What Are Google Chrome Extensions?

You might have heard about Google Chrome Extensions and feel like everyone has them installed on their systems, but some of them are far more useful than others, helping you to save time and be more efficient, no matter what it is you’re doing or using the browser for. But if you’ve never used them before, you might not know how to use them, where to find them, how to remove them or which ones to install, and that’s what we’ll be discussing today.

What are Google Chrome Extensions?

They’re small, often simple, software programmes that are designed to customise the browsing experience for the user. You’ll be able to pick and choose which extensions to use in order to enhance your UX (user experience). Google Chrome Extensions will vary on functionality and usability, depending on which ones you choose, but we’ll discuss that a bit later on.

How do you use Google Chrome Extensions?

This part really does depend on the type of Google Chrome Extension you have installed. Some are able to perform in the background, automatically, whereas others need to be opened and operated directly, by you, in order to perform as designed. It’s simple to open a Google Chrome Extension; just click on the icon to the right of the address field within the Chrome browser.

Where can I find Google Chrome Extensions?

Some developers offer direct downloads of the extension they’ve programmed, but the best place to find a Google Chrome Extension is, you guessed it, from the Google Chrome Web Store. If you’re looking for an extension with a specific job, simply input the keyword or key phrase into the search bar and press “enter”. 

This will bring up all of the relevant Google Chrome Extensions, together with some related categories. Make sure you read the reviews of the extension before downloading it, however, because some might be more useful than others.

How to remove Google Chrome Extensions

There are a number of reasons as to why you might want to remove the Google Chrome Extension, including:

• It causes unwanted behaviour within the browser
• It doesn’t work as expected
• It won’t be used 
• It’s no longer needed/is relevant 

If you’re looking to get rid of your Google Chrome Extension, for whatever reason, you can use one of two methods: right-clicking the extension icon and removing it that way or removing the extension from the Extensions Manager. For the latter method, open the Extensions Manager and click on “settings”, then go to “more tools” and then “extensions”. 

A new tab will open as a result which will display an entire list of all Google Chrome Extensions that have been installed. Find the extension you want to delete and click “remove”. There will be a prompt thereafter which will ask if you’re sure you want to carry on removing the extension. If you’re absolutely certain, click “yes” and the extension will be uninstalled from the browser. Close the tab you’ve just opened and continue using the browser as normal.

9 of the best Google Chrome Extensions

There are a number of different Google Chrome Extensions available for people to use, each of them offering different services, aiding everyone from marketers to university students. Each of the following Google Chrome Extensions provide the user with much-needed:

• Security
• Functionality
• Efficiency
• Productivity
• Optimisation of the overall Chrome performance and experience

Extensity

Instead of being a Google Chrome Extension per say, it’s an extension manager. It’ll allow you to manage the extensions you already have downloaded to your Chrome browser, from enabling and disabling them as and when required. In turn, this helps you to manage the memory that’s used by Google Chrome, because the more you have installed, the more memory it’ll use up. 

LastPass: Free Password Manager

This extension enables you to use unique passwords for every website you use where a login is required, without having to commit each one of them to memory. This is also a far safer way of securing and remembering your passwords simultaneously. You won’t need to resort to writing them all down, which can compromise the security of your accounts, no matter who they’re with. This Google Chrome Extension will remember your passwords for each individual website, so you don’t have to.

Authy

This is a good place to start if you’re looking to implement two-factor authentication through the generation of codes, because that is exactly what Authy is used for. It can be downloaded easily onto your Google Chrome Browser if this is something that’s relevant and needed for what you do, whether it be work, university or something else.

Chrome New Window Focus

This is an extension that’s been developed to fix any bugs that might be present within Google Chrome, and likely have existed for years. For example, when a new Chrome window has been opened, it might not always get focused, meaning it’ll appear behind other windows. This extension will almost force the focus onto the newly-created window as opposed to letting it disappear behind it.

HTTPS Everywhere

This extension has been created by EFF. It works to automatically switch thousands of insecure websites from ‘http’ to ‘https’. This helps to prevent hacking and, therefore, protect you against account hijacking and many different forms of undetected surveillance, as well as provide some level of censorship – perfect if you have children who like to use the Google Chrome Browser.

The Great Suspender

Often described as a ‘lightweight’ Chrome extension, this reduces Chrome’s memory footprint; something that’s ideal if you’re a Google Chrome user who likes to have several different tabs open at once. This Google Chrome Extension will unload each tab whilst still retaining its title text along with its favicon. However, the tab itself can be restored almost instantly by clicking anywhere on the page as and when needed. This extension essentially prevents memory leakage and stops unnecessary javascripts from running.

Adblock Plus

As the name would suggest, Adblock Plus is a Google Chrome Extension that blocks adverts from popping up while you’re browsing the internet. However, it also supports websites by way of not blocking unobtrusive adverts automatically.

Lazarus: Form Recovery

This helps you to recover long forms that have been filled out and then lost as a result of the programme or website crashing or timing out. Lazarus: Form Recovery will remember and record what’s inputted into the forms so it can be retrieved at a later date, should you lose what you’ve done. It can also help by making sure you get all of your information back should the session time out – ideal if you’re someone who likes to take their time when filling out long-winded, important forms.

CryptUp: Encrypt Gmail with PGP

This makes sending PGP encrypted emails quick and simple when done through Gmail. It’s something that people would use if they’re worried about people eavesdropping on their communications, especially electronically. If you don’t want to have to deal with the complexity of a PGP setup, then this is a worthwhile Google Chrome Extension to implement.

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