How to view a list of extensions installed in all your browsers

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Anyone who uses browsers like Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox probably has at least one extension installed. Whether it’s an ad blocker or a download manager, extensions are meant to be helpful tools. But the truth is, browser extensions can actually be more threatening and dangerous than most users realize.

When it comes to privacy, browser extensions can be a nightmare. They have the tools to capture and track everything you do online, which includes your passwords, web browsing data, etc. Extensions can also play a role in the ads that are placed on websites you visit.

Whether they’re sold or hijacked by sketchy companies, popular browser extensions can be easily transformed into malware because of automatic updates. Read on and we’ll give you a more in-depth look at browser extensions and how unsafe they really are.

What are browser extensions good for?

Like anything else we do and use in life, everything comes with a list of pros and cons. Browser extensions are no different. Extensions are programs that alter or enhance the way your browser operates. They can be used to customize the way you utilize and navigate the web.

As we mentioned earlier, some of the more popular extensions are those that help block unwanted ads, assist with how files are downloaded or protect your privacy when you surf. Extensions are good for adding and subtracting features and content that you either love or hate, and in doing so, enhances your online experience overall.

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The danger behind browser extensions

The real problem with extensions is if they are given too much access to the websites you visit, they have the power to do just about anything. They can act as a key-logger to capture your passwords and banking details, place ads on websites you visit, reroute your search traffic elsewhere and track everything little thing you do while you are online.

Having access to this info puts you and your identity at risk and leaves you vulnerable to more serious attacks. Chrome extensions, for example, have been criticized for secretly collecting and selling users data to the highest and often most shady bidder. Google is doing all it can to put a stop to this, but it’s not enough.

Additionally, modern browsers automatically update your extensions, often without your knowledge. This is where new problems can arise.

Chrome has been under constant attack and scrutiny because of its popularity, but Firefox is at even greater risk. Why? Simply because Firefox operates without system permissions, which means every extension you install automatically has access to everything.

Microsoft Edge is another example of a browser that comes with a permission system for extensions, but many require access to everything in order to work properly. Even an extension that only needs access to one website can be dangerous as well. In the end, it’s all about gathering as much info about you as possible and passing it along later.

How to protect yourself from harmful extensions

For starters, use the least amount of extensions as possible. If you have an extension installed that you barely use or doesn’t perform as well as you thought, uninstall it.

Stick with only the extensions you know that you need and actually work. It’s also crucial that you install extensions from names and brands that you can trust. Specifically, from credible web stores hosted by one of the big four browsers.

You must pay close attention to the permissions that some extensions require as well. Go with your instincts. If an extension asks for permission to access something that it shouldn’t need access to, you may want to dig deeper and find it’s true motives. When in doubt, walk away.

Also, it’s always a good idea to have important files backed up. If anything goes wrong you don’t want to lose those precious photos and documents forever.

How to install, manage and configure browser extensions in Microsoft Edge.

Thanks to the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft Edge finally has browser extensions (albeit only a handful so far). We’ve been waiting for Edge to support extensions for over a year — the browser debuted stripped-down and barely customizable because Microsoft wanted to keep it as secure as possible. So here’s everything you need to know about installing, managing and configuring these brand-new browser extensions.

Installing extensions

To install an extension, open Edge and click the menu (. ) button to open the settings menu. Click Extensions to open the extensions menu, which will display a list of your installed extensions (if you have any). Click Get extensions from the Store to open the extensions page in the Windows Store.

Edge browser extensions are downloaded directly from the Windows Store.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Click the extension you want to download to open its Windows Store page and click the download button (extensions are free, so the button will say Free) to start the download. The extension will download and install itself automatically.

You can choose to turn your new extension on immediately after installing, or you can keep it off for the time being.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Go back to Edge. You will see a pop-up telling you that a new extension has been installed, and you can choose whether to start using it (Turn it on) or not (Keep it off).

Managing extensions

Turning an extension off will stop it from running and appearing in the extension shortcuts menu, but will not uninstall it (or reset any options you’ve configured for it).

