Google Chrome is a popular browser choice for many individuals looking for a quick, innovative, and cross-platform browser for their mobile phones and computers. However, despite all of these amazing features and additions being added to Chrome, there’s nothing like the perfect extension to make sure that you are able to get the job that you want to get done completed. Browser extensions are a great way to personalize the browser experience and today we will take a look at 20 best Chrome browser extensions for Chrome users. Let us know in the comments below if there are any browser extensions you’ve found to be spectacular.
1. Awesome Snapshot Capture & Annotate
Awesome Snapshot Capture & Annotate allows you to take a screenshot of just your web browser, allowing you to not have to crop out the other aspects of your desktop when employing the Command+Shift+”3″ command on your Mac. Instead, Awesome Snapshot captures only the area you want, allowing you to take a screenshot of simply the whole browser or just a portion. In addition, you can add annotations to spice up your captures. When done, you can save onto your computer, Google Drive, or on the Awesome Snapshot website.
2. Clearly
Clearly for Google Chrome allows you to focus on the piece that you are reading online, regardless of if it is a news article, blog post, or other online literature. What sets Clearly apart from its competitors and counterparts, like Reader on Safari, is the ability for individuals to save their articles and other materials they find online to Evernote for later retrieval. This is ideal for students and writers who need to collect more than just hyperlinks for further research. You can also organize by tags, annotate, and even have Clearly read the literature back to you digitally.
3. Boomerang for Gmail
Emailing can be time consuming for many individuals who find that they have their head buried in their inbox for hours on end. From sending emails to ensuring their response in a timely manner, it can be too much to handle. Boomerang for Gmail hopes to alleviate a little bit of stress for their power Gmail users by allowing you to schedule an email to be sent. You can also have emails stay in a special folder for a certain period of time before being poured into your inbox, allowing you to handle them all at one time instead of sporadically.
4. Google Translate and Dictionary
This extension is a bit self explanatory if you are used to Google Translate, however instead of allowing you to add words you need translated to a certain language, Google Translate for Chrome translates full webpages. Simply click the extension button to the right of the address bar and Google Translate for Chrome will translate it either to English or any other language you choose that is supported by Google Translate. Google Dictionary allows you to either define terms you’ve highlighted on the webpage or those you enter by clicking the book icon to the right of the address bar.
5. EXIF Viewer
Have you ever seen an image online and instead of gawking at how beautiful it was, you wondered the exposure levels or the type of camera the photographer used. If so, EXIF Viewer is the application for Google Chrome that you have been looking for. This application allows individuals to find intricate information about any photo they come across online, down to the camera used, along with geolocation information if available. This is a great application for writers and individuals looking to improve their photography.
6. Ginger
Ginger is the proofreader that follows you throughout the web. From typing out an email to updating your Facebook status, Ginger is your grammar assistant there to double check your spelling and grammar. Along with correcting mistakes, Ginger improves your writing by proving clarity and condenser recommendations. Ginger is constantly updating and to add the icing on the cake, Ginger is multi-lingual, translating text in over 40 languages.
7. Evernote Web Clipper
While Clearly focused on changing the reading experience for individuals online, the same company hopes to revolutionize the research process for individuals online as well. Through Evernote Web Clipper, individuals are able to do similar things that you can with Clearly, including recording links and text found throughout the web. However, Web Clipper excels in the ability to pick parts of an article or page to save. For example, with one click, you can save a paragraph or a photo to your Evernote account. You can also save PDF documents you come across online directly to your Evernote account as well.
8. LastPass
Security and IT experts always stress that it is important to have separate passwords for the websites and services you used, in case of the possibility that one is compromised. However, it can frankly be difficult to remember every password, and I always find myself playing a guessing game every time I go on a website and forget the password. LastPass allows you to have separate passwords for the websites you used, but a master password to access them. This is requiring you to only need to remember one password to manage your passwords. You can also use this master password to hold payment options, documents, and more.
