Open a new tab, type chromewebstore.google.com, and you’re looking at the same catalog every Chrome install on earth pulls from. The Chrome Web Store is where extensions, themes, and the odd browser tool live — the official channel Google built for adding things to Chrome that Chrome doesn’t ship with by default. Whether you’re chasing a password manager, a grammar checker, or something that saves your open tabs before a crash wipes them out, this is the front door.
Most people use only a sliver of what’s here. They search, click Add to Chrome, and move on — fine for a one-off install. But the Chrome Web Store has categories, trust badges, permission tiers, and quirks across Chromebooks, Edge, Brave, and phones that are easy to miss until something goes wrong. This guide covers all of it, plus what to do about the one thing the store itself can’t protect: the tabs you already have open.
Quick Answer by Browser or Situation
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Chrome on Windows or Mac | Open chromewebstore.google.com, click Add to Chrome |
| Chromebook | Same Chrome Web Store, same button — see the Chromebook section below |
| Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi | Works the same way, with one extra confirmation dialog on Edge |
| Android or iPhone | The store only queues the extension for your desktop, via Add to Desktop |
| An extension looks risky | Check its permission tier, then run Chrome’s Safety Check |
| An extension stopped working | It may be a removed Manifest V2 listing — check chrome://extensions |
What Is the Chrome Web Store?
The Chrome Web Store is Google’s official site for customizing Chrome by adding extensions, themes, and a handful of standalone web apps. It lives at chromewebstore.google.com, and every extension you see there is meant for browser customization, not for something you buy in a physical sense. You install it, and it runs inside Chrome.
The homepage organizes listings into curated collections rather than a fixed, permanent taxonomy. As of September 2026 these have included groupings like Favorites, AI-assistant picks, tab and bookmark management tools, weather widgets, focus tools, sustainability-themed extensions, and even retro games — and Google rotates these seasonally, so what you see one month may differ the next. Themes live in a separate section of the store, chromewebstore.google.com/category/themes, distinct from the extensions listings, with its own collections such as official Color Themes by Chrome, dark themes, and seasonal or licensed-character themes.
Behind every listing sits a formal publishing pipeline: a developer prepares their files, registers a developer account, completes the store listing, submits for review, and only after Google reviews it does the extension appear publicly — updates and rollbacks go through the same channel. That review step is worth remembering, because it’s the baseline layer of trust the whole Chrome extensions store operates on, even before you get into badges or permissions. If you’re specifically trying to add an extension for the first time, the step-by-step walkthrough in our guide on how to add extensions to Chrome covers the install flow in more depth than we will here.
How Do I Install an Extension From the Chrome Web Store?
Click Add to Chrome on the listing page, then click Add extension in the confirmation dialog that follows. That’s the whole flow — two clicks, one dialog.
- Open the Chrome Web Store. Go to chromewebstore.google.com in Chrome.
- Find the extension. Search by name, or browse a category and open its listing page to read the description and check reviews.
- Click Add to Chrome. A permissions dialog appears, listing what access the extension is requesting.
- Click Add extension. This approves the dialog and finishes the install.
- Pin it to the toolbar (optional). Click the puzzle-piece Extensions icon in the toolbar, then click the pin next to the extension so its icon stays visible instead of hiding in the menu.
Once installed, an extension’s icon usually shows up in the toolbar automatically, though on a crowded toolbar it can end up tucked inside the puzzle-piece menu instead. Pinning is a small habit worth building. It’s the difference between reaching for a tool in one click and forgetting you installed it. If you’d rather have it run quietly in the background without a visible icon at all, that’s fine too; nothing in Chrome requires a pinned icon for an extension to function.
How Do I Find Trustworthy Extensions in the Chrome Web Store?
Look for the Featured and Established Publisher badges, read the permission level, and check whether the listing has a detailed description and real screenshots. Both badges are Google-awarded, not something a developer can buy, which makes them a reasonably reliable shortcut when you’re scanning a search results page full of similar-sounding tools.
The Featured badge goes to extensions that pass a manual review by the Chrome team for two things: following Chrome Web Store best-practice guidelines (an intuitive experience, current platform APIs, respect for user privacy) and having a clear, helpful listing with quality images and a detailed description. The Established Publisher badge works differently. It’s granted to the developer, not the extension, once Google verifies the publisher’s identity and confirms they’ve built a consistent, positive track record with Google’s services and policies. You’ll sometimes see both badges on the same listing, sometimes just one, sometimes neither.
Badges are a shortcut, not a guarantee. Neither badge means an extension is bug-free or perfectly maintained. It means Google reviewed the publisher or the listing quality specifically. Still worth checking, especially when two extensions in the chrome extensions store claim to do the exact same thing.
If something looks off after you’ve already installed it — a listing that changed hands, started requesting new permissions, or is straight-up misleading. You can report it directly. Open the listing, sign in, scroll to the bottom, and click Flag Issue, then fill out the form and submit; there’s a separate form for copyright or trademark complaints. Google states it will review the report and take necessary action, though it doesn’t publish a turnaround time.
Is It Safe to Install Chrome Web Store Extensions?