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

To turn an extension on (or off), open Edge’s settings menu and click Extensions. Find the extension you want to turn on/off and click it. You will see the extension’s name above an on/off toggle; use this toggle to turn the extension on or off.

This will completely uninstall the extension and reset any options you’ve configured for it.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

To uninstall an extension completely, open Edge’s settings menu and click Extensions. Click the extension you want to uninstall. At the bottom of the screen, click the Uninstall button to uninstall it from your browser.

Configuring extensions’ individual options

Some — but not all — extensions have individual options that you can customize to your liking. For example, the Mouse Gestures extension lets you change and set custom mouse gestures.

Only some extensions will have the Options button in their settings menu.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

To configure an extension’s options, open Edge’s settings menu, click Extensions and click the extension you want to configure. If the extension has individual options, you will see a button that says Options above the Uninstall button. Click Options to open the extension’s individual options in a new tab.

Using extensions

You will find your extensions’ shortcut buttons in the Edge settings menu.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

All of the browser extensions that are currently turned on will appear in a row at the top of Edge’s settings menu. These icons are buttons — clicking them will either perform the extension’s action (e.g., the Pinterest Pin It Button will let you pin something to a Pinterest board) or open the extension’s options menu. If you’ve used extensions in other browsers, you’re probably familiar with how these shortcut buttons work.

Turn this toggle on to make an extension’s shortcut button appear in the toolbar next to the address bar.

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Because some extensions are on demand — they perform actions when their shortcut button is pressed — you may want to make these buttons more accessible by placing them on Edge’s toolbar (instead of hidden in its settings menu). To do this, open Edge’s settings menu, click Extensions and click the extension you want to configure. Under Show button next to the address bar, turn the toggle to On. The extension’s shortcut button will now appear in Edge’s toolbar, to the right of the address bar.

Applies To: Windows Admin Center, Windows Admin Center Preview

Windows Admin Center is built as an extensible platform where each connection type and tool is an extension that you can install, uninstall and update individually. You can search for new extensions published by Microsoft and other developers, and install and update them individually without having to update the entire Windows Admin Center installation. You can also configure a separate NuGet feed or file share and distribute extensions to use internally within your organization.

Installing an extension

Windows Admin Center will show extensions available from the specified NuGet feed. By default, Windows Admin Center points to the Microsoft official NuGet feed which hosts extensions published by Microsoft and other developers.

1. Click the Settings button in the top-right > In the left pane, click Extensions.
2. The Available Extensions tab will list the extensions on the feed that are available for installation.
3. Click on an extension to view the extension description, version, publisher and other information in the Details pane.
4. Click Install to install an extension. If the gateway must run in elevated mode to make this change, you will be presented with a UAC elevation prompt. After installation is complete, your browser will automatically be refreshed and Windows Admin Center will be reloaded with the new extension installed. If the extension you are trying to install is an update to a previously installed extension, you can click the Update to latest button to install the update. You can also go to the Installed Extensions tab to view installed extensions and see if an update is available in the Status column.

Installing extensions from a different feed

Windows Admin Center supports multiple feeds and you can view and manage packages from more than one feed at a time. Any NuGet feed that supports the NuGet V2 APIs or a file share can be added to Windows Admin Center for installing extensions from.

1. Click the Settings button in the top-right > In the left pane, click Extensions.
2. On the right pane, click the Feeds tab.
3. Click the Add button to add another feed. For a NuGet feed, enter the NuGet V2 feed URL. The NuGet feed provider or administrator should be able to provide the URL information. For a file share, enter the full path of the file share in which the extension package files (.nupkg) are stored.
4. Click Add. If the gateway must run in elevated mode to make this change, you will be presented with a UAC elevation prompt. This prompt will only be presented if you are running Windows Admin Center in desktop mode.

The Available Extensions list will show extensions from all registered feeds. You can check which feed each extension is from using the Package Feed column.

