# Add Chrome extensions to Plexii's browser

> Add a Chrome extension from its unpacked folder so it runs in Browser widgets, the full-screen browser and connected apps. Turn it off or remove it any time.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/browser-extensions
Section: Settings and integrations > Connected apps and extensions
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

PlexiDesk's browser can run Chrome extensions. Add an extension once, and it works in every place PlexiDesk shows web pages: Browser widgets on your desks, the browser panel, the full-screen browser and your connected apps.

Extensions that change the pages you visit work well here: tools that tidy or restyle pages, fill in forms, block requests or add buttons to a site. Extensions whose whole purpose is their toolbar button are limited for now, as explained below.

## Before you start

- Browser extensions are on every plan, in the PlexiDesk desktop app.
- **You need the extension as an unpacked folder:** the folder that holds the extension's `manifest.json` file. PlexiDesk cannot install extensions from an online extension store, or from a packed `.crx` or `.zip` file.
- Only add extensions you trust. An extension can read and change the pages it runs on, including pages you are signed in to.

### Get an unpacked folder

- Extensions published as source code by their makers usually come as a folder, or as a `.zip` file you can unzip into one.
- If you build your own extension, use its folder directly.
- Open the folder and check that `manifest.json` is inside it, not in a folder below.

## Add an extension

1. Click the gear at the right-hand end of the header to open Settings.
2. Click the **Advanced** tab, and scroll to **Browser extensions**, below **Connected apps**.
3. Click **Add an unpacked folder…**.
4. In **Choose an unpacked extension folder**, pick the folder that contains the extension's `manifest.json`, and confirm.

The extension appears in the list with its name, version and folder, and it starts working straight away in pages you open from now on. Reload a page that was already open to use it there.

If the folder cannot be added, a message in red says why:

| Message | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **No manifest.json in that folder.** | Pick the extension's own folder, the one with `manifest.json` in it, not the folder above it, a `.crx` or a `.zip`. |
| **That manifest.json is not valid JSON.** or **That manifest has no name.** | The extension's files are damaged or incomplete. Get a fresh copy. |
| **That extension is already installed.** | It is already in the list. |
| **That folder does not exist.** | The folder was moved or deleted. Pick it again. |

## What works, and what does not

PlexiDesk lists this under **What works, and what does not** in the same section:

- **Works:** content scripts, which change the pages you visit; storage, so an extension remembers its settings; and request blocking.
- **Best with Manifest V2 extensions** for now. Manifest V3 extensions run, but their request-blocking rules are only partly supported.
- **Toolbar buttons and popups are not shown yet.** If an extension has one, its row says **This one has a toolbar button, which Plexii does not draw yet — its content scripts still run.**
- **Extensions that manage the browser itself,** such as bookmarks, history or identity, have no equivalent in PlexiDesk and do not work.

## Turn an extension off or on

Click **Disable** beside the extension. It stops running in new pages, and stays in the list. Click **Enable** to turn it back on.

## Remove an extension

Click the **×** beside the extension. Its tooltip says **Remove from Plexii — the folder on disk is left alone.** The extension is removed from PlexiDesk, and its folder stays on your computer, untouched.

## Keep your extensions

PlexiDesk remembers the extensions you added and loads them each time it starts. Keep each extension's folder where it is: PlexiDesk runs it from that folder. If you move or delete the folder, add it again from its new place.

## Common questions

**The extension does nothing on a page.** Reload the page. If it still does nothing, check that the extension is enabled, and whether its row says it has a toolbar button: an extension that only works through its button cannot be used yet.

**I added a connected app, and my extensions do not run in it.** A connected app added during this session picks up your extensions the next time you start PlexiDesk. Quit and reopen PlexiDesk.

**Can I install from the extension store?** No. PlexiDesk needs the extension's unpacked folder.

**Do extensions work in the web version of PlexiDesk?** No. The section says **Extensions need the desktop app.**

## Related

- [Browser widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-browser)
- [Add and use connected apps](https://plexiidesk.com/help/connected-apps)
- [Keep a site signed in on your desks](https://plexiidesk.com/help/browser-stay-signed-in)
- [Settings overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/settings-overview)