If you use the Internet for work, school or even just entertainment, your life is probably more complicated than it needs to be. Google’s Chrome Browser has literally thousands of extensions that can streamline your web surfing experience. Here’s a list of Chrome extensions that you should definitely try out.
1. Earth View
Earth View gives you random satellite images from Google Earth every time you open the new tab page. It also tells you the location, so you can take a virtual cruise around the world whenever you need a break from the daily grind. Of the many ‘New Tab’ page extensions, Earth View is definitely one of our favorites.
2. Lazarus
You’ve been filling out that online scholarship application for hours, and by mistake you suddenly hit the back button on your browser! If you have Lazarus, you’ve got nothing to fear. Lazarus automatically saves your webform inputs, so no more accidentally losing all your work!
3. Save Text to Google Drive
Save Text to Drive is one of the most popular Google Drive extensions. If you see a news article that you want to read later on, this extension allows you save the text to your Drive so you can read it at your leisure. Best of all, you won’t be bombarded by videos and banner ads when you read.
4. Pixlr
For the budding graphic designer, Pixlr lets you edit just about any image you come across on the Internet. It’s a great tool for cropping your ex-es out of all your Facebook pics.
5. Black Menu
Black Menu is a small pop-up window in the corner of your browser that gives you access to Gmail, Youtube, Google Maps and your Drive while viewing other web pages and performing other tasks. This extension let’s you keep an eye on your email while reading a news article or watching video while doing online data entry. You can also dig through your Drive files without having to maintain multiple open tabs.
6. AdBlock Plus
Everyone loves AdBlock, except for the people trying to make money through online advertising. It prevents pop-ups and cuts out ads from Youtube videos. Some websites will not function with Ad Block enabled, but it can be turned off for specific pages with only a couple of mouse clicks.
7. Simple = Select + Search
When you highlight any text and right click, you’ll be given the option to search for the text string on Google, IMDB, Wikipedia, Facebook and other websites. This feature makes researching unfamiliar topics easier than ever.
8. Currently
For those of you who spend all day inside on your computers, Currently provides the two most important pieces of information you need to know: the time and the weather. Constantly being reminded of how sunny it is outside might encourage you to cut back on your Wikipedia binges and all those Facebook games you’re always playing.
9. Hide YouTube Comments
When watching videos online, you probably don’t care all that much about what other people think of them. This extension is great for parents who let their kids play on their computer as it allows them to enjoy videos while being shielded from the nastiness some people are apt to spew on the Internet.
10. Hola Better Internet
This extension is particularly handy for people traveling to many different countries. Hola Better Internet allows you to bypass geographical firewalls, meaning you can watch Netflix even if you’re in a country that blocks it. It also has enormous potential to bypass government censorship in those parts of the world where certain internet activities are often suppressed, which is why it’s also know for making the internet a better place.
Featured photo credit: …not to intervene when it came to you… by liquene via imcreator.com