Uninstalling an extension

You can uninstall any extensions you have previously installed, or even uninstall any tools that were pre-installed as part of the Windows Admin Center installation.

1. Click the Settings button in the top-right > In the left pane, click Extensions.
2. Click the Installed Extensions tab to view all installed extensions.
3. Choose an extension to uninstall, then click Uninstall.

After uninstall is complete, your browser will automatically be refreshed and Windows Admin Center will be reloaded with the extension removed. If you uninstalled a tool that was pre-installed as part of Windows Admin Center, the tool will be available for reinstallation in the Available Extensions tab.

Installing extensions on a computer without internet connectivity

If Windows Admin Center is installed on a computer that isn’t connected to the internet or is behind a proxy, it may not be able to access and install the extensions from the Windows Admin Center feed. You can download extension packages manually or with a PowerShell script, and configure Windows Admin Center to retrieve packages from a file share or local drive.

Manually downloading extension packages

On another computer that has internet connectivity, open a web browser and navigate to the following URL:

• You may need to create a Microsoft account and login to view the extension packages.

Click on the name of the package you want to install to view the package details page.

Click on the Download link in the top navigation bar of the package details page and download the .nupkg file for the extension.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all the packages you want to download.

Copy the package files to a file share that can be accessed from the computer Windows Admin Center is installed on, or to the local disk of the computer on which Windows Admin Center is installed.

Downloading packages with a PowerShell script

There are many scripts available on the Internet for downloading NuGet packages from a NuGet feed. We’ll use the script provided by Jon Galloway, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft.

1. As described in the blog post, install the script as a NuGet package, or copy and paste the script into the PowerShell ISE.
2. Edit the first line of the script to your NuGet feed’s v2 URL. If you are downloading packages from the Windows Admin Center official feed, use the URL below.

1. Run the script and it will download all the NuGet packages from the feed to the following local folder: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\NuGetLocal
2. Follow the instructions to install extensions from a different feed.

Manage extensions with PowerShell

Windows Admin Center Preview includes a PowerShell module to manage your gateway extensions.

You must be gateway administrator to modify Windows Admin Center extensions with PowerShell.

Written by Emma Flickinger

What do malicious browser extensions do?

Browser extensions are pieces of code that are added onto the code that runs your browser. They can be run like any other software, but instead of being installed straight onto your computer, they are installed within the files for your browser application.

Many extensions are useful, and offer a convenient way to customize your browser. Others are designed to be harmful, and can compromise the security of your computer. One of the most common targets? Your personal data.

Why are malicious browser extensions a widespread problem?

The most popular marketplace for extensions, the Google Chrome Web Store, does not screen extensions before they are published. This makes it extremely easy to publish malicious browser extensions.

Extensions aren’t an application all on their own — their code runs as part of your browser. Because your browser is already a trusted application, it’s hard for antivirus software to catch malicious extensions.

Though extensions require permissions to work, most browsers grant them permissions by default (without asking you). Even if your browser asks you to confirm permissions, many extensions — including safe and legitimate ones — won’t install without the permission to “view and change all your data on the websites you visit.”

How can you guard against malicious browser extensions?

Most malicious browser extensions aren’t obviously evil — they are simple apps like calculators or PDF converters, and seem legitimate at first glance.

A good preventive strategy is to install a tracker blocker (like Redmorph’s Browser Controller). These applications block attempts by websites and extensions to send your data to third parties — so if you do end up with a malicious extension, you’ll have a safety net.

Before installing an extension, look it up. Does the developer seem legitimate? (Have they published other extensions? Do they have a website?) Does the extension clearly explain what it will do in your browser? Is it recommended in reviews? If so, who are the reviews by? (A reputable tech blogger, a news site, or an anonymous commenter?)

Read the reviews, and look up the developer. It’s also a good idea to do a general search for terms like “(name of extension) safe?”

Double-check that the extension you’re installing is the one you really want. Many malicious extensions are installed because they have the same name as a legitimate extension, or a similar (or copied) logo.