9. Buffer for Chrome
If you are a social media maven, this is the app for you. Buffer for Chrome allows you to share content across the various websites that you are on in one click. From there, you are able to analyze the reach of your shared post, allowing you to better know your audience and what they want to see and hear. Similar to other services, like Hootsuite, Buffer allows you to schedule posts as well across various platforms. This is truly a power user app that is approachable for the everyday user as well.
10. Bit.ly
Bit.ly is the service that shortens links to allow them to become sharable online. This is preferable on websites that have a character limit, like Twitter. However, it can be useful in the case of long URLs. Bit.ly on Chrome allows individuals to grab shortened links for the websites they are on, save websites they come across online, and even share them from the extension to Facebook and Twitter to track its click performance.
11. TinEye Reverse Image Search
As a writer, it is handy to know the original source of a photo. However, with the way web searches are organized, this isn’t always an easy feat. TinEye allows this to be an approachable process by simply requiring people to right-click any photo they come across, and allowing TinEye to perform a “reverse image search” across the web for images that are like the one you came across. TinEye gives you the number of results, variations of the image, various sizes of it found on the web, and more.
12. TooMany Tabs for Chrome
Passing the time on the web not only occupies your day, it can also occupy your tab space on your browser. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself with 10 open tabs, all with their own excuse as to why they shouldn’t be executed. However, you don’t have to necessarily quit your tabs. TooMany Tabs for Chrome is an extension that allows you to see all at once the tabs you have open, search through them, restore closed tabs, sort through various ways, and much more.
13. Lookup Companion
Lookup Companion for Wikipedia is a small tab extension that allows you to search anything on Wikipedia with a small popup window. Using cache, you can instantly get information on a topic of your choosing that is available on the web encyclopedia. You can look at your search history, create a separate full view tab to see the page in its natural habitat, and even view Wiki pages in various languages in Lookup Companion.
14. Feedly
If you are a regular Feedly user, this is the application for you. It doesn’t have a bunch of bells and whistles outside of what the website offers, however it allows regular users to have quicker access. There are a couple of UI adjustments that make it a worthy extension to add to your collection to stay on top of what’s happening around the web.
15. Readability
Another great reader extension that I find popular for those who aren’t Evernote users. In addition, Readability has an online companion website, allowing to ensure that your “reading list”, or saved webpages go with you wherever you go. Kindle capability is also a feature that sets this extension apart from the rest. Finally, Readability allows you to print pages, share them online, and make font and colour changes for an enjoyable read.
16. PrintPDF
If you find yourself having to print webpages regularly, or simply need them in a presentable PDF format, this is the extension for you. All you have to do is click the icon, press the “Convert to PDF” button, and your webpage is saved and ready for download.
17. Remember the Milk
Remember the Milk is the to-do list that we all know and love. On Chrome, you are able to organize your tasks and their due dates and categories. In addition, RTM for Chrome has sharing options for your tasks, add reminders, take advantage of keyboard shortcuts for extensive productivity, and more. Remember the Milk for Chrome is a sure-fire way to ensure that you’re on top of your to-do list.
18. Chrome Remote Desktop
Securely through an access code, this extension allows you to remotely access your computer through Chrome. You can set for it to be a short or long allowance for access. Chrome Remote Desktop is compatible on various systems, including Linux, Windows, and Mac.
19. Extensions
Now that you have all of these extensions to enjoy, here’s an extension to manage your extensions. With Extension Manager for Chrome, you are able to control which extensions are active, inactive, and are simply ready to be gotten rid of. In addition, you can sort the list to be viewed based on name, download time, and more. Extension Manager is the best way to gather control over your new found love of extensions for your Chrome browser.
Let us know in the comments below which Chrome browser extension is your favourite. If you have a recommendation for us, let us know in the comments below.
Featured photo credit: Free Stock Photos via freestockphotos.name
