Chrome Extensions to Boost Productivity
While using Chrome extensions can help improve workflow, using too many extensions can reduce performance and result in lags. Especially if your system is not powerful enough. We recommend installing only those extensions that you need and disable them when not in use with the help of extension managers.
1. Hoverzoom+ | Quickly Preview Images Without Clicking
Hoverzoom+ has been an incredibly important part of my Google Chrome experience as it offers an intuitive way of previewing images on the internet. I browse through a ton of images on the internet while looking for stock images and mockups. Hoverzoom+ lets me fetch a full-sized preview and opens it on top of the website, just by hovering over the link. Naturally, this saves me a ton of clicks and I don’t need to open multiple tabs. It’s a must-have. Add Hoverzoom+ to Chrome
2. Zoom Scheduler | Schedule Zoom Meetings
Zoom Scheduler is a handy Chrome productivity extension that allows you to schedule meetings and sync events with Google Calendar. The idea is to get a seamless notification on your devices as you would if you were to use Google Meet. Not only the extension would let you schedule a meeting for yourself, but others as well. And there are even more Zoom extensions that power users can explore. Add Zoom Scheduler to Chrome
3. Sauron | Dark Mode for Google Chrome
The problem with most dark mode Chrome extensions is that you just get an inverted webpage where white is replaced with black and so on. Also, images remain the same and that’s why those extensions don’t actually offer a good experience. However, Sauron offers an option to dim the images along with inverting the text and webpage background. It’s better than most Chrome extensions. Add Sauron to Chrome
4. INSSIST | Post to Instagram from Desktop
Instagram is a mobile-first app so much so that there’s isn’t an official app for iPad either. However, you can browse Instagram on desktop but can not upload posts from it. Inssist Chrome extension gives you a mobile interface on a desktop browser with all the features such as posting photos, IGTV, downloading posts, and dark mode. If you’re an Instagram professional who needs to manage your social media on the desktop, Inssist is a decent option for Instagram. Add INSSIST to Chrome
5. Minimal Twitter | Remove Clutter from Twitter
While Twitter is the exact opposite of productivity, I still get the latest updates from reliable sources and most news breaks on Twitter first. I have found the culprit to be the Twitter trends section which bombards you with trends that you don’t even want to know about. Minimal Twitter is a nifty Chrome extension that removes all the unnecessary sections such as Trends, who to follow, etc. After installing the extension, all you get is a nice and clean feed so that you don’t drift off. If you like using Twitter on Chrome, check out these Chrome extensions for Twitter. Add Minimal Twitter to Chrome
6. Meet Chat Notifications | Get Text-Style Notifications On Google Meet
Google Meet is just as popular as Zoom and is used by thousands of users worldwide. However, one legit problem that I found with Google Meet is that you don’t get any notifications of the Chats. If you don’t open the Chat tab, you won’t know of any messages. That’s where Meet Chat Notifications comes to the rescue, it fetches all the latest chat messages and sends those as a Text notification. It’s really convenient and you should check out other Chrome extensions made for Google Meet. Add Meet Chat Notifications to Chrome
7. Volume Control for Chrome | Mute a Tab on Chrome
Chrome has removed the option to mute individual tabs and you can only mute a particular site now. This was a complaint by so many users that it gave birth to this extension. You can not only mute individual tabs on Google Chrome, but can also control the volume of each tab. Add Volume Control for Chrome to Chrome
8. Google Results Previewer | Hover to Preview a Webpage
Just like Hoverzoom+, I use Google Results Previewer to preview links without opening countless tabs. It sits neatly on the extensions area and you just need to hover over any Google results link to load the page. It comes in handy when you need to quickly gloss over a number of results for your work or assignment. Add Google Results Previewer to Chrome
9. Google Keep Chrome Extension | Add Stuff to Google Keep Directly
Google Keep is a fantastic note-taking app for users who rely on Google apps. It’s fast, lets you take notes in different formats, and deeply integrates with Google apps. With this Chrome extension for Keep productivity, you can quickly add any page to Google Keep from the right-click menu. Whether it’s a webpage, text, or an image, you can save those to Google Keep in a jiffy. You should also check out the Chrome extensions for Google apps if you use them extensively. Add Google Keep Chrome Extension to Chrome
10. Boomerang | Schedule your Email on Gmail
Gmail, despite being one of the most popular email services in the world, doesn’t let you schedule emails. There are Gmail Chrome extensions that solve problems like these but we like Boomerang that can schedule Gmail emails. Not only you can schedule an email, but the extension also shows if the email was opened and read by the recipient. Boomerang lets you schedule 10 emails per month in the free plan but you can subscribe for $4/month for unlimited schedules. Add Boomerang for Gmail to Chrome
11. Prioritab | Visualize the Day
There are days when I am left wondering how quickly the hours went by. Proritab is a Chrome extension to manage new tabs. It shows information such as the current date and time, a percentage of the day elapsed, etc. The productivity extension for Chrome also shows a to-do list that’s minimal and sleek looking. Add Prioritab to Chrome
12. GoFullPage | Capture Full Page Screenshots
All desktop OS have their own way of capturing screenshots natively. For example, macOS has CMD+Shift+4 and Windows has Win+Shift+S keyboard shortcut. However, none of the OS can take a full-page screenshot of a webpage. GoFullPage is a Chrome extension that lets you capture an entire webpage with a click of a button. Once it starts capturing, wait for it to finish, and then you can simply download the PDF with the screenshot inside. We have talked about Chrome extensions that bring more features to the table when it comes to taking screenshots. Add GoFullPage to Chrome
13. FocusMe | Pomodoro for Google Chrome
Pomodoro is one the most effective productivity strategies out there and FocusMe puts a Pomodoro Timer right in your Chrome browser. It’s got a simple interface where you can adjust both your work time and break time. Once the timer begins, you begin work and receive a notification when it’s time to take a break. Add FocusMe to Chrome
14. Time Your Web | Track Your Internet Usage
Tracking time on Chrome with extensions can be an effective way of accurately managing time but Time Your Web is a little different. Instead of logging your productivity, it measures the time spent on websites. If you have multiple tabs open, it would only count time for active tabs or one that you have currently open. You can export the data collected by the productivity extension in a Flow chart, stack chart, and summary. Add Time Your Web to Chrome
15. Grammarly | Fix Your Grammatical Mistakes in Chrome
Grammarly is truly one of the most important Chrome extensions for productivity one must have at all times. It’s lightweight, doesn’t interfere with websites or apps, and only suggests possible mistakes that you have made in your email or essay. I say this as a writer that you can never proofread your work enough and Grammarly would surely make it a lot easier. It’s free with limited features and costs $12/month. Add Grammarly to Chrome
16. StayFocusd | Block out Distractions on Chrome
Blocking unnecessary distractions on Chrome gets really simple with StayFocusd. It’s a Chrome extension designed to keep you focused and block out distractions with a single mouse click. It’s fully customizable and you can choose active days, active hours, daily reset time, blocked or allowed sites, and a nuclear option. The good thing about the extension is that you don’t need to manually open each site to block it as it already lists all the usual suspects. Add StayFocusd to Chrome
Which Is Your Favorite Chrome Extension for Productivity
These are some of the Chrome extensions that I really appreciate exist. All of the extensions aim to boost your productivity by improving your existing workflow. StayFocusd and Hoverzoom+ are absolutely essential to my workflow. How about you? What are your favorite Chrome extensions for productivity? Let me know on Twitter.