Read the extension’s description carefully. Legitimate developers can certainly make typos, but a description that’s riddled with spelling errors, sentences that don’t make sense, or a very vague explanation that glosses over what the extension does, should be a red flag. Be wary of words that are repeated an extreme number of times — developers of malicious extensions may repeat keywords so that the page shows up more readily in a search.

However, even with extreme precautions, there could still be a malicious extension at work in your browser. Extensions can be sold to new developers, and malicious actors can hijack the accounts of legitimate developers and push malicious updates to safe, previously installed extensions — difficult to detect, since almost all extensions update automatically.

What should you do if you believe you have installed a malicious browser extension?

If you notice that your browser is behaving oddly — new tabs opening to suspicious websites, a new startup page you didn’t assign, websites or searches redirecting to other sites — a malicious extension could be responsible.

In your browser, check the list of active extensions (keeping an eye out for any you don’t remember installing). Disabling or uninstalling them one at a time can reveal which one is causing problems.

Because this problem is so common, there are many step-by-step guides for getting rid of malicious extensions. Do some searching, or start with one of these:

To properly inform users about cookies that your site installs in their browsers, you must learn to identify them. This is not an easy task, so we have created a brief guide to help you with it.

Browser extensions

The identification of cookies installed via your website may end up being a result from the combined use of different tools, the main and most commonly used are Wappalyzer and BuiltWith, both are available as add-ons to all the most widely used browsers and allow a thorough analysis of all the resources and technologies implemented within a website. They do not only disclose cookies installed via a site, but also list all the technologies used on that site, such as server infrastructure, the CMS used and other specific information.

Another known tool is Ghostery: it is also available as an extension for the most popular web browsers, but it is not recommended for use for the identification of cookies because its operation is not based on a real-time scan of the website. It could also indicate some scripts that are not directly installed from the site but from some of its widgets, thus distorting the results of your analysis.

Development console

The development console, when used in conjunction with the other methods indicated, can be a very reliable and immediate tool for identifying cookies installed via a website. Below is an explanation of how to display cookies using the development console of two of the most popular and most used internet browsers, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Note: when you analyze a site’s cookies through the development console, first remember to clear cache and cookies, otherwise the results may not be accurate.

Google Chrome

If you use Google Chrome, this is how to proceed:

• Clear cache and cookies (menu button in the upper right corner > More tools > Clear browsing data)
• To open the console, click on the toolbar: View > Developer > JavaScript Console
• Once the console is open, you can view the cookies installed by the site by clicking on the Application tab

Mozilla Firefox

If you prefer to use Mozilla’s Firefox, here are the steps to follow:

• Clear cache and cookies (menu button in the upper right corner > Options > Clear data under “Privacy and security/Cookies and Site Data”)
• To open the console, click on the toolbar: Tools > Web Development > Enable Tools
• Once the console is opened, you will need to click on the Storage tab, then on the Cookie drop-down menu to view the list of cookies installed by the site up to that moment

Phantom JS (a method for developers)

PhantomJS is a “headless browser”, i. e. a tool that allows you to perform actions that normally require the use of a browser, without rendering the browser itself on screen. This is a WebKit-based OpenSource cross-platform tool available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Using PhantomJS to locate cookies

PhantomJS must be used within the terminal. Among its functions, there is also that of identifying cookies installed by a specific site. First of all, you must download the package available at this link and install the resource.

After following the installation procedure, the “phantomjs” command will now be available. To continue, we need a shell (on UNIX systems) or command prompt (for Windows) where we will enter this line:

phantomjs –ignore-ssl-errors=yes –disk-cache=yes fetch_data.js

Let’s dive into this, element by element:

• phantomjs : this is the main command;
• –ignore-ssl-errors=yes : this option avoids errors related to the SSL certificate being considered;
• –disk-cache= true : the process will save the resources on the disk;
• fetch-data.js : this is the file that processes the request to the site and displays it on the shell downloadable at this link. Important: this file must be in the same folder from where you launched the command, otherwise you will have to indicate

/path/of/fetch/data ;

Once this command has been run, the terminal will return a list of the resources and cookies used by the relative site.