Chrome Web Store extensions go through a review process before publishing, and the store shows you a permissions dialog before every install so you know what you’re granting — but “reviewed” isn’t the same as “risk-free,” and the permissions themselves matter more than the star rating.
Google’s own help documentation breaks extension permissions into three risk tiers:
| Alert level | What it typically covers |
|---|---|
| High alert | Access to all data on your computer and all websites you visit |
| Medium alert | Access to specific websites, or to all websites, but narrower than “all data” |
| Low alert | Access to things like bookmarks, browsing history, open tabs, or location |
Google is explicit that the warning dialog “doesn’t mean the app is dangerous, just that it can be” — a high-alert extension might be completely legitimate and simply need broad access to do its job (a translator that works on every site, for instance). The tier system exists so you can decide whether the access matches what the extension is supposed to do, not to scare you off every install.
Run Safety Check periodically. Chrome’s built-in Safety Check can flag risky extensions after the fact. Open Chrome’s menu, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Safety Check, and click Go to Safety Check. It’ll surface anything worth a second look.
Enhanced Safe Browsing adds another layer, warning about potentially dangerous sites, downloads, and extensions — including ones Google hasn’t previously flagged. None of this replaces judgment: an extension that asks for far more access than its stated purpose needs is worth skipping, badge or no badge.
How Do I Manage, Disable, or Remove an Extension?
Open chrome://extensions to see every installed extension in one place, where you can toggle, remove, or inspect each one. This is Chrome’s dedicated management page, also reachable through the puzzle-piece Extensions icon and “Manage extensions,” or through the Chrome menu under More Tools.
- Disable or re-enable. On chrome://extensions, toggle the switch on the extension’s card.
- Remove entirely. Right-click its toolbar icon and choose Remove from Chrome, or click Remove on its card and confirm.
- Adjust site access. Open its Details page and choose between running only when you click it, on specific sites you list, or on all sites.
- Allow in Incognito. From the same Details page, turn on Allow in incognito if you want it active in private windows.
- Set a custom keyboard shortcut. Visit chrome://extensions/shortcuts to view or remap the shortcut for any installed extension.
A developer can suggest up to four keyboard shortcuts for their extension, but you’re not stuck with their defaults — the shortcuts page lets you remap or add your own. If you’re managing a handful of extensions and want a faster reference for setting these up, our guide to Chrome extensions shortcut keys walks through it in more detail. And if you’re trying to clean up a toolbar that’s grown out of control, managing Chrome extensions covers the broader housekeeping routine.
Does the Chromebook Web Store Work the Same Way as Chrome on a PC?
Yes — a Chromebook installs extensions from the exact same Chrome Web Store, using the same Add to Chrome button, as Chrome on Windows or Mac. There’s no separate “Chromebook web store” with a different catalog; it’s the identical site and the identical install flow.
Where a Chromebook differs is in what else it can install. ChromeOS also supports Android apps through the Google Play Store, which is a completely separate install surface from browser extensions — Google’s own Chromebook help documentation lists “Add extensions” and “Install & use Android apps on your Chromebook” as two distinct topics, not one combined flow. Worth knowing if you’re troubleshooting why something you installed doesn’t show up where you expect it.
A couple of situational limits are worth flagging too. Guest mode on a Chromebook has no Play Store access at all — apps simply can’t be installed while browsing as a guest, though Chrome Web Store extensions may still work depending on the device’s configuration. And if your Chromebook is managed by a school or workplace, an administrator can restrict which extensions and apps are available, monitor activity, and control device settings generally; some managed devices also disable Guest mode entirely. If extensions you expect to see are missing, that’s the first thing worth checking with whoever manages the device — not a fault in the store itself. Our dedicated Chromebook extensions guide goes deeper on adding, removing, and troubleshooting extensions on ChromeOS specifically.
Can I Use the Chrome Web Store on Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi?
Yes — Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi are all Chromium-based and can install Chrome Web Store extensions directly, though each has its own small wrinkle in the install flow. None of them require a separate Chrome extensions store account or a different catalog; you’re browsing the same chromewebstore.google.com listings.
- Edge. Edge has its own Add-ons store at microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons, but it can also install from the Chrome Web Store. The first time you do, a dialog appears with an “Allow extensions from other stores” toggle you need to turn on before the install proceeds.
- Brave. Brave states plainly that any extension found in the Chrome Web Store will also work in Brave — no extra toggle. Its own Shields feature already blocks ads and trackers by default, so Brave’s guidance notes you generally won’t need a separate extension-based ad blocker on top of it.
- Opera. Opera runs Chrome extension (CRX) files natively and has its own store at addons.opera.com. Installing from the Chrome Web Store just needs a click on “Add to Opera” — no separate helper extension required.
- Vivaldi. Vivaldi’s own help docs confirm Chrome Web Store extensions install directly: browse the store and click “Add to Vivaldi.” Reach Vivaldi’s extensions page via Tools, Extensions, or by pressing Ctrl + Shift + E, or by typing vivaldi://extensions.
