What is an add-on and what does it do?

Every browser can have its features expanded with add-ons. This allows the browser to be tailored precisely to your own needs by retroactively adding in features that the browser doesn’t normally have.

The following types of add-ons are the most popular at the moment:

• Language support, such as Google Translate, Grammarly, etc.
• Ad blockers such as AdBlock Plus or uBlock origin
• Online conference features such as Cisco Webex, Skype, Google Hangouts, etc.
• Social media tools, such as for Instagram, Pinterest, or others
• Video downloaders
• Website screenshot tools such as Fireshot, Evernote Web Clipper, etc.
• Password managers such as LastPass

Browser add-ons are usually called “extensions”, but this depends on the browser. They come from independent developers and are offered in browser-specific online stores.

Chrome

In Chrome, add-ons are called “Extensions”. You can get Chrome to show you your installed extensions by typing the following in the address bar:

You can install new extensions via the Chrome web store.

Firefox

You can find add-ons for Firefox in the Mozilla store.

You can look at your installed add-ons by typing the following into the address bar:

Opera

Opera also calls its add-ons “extensions”, and you can find them in the add-ons store

Microsoft Edge

You can also find the add-ons for Microsoft Edge in the add-on store.

Safari (Mac)

To find suitable extensions for Safari, you should go to Safari > Safari Extensions in the browser menu.

Strictly speaking, add-ons are a subtype of plug-ins, which are small programs that give extra features to the main program.

For browsers, however, a key difference exists between add-ons and plug-ins: plug-ins are compiled programs (executables) that are linked to the browser using an interface. Well-known examples of this are Adobe Flash Player or the Java plug-in. Many browsers provide support for plug-ins and will only allow add-ons or extensions to run if they work with standardized interfaces (APIs) and were programmed using strict, pre-defined standards and safety rules.