It’s not immediately obvious just how to locate browser extensions for Microsoft Edge — you have to know exactly what you’re looking for. Perhaps it should be simpler, or maybe the Windows Wtore isn’t the best way to distribute them. Regardless, it’s not super clear.

If you scroll all the way to the bottom on the main Store page you’ll find a box that’ll link you to the Microsoft Edge extensions collection. But if you go to Apps, it doesn’t seem to show up. Confusing much? In any case, this is the best way to make sure you always get where you’re going.

1. In Microsoft Edge click on the three dots icon in the top right corner.
2. Click on extensions. Any extensions you have installed already will be listed here.
3. Click on Get extensions from the Store. This will be listed after any already-installed extensions.

Clicking on this will now always take you to the Edge extensions collection in the Windows Store, regardless of what the Store itself is displaying at any time to help (or not as it may be) find them yourself.

So, if you’ve been poking around wondering where to find these things, now you know the best way to get there every time!

Here’s everything we know about Psychonauts 2 on Xbox and PC

The long-awaited sequel to the original Psychonauts is coming. Here’s what we know about Psychonauts 2, including its release date, gameplay, how to preorder, and much more.

On this week’s podcast . Windows 11, Cloud PC, Microsoft Teams, and more

We’re back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, we check out the latest news on Windows 11, Windows 10 21H2, the Steam Deck handheld console, and Dan’s review of the Dell XPS 13 OLED model. All that, AND Zac sits down for a conversation with the great Mary Jo Foley!

Review: Lenovo’s Legion 5 Pro takes the gaming series to the next level

With a new 16:10 16-inch display with QHD+ resolution, insane performance, and modest design, the Legion 5 Pro is easy to recommend. However, there is a caveat with AMD performance when the laptop is on battery power.

Expand your creative options with these Windows apps for digital art

Digital drawing and painting software can be intimidating and expensive. Here are the ones we think stand out as the best, regardless of skill or budget.

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a widely accepted protocol for sending digitally signed and encrypted messages. For more information, see S/MIME for message signing and encryption in Exchange Online.

S/MIME is available in Exchange Online with the following types of email clients:

• Supported versions of Outlook.
• Outlook on the web (formerly known as Outlook Web App) on Windows clients. For more information, see Encrypt messages by using S/MIME in Outlook on the web.
• Mobile devices (for example, Outlook for iOS and Android, Exchange ActiveSync apps or native email apps).

As an Exchange Online admin, you can enable S/MIME-based security for the mailboxes in your organization. The high-level steps are described in the following list and are expanded upon in this article:

1. Set up and publish S/MIME certificates.
2. Set up a virtual certificate collection in Exchange Online.
3. Sync user certificates for S/MIME into Microsoft 365.
4. Configure policies to install S/MIME extensions in web browsers for Outlook on the web.
5. Configure email clients to use S/MIME.

For end-to-end S/MIME configuration instructions for Outlook for iOS and Android, see S/MIME for Outlook for iOS and Android.

Step 1: Set up and publish S/MIME certificates

Each user in your organization requires their own certificate that’s issued for the purposes of signing and encryption. You publish these certificates to your on-premises Active Directory for distribution. Your Active Directory must be located on computers at a physical location that you control and not at a remote facility or cloud-based service on the internet.

For more information about Active Directory, see Active Directory Domain Services Overview.

Install a Windows-based Certification Authority (CA) and set up a public key infrastructure to issue S/MIME certificates. Certificates issued by third-party certificate providers are also supported. For details, see Active Directory Certificate Services Overview.

Notes:

• Certificates issued by a third-party CA have the advantage of being automatically trusted by all clients and devices. Certificates that are issued by an internal, private CA aren’t automatically trusted by clients and devices, and not all devices (for example, phones) can be configured to trust private certificates.
• Consider using an intermediate certificate instead of the root certificate to issue certificates to users. That way, if you ever need to revoke and reissue certificates, the root certificate is still intact.