Vivaldi is worth a specific note: its help documentation cautions that store extensions “may occasionally behave differently” there than in Chrome itself, since Vivaldi adds its own interface layer on top of the shared Chromium engine. That’s usually a minor cosmetic difference rather than a functional break, but it’s why testing a new extension briefly after install is a reasonable habit regardless of which Chromium browser you’re on. If you’re deciding between these browsers in the first place rather than which store to use, our Vivaldi browser page and Brave browser page cover the broader comparison.
What Happened to the Google Translate Extension in the Chrome Web Store?
The Google Translate extension still exists in the Chrome Web Store, but full-page translation moved out of it and into Chrome itself. The listing’s own description confirms this directly: “Page translation is now supported natively in Chrome browsers and is no longer supported in the Google Translate extension.”
That leaves the standalone extension with a narrower job — translating text you highlight and select, rather than an entire page. For whole-page translation, Chrome now handles it without any extension at all: on a page in a different language, an icon appears on the right side of the address bar offering to translate, or you can right-click anywhere on the page and choose “Translate to [your language].” You can also right-click a highlighted selection specifically and choose “Translate selection to [language]” if you only want part of a page translated.
All of this is controlled from one settings screen (Settings, then Languages, then Google Translate) which includes a master on/off toggle, a default target language, a list of languages to automatically translate, and a list of languages to never offer translation for. If you’re weighing whether to keep the extension installed at all given how much moved into Chrome’s core, our comparison of the Google Translate extension versus Chrome’s built-in translate breaks down exactly when each one still earns a place in your toolbar.
Why Can’t I Install Extensions on My Phone?
You can’t install extensions on Chrome for Android or iPhone because mobile Chrome doesn’t run them at all — the extensions system simply isn’t built into those versions of the browser. Open the Chrome Web Store on a phone and you’ll see an “Add to Desktop” option instead of “Add to Chrome”; tapping it queues the extension so it installs automatically the next time you open Chrome on a computer signed into the same account.
This isn’t unique to Chrome, but the details vary by browser and platform:
- Firefox for Android installs extensions from addons.mozilla.org directly — Mozilla opened the full AMO catalog to Firefox for Android in December 2023, so mobile Firefox is genuinely capable here in a way mobile Chrome isn’t.
- Firefox for iOS doesn’t support add-ons at all, a limitation of Apple’s rules for iOS browsers rather than a Mozilla choice.
- Safari on iPhone gets extensions from the App Store instead of a browser-native store — tap Browse Extensions to find them, then enable each one at Settings, Apps, Safari, Extensions.
- Samsung Internet supports extensions on Galaxy phones and tablets, installed through the Galaxy Store rather than any browser-vendor store.
- Kiwi Browser, an Android browser that could run genuine Chrome Web Store extensions, was discontinued and pulled from Google Play in early 2025 — if you were relying on it, there’s no direct official replacement with the same capability.
Kiwi Browser is gone. If a guide or forum post still recommends Kiwi Browser for Android extensions, it’s outdated. It was discontinued in early 2025, and Chrome for Android still doesn’t run extensions as of September 2026.
For a fuller rundown of what does and doesn’t work across phones, see our guide to Chrome extensions on mobile.
How Do I Make Sure My Extensions and Tabs Survive an Update or Crash?
You can’t fully control this through the Chrome Web Store (extension changes and browser crashes both happen outside its reach) so the real answer is backing up your tabs separately, with something that doesn’t depend on any single extension staying installed. The store itself has already demonstrated how abruptly a shift can land: Manifest V2 extensions began showing deprecation warnings in mid-2024, were disabled by default across all channels by March 2025, stopped running entirely as of Chrome 138, and had their remaining listings permanently removed from the store on August 31, 2026. If you were relying on an MV2-only tool, it simply stopped working — no extension, and no store, was going to hand your open tabs back to you when that happened.
Extensions manage tools, not your open tabs. Even a well-reviewed, Featured-badged extension from the Chrome extensions store generally isn’t built to protect the actual browsing session you’re mid-way through. A crash, a forced update, or a browser reinstall can still take forty open tabs down with it unless something is specifically saving them.
BelayTab exists for exactly this. It’s a free extension (also from the Chrome Web Store) that saves your open tabs as named sessions with one click or Ctrl + Shift + S (Cmd + Shift + S on Mac), and separately saves a snapshot of every open window on its own every 5 minutes and whenever a window closes, without you doing anything. Tab groups, pinned tabs, and their order are preserved. There’s no account required, no limit on sessions or tabs, and a single Recovery screen that pulls together snapshots, deleted sessions, your browser’s own recently closed windows, and any export files you’ve made — so you’re not hunting across three different menus after something goes wrong. It requests no host permissions and never reads what’s on the pages you visit; nothing leaves your computer unless you turn on the optional paid Sync feature.
BelayTab doesn’t fix a browser crash or freeze itself, and it can’t recover tabs from before it was installed. It’s not a repair tool. What it does is make sure that whatever tabs you had open keep existing somewhere, independent of any single extension’s fate. You can install it the same way as anything else in the Chrome Web Store, from the download page, and it works the same way across Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc, Firefox, and Safari on Mac.