How to Install Browser Extensions Manually

Step-by-step guide to sideload extensions from ZIP files when they're not available on the Chrome Web Store.

1

Download the ZIP

Go to the extension's GitHub Releases page and download the latest .zip file.

2

Unzip the file

Extract the ZIP to a permanent location. Right-click the file → Extract All (Windows) or double-click (macOS). Remember this folder — you'll need it later.

📁Extracted folder containing manifest.json and extension files
3

Open chrome://extensions

Type chrome://extensions into the address bar and press Enter.

🌐Chrome address bar with chrome://extensions
4

Enable Developer Mode

Toggle "Developer mode" on — the switch is in the top-right corner of the Extensions page.

🔧Developer mode toggle highlighted in top-right corner
5

Click "Load unpacked"

A new toolbar appears with several buttons. Click "Load unpacked".

📦Load unpacked button in the extensions toolbar
6

Select the unzipped folder

A file dialog opens. Navigate to and select the folder you extracted in step 2 (the one containing manifest.json), then click Select Folder.

📂File picker showing the extension folder selected
7

Done! 🎉

The extension icon appears in your toolbar and on the Extensions page. Pin it for quick access by clicking the puzzle piece icon → Pin.

✅Extension loaded successfully with icon visible in toolbar
1

Download and unzip the extension

Same as Chrome — download the ZIP from GitHub Releases and extract it to a permanent folder.

2

Open edge://extensions

Type edge://extensions into the Edge address bar and press Enter.

🌐Edge address bar with edge://extensions
3

Enable Developer Mode

Turn on "Developer mode" using the toggle on the left sidebar (or top-right, depending on your Edge version).

🔧Developer mode toggle in Edge
4

Click "Load unpacked"

Click "Load unpacked" and select the extracted folder containing manifest.json.

📦Load unpacked button in Edge extensions
5

Done! 🎉

The extension is now installed. Pin it from the extensions menu for easy access.

💡 Tip: Microsoft Edge can also install extensions directly from the Chrome Web Store. Just visit the store in Edge and click "Add to Chrome" — Edge will handle the rest.
1

Download the XPI or ZIP

From the extension's GitHub Releases, download the .xpi file (preferred) or the .zip file.

2

Open about:addons

Type about:addons in the address bar, or press Ctrl+Shift+A (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+A (macOS).

🧩Firefox Add-ons Manager page
3

Click the gear icon → "Install Add-on From File"

On the Extensions tab, click the gear ⚙️ icon and select "Install Add-on From File…". Then browse to the downloaded .xpi file.

⚙️Gear menu with "Install Add-on From File" option
4

Confirm installation

Firefox may show a permission prompt. Review the permissions and click "Add" to confirm.

5

Done! 🎉

The extension is now active. You can manage it from the Add-ons Manager.

🔧 Advanced: Developers can also use the web-ext CLI tool to temporarily load extensions during development:
npm install -g web-ext
web-ext run --source-dir ./extension-folder

Troubleshooting

Extension not showing up

Permissions issues

Updates

Extensions by Chesten223

Screenity Plus

Screen recorder & annotation tool

Vocab Flow

Smart vocabulary builder

Tab Forge

Advanced tab management

Mark Later

Read-later bookmark manager

Clip Snip

Web content clipper

Focus Guard

Distraction blocker & focus timer

Dark Lens

Smart dark mode for any site

Form Ghost

Auto-fill forms securely