Publish the user’s certificate in their on-premises Active Directory account in the UserSMIMECertificate and/or UserCertificate attributes.

Step 2: Set up a virtual certificate collection in Exchange Online

The virtual certificate collection is responsible for validating S/MIME certificates. Set up the virtual certificate collection by using the following steps:

Export the root and intermediate certificates that are required to validate user S/MIME certificates from a trusted machine to a serialized certificate store (SST) file in Windows PowerShell. For example:

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Export-Certificate.

Import the certificates from the SST file into Exchange Online by running the following command in Exchange Online PowerShell:

For detailed syntax and parameter information, see Set-SmimeConfig.

Step 3: Sync user certificates for S/MIME into Microsoft 365

Before anyone can send S/MIME-protected messages in Exchange Online, you need to setup and configure the appropriate certificates for each user and publish their public X.509 certificates to Microsoft 365. The sender’s email client uses the recipient’s public certificate to encrypt the message.

Issue certificates and publish them in your local Active Directory. For more information, see Active Directory Certificate Services Overview.

After your certificates are published, use Azure AD Connect to synchronize user data from your on-premises Exchange environment to Microsoft 365. For more information on this process, see Azure AD Connect sync: Understand and customize synchronization.

Along with synchronizing other directory data, Azure AD Connect synchronizes the userCertificate and userSMIMECertificate attributes for each user object for S/MIME signing and encryption of email messages. For more information about Azure AD Connect, see What is Azure AD Connect?.

Step 4: Configure policies to install the S/MIME extensions in web browsers

This step is required only for Outlook on the web clients.

S/MIME in Outlook on the web in the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge or in Google Chrome requires specific policy settings that are configured by an admin.

Specifically, you need to set and configure the policy named ExtensionInstallForcelist to install the S/MIME extension in the browser. The policy value is maafgiompdekodanheihhgilkjchcakm; . Applying this policy requires domain-joined or Azure AD-joined devices, so using S/MIME in Edge or Chrome effectively requires domain-joined or Azure AD-joined devices.

For details about the policies, see the following topics:

The policy is a prerequisite for using S/MIME in Outlook on the web. It does not replace the S/MIME control that’s installed by users. Users are prompted to download and install the S/MIME control in Outlook on the web during their first use of S/MIME. Or, users can proactively go to S/MIME in their Outlook on the web settings to get the download link for the control.

Step 5: Configure email clients to use S/MIME

If an email client supports S/MIME, the next consideration is access to the user’s S/MIME certificate by that email client. The S/MIME certificate needs to be installed on the user’s computer or device. You can distribute S/MIME certificates automatically (for example, using Microsoft Endpoint Manager) or manually (for example, the user can export the certificate from their computer and import it on their mobile device). After the certificate is available locally, you can enable and configure S/MIME in the settings of the email client.

For more information about S/MIME in email clients, see the following topics:

• Outlook: See the “Encrypting with S/MIME” section in Encrypt email messages.
• Outlook for iOS and Android: Enabling S/MIME in the client
• Mail in iOS: Use S/MIME to send encrypted messages in an Exchange environment in iOS

You can also use the following parameters on the New-MobileDeviceMailboxPolicy and Set-MobileDeviceMailboxPolicy cmdlets in Exchange Online PowerShell to configure S/MIME settings for mobile devices:

• AllowSMIMEEncryptionAlgorithmNegotiation
• AllowSMIMESoftCerts
• RequireEncryptedSMIMEMessages
• RequireEncryptionSMIMEAlgorithm
• RequireSignedSMIMEAlgorithm
• RequireSignedSMIMEMessages

–>

Automating the virtual environment

This article is about deploying Google Chrome extensions using Group Policy. Find out how to retrieve the extension ID and update URL.

Before reading this article, I recommend you to read the article Google Chrome on Citrix deep-dive to gain an in-depth understanding of all facets of Google Chrome for both Citrix and traditional environments.

