Are browser extensions safe? How do I check mine?
Most extensions from the official store are fine, but each one can see whatever its permissions allow, sometimes every page you open. Check your list now and then, remove anything you don't use or don't remember adding, and ask whether each one's access matches its job.
An extension is a small add-on that lives inside your browser, like an ad blocker or a coupon finder. A warning like "Read and change all your data on all websites" means it can see everything on every page, including emails, bank balances and what you type into forms. An ad blocker truly needs that. A coupon tool usually doesn't.
Good extensions can also turn bad. A trusted add-on can be sold to a new owner or hacked, then pushed out as an update. Stars and reviews don't prove it's still safe. Fewer extensions means fewer chances for trouble. In Chrome and Edge you can also limit an extension to run only when you click it, or only on certain sites.
- Chrome or Edge: open the menu, choose Extensions, then Manage extensions
- Click Details to read each one's permissions and site access
- Firefox: open Add-ons and themes. Safari on a Mac: Safari, Settings, Extensions
- Remove any you don't use or don't recognize
- Set rarely used ones to run only on click
How secure is your computer overall? Take the 2-minute checkup →
What Extensions Can See
From the Extensions: Helpful or Harmful course. Read extension permissions in plain words and limit where each one works.