Four Browser Extensions We Love
Browser extensions “extend” the functionality of your browser. While too many can bog down your browser, the right ones can make a big difference in your browsing experience. Here are four extensions we use and recommend, along with a short description and a download link for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
1. uBlock Origin (The “Silence the Noise” Tool)
If you only install one thing today, make it this one. Unlike some “ad blockers” that actually sell your data or let some ads through, uBlock Origin is completely free, open-source, and incredibly lightweight.
Ublock Origin (and uBlock Origin Lite) strip away those blinking, blinding banners, pop-ups, and—best of all—those annoying 30-second ads before YouTube videos.
It makes pages load faster because your computer doesn’t have to download all that advertising “junk.”
Download Links
2. Dark Reader (Save Your Eyes!)
Ever open a website at night and feel like you’re staring directly into the sun? Dark Reader fixes that instantly by giving every website a “Night Mode.”
Dark Reader transforms bright white websites (such as Wikipedia or news sites) into dark gray or black backgrounds with white text.
You can adjust the brightness and contrast yourself. It’s a lifesaver for those of us who are getting older and have trouble reading the black text on bright screens.
OneTab (For those who don’t like closing tabs)
We’ve all been there: you start with one tab, and an hour later, you have 30 open, and your computer is starting to slow down.
Once you install OneTab and you click the OneTab icon, it instantly “shrinks” all your open tabs into a single, neat list on one page.
We like it because it saves up to 95% of your computer’s memory (RAM) instantly. Whenever you want to go back to a page, just click it from the list. It’s like a pause button for browsing.
OneTab for Chrome
OneTab for Edge
OneTab for Firefox
4. Grammarly Free Version (A Digital Proofreader)
Even the best writers make typos. Grammarly sits quietly in the corner of your browser and watches while you type emails, Facebook posts, or comments.
Grammarly underlines spelling and grammar mistakes in red. Just hover your mouse over the word, and it suggests the fix.
We love it because it works inside almost every website and many online apps. It will help you make sure your writing is the best it can be.
Grammarly for Chrome
Grammarly for Edge
Grammarly for Firefox
I’ve used Grammarly for years and it really helps during those long writing days. Windows added their version, but I rarely see it.
I’m going to try two of your suggested extensions, One Tab sounds interesting and uBlock Origin will get a test.
Thanks for being there. I hope you got a good word from Punxsutawney Phil. I know you need some weather help there in Michigan.
I used uBlock Lite to work with Chrome, however I found that I had to disable it so many times because it blocked a page that opened in a new tab. I finally couldn’t live with this annoyance anymore, and had to remove it from my extensions.