Deploying Google Chrome extensions using Group Policy

A user can add extensions to the Chrome browser by downloading them from the Chrome Web Store:

This works great for individual users, but what if you want to deploy an extension to a large number of users in your organization? The solution is to deploy the extension via Group Policy.

Deploying extensions via Group Policy consists of two parts:

1. Retrieve the extension ID and the update URL of the Chrome extension
2. Enable and configure Chrome extensions in a Group Policy

Retrieve the extension ID and update URL of the Chrome extension

To be able to add an extension to a Group Policy, two values need to be known: the extension ID and an “update” URL. These two values have to be entered as one string, but separated by a semicolon (;). For example, the concatenated string of the extension ID and update URL for the Office Online extension version 1.5.2. is as follows:

ndjpnladcallmjemlbaebfadecfhkepb;

The first thing to do, is to manually install the extension directly from the Chrome Web Store on your (test) system. You need to do this, otherwise you will not be able to retrieve the ID and update URL.

The extension ID can be retrieved by opening the extensions tab in Chrome. Either enter chrome://extensions in the address bar or open the extensions tab via the menu:

Enable developer mode. Now the ID of each individual extension is shown.

Copy this ID somewhere (for example in Notepad); you will need this information in the next step.

Chrome extensions are installed on a per-user basis. The installation directory is:

C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions

The extension ID is equal to the name of the folder. Open the directory that corresponds with the ID of your extension, in our case ndjpnladcallmjemlbaebfadecfhkepb (= the ID of the Office Online extension). Open the subdirectory representing the version of the extension. In the root of this directory you should find the file manifest.json. Open this file in your favorite text editor (e.g. Notepad). Search for the string update_url. Here you will find the update URL:

Now you have the values you need. Copy them together in one string and make sure to separate them using a semicolon (as shown in the beginning of this paragraph):

ndjpnladcallmjemlbaebfadecfhkepb;

In the following paragraph, you will enter this string in a Group Policy setting.

Configure the Group Policy setting to deploy the Chrome extension

Before you continue reading, please make sure that you have imported the Google Chrome ADMX files in your environment as described in the secti on Using Microsoft Group Policies (preferred) in the article Google Chrome on Citrix deep-dive.

To force-install extensions, open your Group Policy Management console (gpmc.msc) and go to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Google\ Google Chrome \ Extensions. Go to the setting Configure the list of force-installed apps and extensions and enable it.

Click the Show button and enter the string you created in the previous paragraph:

ndjpnladcallmjemlbaebfadecfhkepb;

Now the policy setting is configured. On the next Group Policy refresh the user will automatically receive the required extension. To summarize, this policy will automatically install one or more extensions for all users to whom the Group Policy applies. The installation is executed silently and without user interaction.

As stated in the previous paragraph, after the extension has been installed you will find it in the directory C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions.

Please be aware that when you remove the extension from the Configure the list of force-installed apps and extensions policy setting, the extension is automatically removed from Chrome for all users to whom the Group Policy applies.

Future updates of the extension are automatically installed through the update URL specified in the manifest file.

Unfortunately, I was not able to come up with a solution concerning the centralized management of Chrome extension settings. Some extensions come with additional options for the user to configure. As said, I was not able to find a way how to manage or configure these centrally.

Can you install Chrome extensions on Android? This question appears all the time both in our mailbox and online. Considering both Chrome and Android are created by Google, you would think you could use Chrome to its fullest potential. Unfortunately, Chrome extensions are not compatible with Androids’ Chrome browser.

With that out of the way, how can you use your favorite extensions on your mobile? Use another browser. There are dozens of browsers out there that work with Android so you’re not short of choice.

How to Use Chrome Extensions on Android

Chrome uses the open-source Chromium platform for its browsers but so does a lot of the competition. The easiest way to overcome the limitation of Chrome but still keep the familiar operation and be able to use any extensions you want on a desktop is to use a Chromium-based browser.

