chrome’s URL bar for quick access to frequent sites won’t miss the bookmark features, but if you’re relying on the default New Tab page links, you should probably ignore this one.

A little web surfing at work never hurts anyone, but your manager might disagree. This extension adds a simple button to Chrome’s toolbar that immediately hides all your open tabs when clicked, saving them as temporary bookmarks for easy retrieval. The function can be linked to a keyboard shortcut for even faster (and more discreet) activation. Combine it with a hidden button and you have an instant safety net so you don’t get to work on the job.

Mercury Reader combines the functions of a “Read It Later” bookmark tool with reading-oriented web page reformatting. It automatically extracts text and key images from a page (ideally news or blog posts) and displays them in a large font that is easy on the eyes. The extension can also send pages to your account, or even to a Kindle for comfortable reading later. The tool is also configurable for your ideal reading preferences, and it automatically syncs between computers and mobile devices. If you find something that you need a hard copy for, we can also help you print from Chrome more efficiently.

Productivity

Frequent users of Evernote, the popular rating and bookmarking tool, will definitely want to check out this proprietary extension. It allows users to quickly highlight text, images, or both, and save them to Evernote for later consumption. Custom plugins also allow for greater functionality on frequently used websites like Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon – and there’s even a built-in screenshot tool. Notes and images can be tagged or assigned to specific Evernote notebooks.

Do you like using productivity apps that keep you focused and focused when you need to, as well as giving yourself breaks when you need them? Strict Workflow is designed for this. It creates an automatic blocker that blocks all unrelated work pages you select for 25 minutes. Then that gives you five minutes to relax, browse social media and Reddit, and whatever else you want, before you dive back into another 25-minute work period. It’s a great app if you tend to get a bit distracted.

For Android users, Pushbullet is one of the most valuable Chrome extensions. It pushes your important notifications to Chrome and lets you respond without leaving the browser. This means that you can receive and send SMS, reply to messages on WhatsApp or Facebook’s Messenger app, share files and much more. Again, most of the features are only available to Android users, but everything that happens right in Chrome is a big plus.

OneTab is a solution for those of us who like to open a little too many tabs on Chrome. And while Chrome is a particularly minimalistic browser, having dozens of tabs open at the same time can still be difficult. If your browser and RAM tend to struggle at this point, OneTab offers a solution: a single tab that condenses your open tabs into a history-like list that you can reference instead, saving memory and speeding up Chrome. for you.

Session Buddy is an essential tool for those who usually open a specific set of tabs. It records sessions that include a set of tabs that you want to open at the same time. This is also handy if Chrome – or your computer itself – is particularly prone to crashes. The tool’s internal management system even allows users to easily customize, save, export and import session lists.

Communication and casual

Boomerang allows Gmail users to postpone sending messages. This is especially useful if you are dealing with people in other time zones (or continents) so that you don’t accidentally send that invoice request at 3 a.m. The service also includes reminders, which are handy if you wait for a response, and apps for Android and iOS that let you use Boomerang when you’re away from your computer.

Grammar is less like a spell checker and more like an English teacher who follows you as you type, making corrections and suggesting adjustments. It works in emails, web forms and more or less all types of online communication. Hover the mouse under what Grammarly underlines and you will see suggestions for spelling or replacing with another sentence. It’s a very smart plugin and a great choice if you compose a lot of emails or create a significant amount of written content online.

security

Adblock Plus is one of the most popular ad blocking tools on the web. It blocks large ad network selections at the server level, either replacing them on your screen with white space, or simply scaling them down naturally to the page size. You have the choice to select from a list of ad networks or to block ads individually. Since most websites survive on ad revenue, I remind you that you can use the whitelist feature to turn off ad blocking on sites you visit frequently.

Among the various password management tools available, including Chrome’s built-in system, LastPass is particularly praised for its ease of use and security. LastPass uses a combination of private master password, auto-generated passwords for websites and services, local touch-only data encryption, and two-factor authentication to make password repository both safe and fast. The official extension automatically keeps users logged in to the service without having to use the web interface.

Advanced user tools

If you work in web design, marketing, or content, SimilarWeb can be a particularly valuable tool. This add-on allows you to examine traffic numbers, s, activity over time, and other valuable analytical data that will help you make important web decisions. It’s not as in-depth as going into Google Analytics, but it’s very quick and great for quick comparisons.

If your schoolwork or job requires you to type special characters in text fields, you know what a mundane task it can be, especially if you’re typing in a foreign language or describing foreign currency.

Google input tools add a simple virtual keyboard or input panel for special characters, including currency symbols, Chinese characters, and emojis. The tool can even switch between multiple language inputs on the fly with a toolbar icon.

Download from the Chrome Web Store

Creating multiple tabs is an effective technique for working more efficiently while browsing the Internet. However, Chrome doesn’t necessarily excel at dividing RAM usage between your active and non-active tabs.

This extension clears memory by suspending unused tabs. You can change the amount of time before a tab is suspended. You can also whitelist sites to stay active, a great tool for emails or notifications.

Download from the Chrome Web Store

Make your own

Create your own Google Chrome app or extension with a simple shortcut. Some services allow you to do this through a third-party version, but you can easily create a shortcut to a web application in your browser without using another service.

Users can pin these app shortcuts to the Windows Start menu or taskbar. To create an application shortcut, open the desired web page and click the Menu button. Then click on More Tools and Create Shortcut.

Editor’s recommendations