DESPITE THE GROWING popularity of smartphones and apps, a large proportion of our time is spent using desktop computers and browsers to get our work done or to pass the time.
With this, the popularity of browser plugins and extensions, adding additional features and services to your browser, have continued to grow in popularity, with the biggest ones like Chrome having their own stores.
While there are many to choose and download, which ones should you be looking at first. Here’s a small selection to get you started.
Disconnect
For: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera
If you’re cautious about sites tracking what you do, Disconnect is a handy way of blocking these sites and offering you more control over who sees what.
Feedly
For: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera
One of the best RSS readers out there, Feedly presents articles in a magazine format, allowing you to catch up on the news. It can also act as a chronological news feed too if that works better for you.
Click and Clean
For: Chrome, Firefox
If you want to clean your browsing history in one go (and then some), this plugin will do just that.
Duolingo
For: Chrome
The language learning app also has a plugin and it’s just as good as the mobile version. Using the same methods as the app, it’s a handy way of quickly brushing up on a new language when you have five minutes to spare.
Pocket
For: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer (bookmarklet)
An essential plugin (and app) for those who find interesting articles, but want to read them later.
TooManyTabs
For: Chrome, Firefox
If you have, em, too many tabs open, this plugin will help you manage them and ensure you’re not left overwhelmed looking for specific pages.
Lazarus
For: Chrome, Firefox, Safari
If you’re working on a document or filling out a long form and your browser crashes, Lazurus is able to restore your work so you don’t have to go through the whole process again.
Flashblock
For: Chrome, Firefox
If you find your browser slowing down or crashing because of flash, downloading this will disable all flash content on a page.
Ghostery
For: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera
Another essential plugin for those who are concerned about their privacy online, Ghostery shows you who’s tracking your activity and gives you more info about them, and telling you how to opt-out or block what they’re doing.
This password manager remembers everything for you. All you need is one master password and LastPass will allow you to access any accounts that require signing in to.
Google Dictionary
For: Chrome
Instead of having to use Google’s address bar to figure out what a word means, Google Dictionary gives you the definition any time you double-click on a word.
DownThemAll
For: Firefox
DownThemAll is essential for those who want to download everything they see from a web page. The plugin presents you with links, images and other content and lets you download them all or a selection.
PanicButton
For: Chrome, Firefox
One the off-chance that you need to close all tabs immediately, PanicButton hides all of them in one fell swoop, and saves them as bookmarks. When the coast is clear, clicking it again will restore everything.
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