One of the more popular browser options is Yandex. This browser is available in the Google Play Store so there’s no need to sideload any files. Yandex also offers full support of the Chrome Web Store. If you want to use Chrome Extensions on your Android device this is a good place to start.

To access the Chrome Web Store, do this:

1. Head over to the Google Play Store and download Yandex.
   
2. Once installed, tap on the address bar at the top. Type in . Of course, you can also tap on this link.
   
3. When the Web Store opens, tap the search bar and type the extension you’d like to add. Note: Use two fingers to zoom out because you’ll likely see the desktop version.
   
4. Tap ‘Install’ in the upper right-hand corner.
   

Your extension will now appear in the web browser for you to use whenever you’d like. Some users have complained about Yandex because a lot of the content is in Russia. So, if this isn’t the browser you enjoy, we’ve listed others in the next section you can try.

Other Extensions

There are a bunch of them out there and some of them work with extensions. Here are some you might like to try.

Brave

Brave browser is a popular browser for desktop and Android users. First up, this browser doesn’t support extensions, but it doesn’t necessarily need them. It has built-in privacy controls and very effective adblocking. If you’re using extensions to stop ads or block autoplay videos, this browser does it by default.

If you use other extensions, Brave is probably not the browser you’re looking for but if you’re all about privacy, it is definitely one to consider.

Kiwi Browser

Kiwi Browser is another Chromium-based browser that does support extensions. Kiwi also has ad blocking built-in and works very fast. It’s a light download, installs quickly, and fires up fast too. It’s a good browser for general use and blocks most ads by default.

Once loaded, select the three dot menu icon, select Extensions and you’ll see a link to the Kiwi Web Store, which is in face the Google Play Store. Select your extension from there and you’re good to go.

Bromite Browser

Bromite Browser is a GitHub project with ad-blocking built-in. It is based on Chromium but has been stripped down to the bare minimum to speed up browsing and minimize data collection. As many of the extensions we use are for ad-blocking and to stop Google from collecting our data, this is also a browser worth checking out.

Bromite doesn’t quite meet the brief of working with extensions, but like Brave, the core offering includes most of the extensions we use on a daily basis anyway.

Firefox

Firefox is well known and for good reason. It has always been a close competitor to Chrome because it is equally fast, more secure and more interested in your privacy. It doesn’t have the backing of the internet giant but that hasn’t stopped it from performing exceptionally well.

Firefox for Android supports its own add-ons so offers a very similar experience on Android as it does on desktop. Most Chrome extensions will have a Firefox equivalent so if you have a favorite setup on your laptop or desktop, you can mimic it almost exactly on mobile.

Dolphin Browser

Dolphin Browser is another top performer for Android that supports add-ons. I have used it for years and while recent updates haven’t moved it as far forward as I would like, it’s still a solid Android browser that supports add-ons. It also has an ad blocker and works with Flash too. The internet has moved away from Flash thankfully but if you play any legacy games that use it, Dolphin will play them.

Dolphin works quickly, blocks most ads by default with only a few slipping through, and works exactly how you expect a browser to work. It’s well worth checking out.

It’s a real shame that Chrome doesn’t work with extensions in Chrome. Fortunately, you have several good options for alternative browsers that either work with extensions or provide the core services without needing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve included this section to answer more of your most frequently asked questions.

Where do I get Chrome Extensions from?

Typically you can get extensions for Chrome from the Chrome Web Store. But, the mobile version of the Chrome browser doesn’t have any. The search option isn’t even available for you to search for your favorite extensions. This is why we have to use alternative browsers. Some of those listed above do not offer extensions per se, but they do offer many of the features that you may look for in an extension.

What do Chrome Extensions do?

Chrome extensions are similar to the applications on your phone. There’s pretty much one for everything. For saving money with the Honey extension to perfecting your Grammar with Grammarly, there are a lot of options available. The home page of the Chrome Web Store lists some of the more popular options so if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, start there.

Do you have a suggestion for a Chrome alternative for Android? Tell us about it below if you do!