7 lesser-known yet must have Google Chrome extensions

 7 lesser-known yet must have Google Chrome extensions

Here are our recommendations for the must-have extensions to supercharge your Chrome browser.

OCTOBER 20, 2021 / 12:05 PM IST

Google Chrome is one of the most used web-browsers across the world. Even though it is loaded with features and regularly updated, tons of enhancements are available for it via extensions. Here are our recommendations for the must-have extensions to supercharge your Chrome browser.

1. OneTab – One of the significant issues with Google Chrome is that it becomes a memory hog if you open multiple tabs - the more tabs you open, the sluggish it becomes. With the OneTab extension, you can ensure that Chrome works smoothly and you do not lose out on your open tabs. Once you click on the OneTab icon, it moves all of your open tabs into a single tab as a list. Then, you can click on the link in the list to open the tab instantly when required. This effectively reduces the memory consumption of Chrome by 90 percent, ensuring you get a smooth browsing experience.

2. AutoMute – Have you noticed that most websites now have annoying audio/video advertisements that start playing automatically at full volume? If you have multiple tabs open, at times, it's difficult to even find out which website is playing the audio to shut it down. The AutoMute extension is a lifesaver in this regard and one of our favourites. Once you install AutoMute, it automatically mutes audio from any website that you open. In addition, you can choose to Unmute the current tab or even add a website such as YouTube to a whitelist if you want to hear the audio.

3. Magical Text Expander – This extension lets you set up quick shortcuts for automatically typing in long sentences that you use regularly. For example, if you have a set of hashtags that you put with every post on Twitter or Facebook, you can insert them by using the shortcut instead of typing them every time. Similarly, you can create a shortcut with your contact details to avoid typing it every time. The extension works on the majority of the websites seamlessly. Once you install the extension, there is no limit on how many shortcuts you can create. Moreover, you can backup your shortcuts, search your shortcuts, and it even supports team sharing for added productivity.

4. Blur – If you are concerned about your privacy and security online, Blur is the extension you need to get. It offers a password manager that automatically generates and organizes strong passwords for you. It also gives you the option to mask your email to avoid getting spam/junk mails. Moreover, the extension also blocks web-trackers on any website you visit to protect them from tracking or collecting data. All of this is available in the free version of the extension. The premium version gives you the option to backup your data and the feature to mask your credit cards and phone number.

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5. Clipboard History Pro – This is another handy productivity extension to save time. As per its name, the extension keeps a history of any text that you copy. Once you click on its icon, it shows a list of any text you had copied, and from there, you can copy the text again to paste it, add it to your favorites for quick access, and edit it if required. You can even search for a particular text if you want and view the word count of the text to see if it's within the limit for some websites like Twitter. The extension also gives you the option to backup your clipboard history items if required.

6. uBlock Origin – While Adblock is a more known name for blocking unwanted ads, we prefer uBlock as it's less resource hungry and is entirely free to use. Once installed, it shows you how many ads it's blocked on the page, along with options to remove or hide any web page element. In addition, there is a large power button on the extension window to enable/disable blocking on the page. You can choose to hide/show a placeholder for blocked elements and set default behavior to block large media elements, block remote font, disable javascript or disable cosmetic filtering.

7. Checked Plus for Gmail - This is highly recommended if you are a heavy Gmail user. Instead of keeping a browser tab open with Gmail all the time, you can install this extension - it gives you a powerful preview box to view your incoming mails. Not only can you view your emails, but you can also reply to them from the preview box. In addition, you can use the extension with multiple Gmail accounts seamlessly, use keyboard shortcuts, and choose to be notified only for essential emails instead of all emails