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8 of the best Google Chrome extensions to make your life easier

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By Richard Priday

Chrome is the biggest web browser. Use these extensions to get it to work for you

Chrome’s web store is full of little digital gadgets to help make your web browsing simpler, more productive, and more enjoyable. Here are our top eight extensions that tick those boxes and are all downloadable for free in a matter of moments.

LastPass

LastPass means you only have to remember one password to keep all your other login details together in one place. It will also help keep your other accounts secure by generating super secure passwords that it will fill in automatically as needed. There’s space for notes for offline information that you want to be well protected too. Install it here.

Colorzilla

When you simply have to know the precise hue of something online, Colorzilla’s eyedropper can check any pixel and tell you. You can then paste that colour’s data into another programme or adjust the values and save it within the extension for future reference. It’s an invaluable extension for digital design work. Get the extension here.

TinEye

When finding the source of a picture’s proving difficult, try TinEye’s reverse image search. It focuses on the closest possible matches instead of just similarity, making it useful for finding originals, higher resolution versions, or checking for online fakes. The extension itself makes searches available in only a couple of clicks. Install TinEye’s Chrome extension from here.

Unpaywall

For those who want to read academic papers without stumping up for subscription fees. As you look for research, this extension searches for free (and completely legal) versions of the same articles, and pops into view if it finds a match. A potential saver of both time and money. Get it here.

Save to Pocket/Instapaper

Either of these extensions will let you to save web pages and articles for reading on your synced devices later, even without an internet connection. Both have premium versions too, if you want to support the developers and get extra features in return. Get Pocket and Instapaper’s extension here.

The Great Suspender

It’s all too easy to open absurd numbers of tabs in your browser. The Great Suspender helps to manage your computer’s performance by stopping abandoned tabs until you click back on them. There is a lot of room for configuration too, the extension able to keep certain sites open indefinitely, or unload others after a shorter period of time. Install it here.

Backstop

It’s happened to all of us. One bad key press and you’re on the previous webpage and all the info you were just typing into that form has disappeared. This simple extension stops your backspace key from taking you to the previous page, saving you from wasted time and frustration. Get it here.

Feature Image Credit: WIRED / Google

By Richard Priday

Soured from WIRED

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In News

8 Ways to Stop Your Web Browser From Crippling Your Computer

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By David Nield.

Many of us spend most of our time on the web, but all too often browsing sessions can descend into a sprawling mess of memory-hogging, audio-playing tabs that bring your computer and your productivity to a shuddering halt.

It doesn’t have to be that way. These extensions and tricks can bring some simplicity back to your browsing.

1) Stick to one browser tab

Image: Screenshot

Tabbed browsing has changed the way we navigate the web, but the evolution hasn’t been all for the better. If the number of tabs you’ve got open at any one time is in the single figures then consider yourself lucky. OneTab for Chrome and Firefox does exactly what it says, limiting you to a single tab to keep you focussed and save system memory.

2) Keep your browser tabs in a queue

Image: Screenshot

If OneTab seems a bit on the draconian side for your needs, then we also like Tabs Limiter With Queue for Chrome. In this case the extension keeps your tabs in a queue rather than a list as OneTab does, so you don’t lose concentration but can still get around to other websites and pages when you’re ready. Tabs can still be opened as normal too, if needed.

3) Use a browser without tabs

Image: Screenshot

Those of you who’ve had enough of the tab management and just want to ditch that approach altogether might be interested in Colibri, a new browser that gets rid of tabs completely. When you find a webpage that you want to get around to later, you add it to a bucket called Links, rather than a tab, and you can call up your Links list at any time.

4) Use full-screen mode

Image: Screenshot

Most modern browser have a full-screen mode you can use to cut out distractions like other programs, menus, and shortcuts. On Chrome you can hit F11 (Windows) or Cmd+Ctrl+F (Mac) and on Firefox you can use F11 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+F (Mac). In Chrome, you can hide the tab and address bar too via the options on the View menu.

5) Streamline websites as you visit them

Image: Screenshot

Your standard webpage comes with a whole host of extra code besides the actual content, and uBlock Origin for Chrome and Firefox strips down sites to their most essential elements. It can block ads, but that’s only part of what it does, and it’s very customizable. Don’t forget to whitelist ad panels on sites you want to support, such as Gizmodo.

6) Use a read-it-later service

Image: Screenshot

Many of you will already have signed up to services such as Instapaper or Pocket, but if you haven’t, then now might be a good time to consider it. They keep longer reads safely saved away for when you’ve got time to get around to them, so your browsing isn’t interrupted. You can even catch up on dedicated mobile apps when your computer’s off.

7) Cut out distracting websites

Image: Screenshot

Maybe your problem is you’re just too easily distracted by the wonders of the web when you should be working on something that doesn’t involve Facebook, Twitter, or your favorite sports forum. If that’s you then again there are extensions to help: check out StayFocusd for Chrome or BlockSite for Firefox, both of which can be extensively customized.

8) Cut down on on-screen clutter

Image: Screenshot

Today’s browsers do a pretty decent job of keeping a minimalist aesthetic by themselves, but you can probably still do some tidying up if you open the extensions page in your browser of choice. Hide any useful extensions that don’t always have to be on view, and uninstall completely any add-ons that you don’t really need. Your browser will thank you.

By David Nield

Sourced from Gizmodo

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