The popularity of Google Chrome has soared in recent years; earning it the mantle of one of the most well used and liked Web browser options available worldwide. Low clutter and a distinctive, professional look have contributed to the desirability, as well as important current components such as the ability to sync with mobile devices. This popular and well-known service can however be honed to suit your preferences more closely with the use of a Google Chrome extensions.
Chrome extensions can be used to add functionality to your browser; an extension could for example make it easier to integrate other services by attaching websites or note-taking tools. An extension could also grant the ability to condense multiple tabs into a single tab, or for the ability to modify content, such as locating and alerting you to cheapest options when purchasing online.
There is an even an extension included in this list that will help to keep easily distracted people glued to the task at hand, instead of straying away to frivolously spend valuable time.
Unshorten.link
Unshorten.link works by expanding those links that do not display the full address, meaning that on sight you cannot be certain of the actual destination that the link will take you to.
Not only does this make a link easier to use and work with, but it also has a security benefit, as those mysterious looking links could potentially misdirect a user to a hostile cyber environment.
Content from our partners
The software goes further in the security department than to simply shorten the link, but it actually screens a link to some extent, notifying the user of the extension if a Web destination is associated with tracking cookies or malware. The extension will remove known tracking cookies from the URL itself.
If these are problems you notice you have suffered from as a Google Chrome user, Unshorten.link is available to download online for free.
Save to Google Drive
Google Drive is a service launched in 2012 that allows users to store files in the cloud, and also to synchronise files across separate devices. This platform also allows users to share files.
Save to Google Drive is exemplary of a simple extension, and it does what it says on the tin. Using a right-click menu, the user is armed with the ability to efficiently save HTML 5 audio, video, images and web pages directly to the cloud. After the files are saved, the user can go and manipulate the location and the format.
The extension has been credited for working seamlessly for moving files between the Drive and other destinations. Using the service is comparable to taking a screenshot, but instead of just the image within the confines of the screen, the entire page is saved.
Do you get distracting by social media? Strict Workflow may be the extension for you
Strict Workflow
Have you ever found yourself with a limited amount of time to complete a task online, but regardless of that you get drawn down the slippery social media slope? Social media is one of a group of notorious time parasites due to our low will power, so Strict Workflow is ready to combat this issue.
Strict Workflow is based on enhancing productivity by allowing the user to choose to limit themselves from the pitfalls in which they end up wasting such valuable time. The extension works by putting in place a 25-minute timer that will block YouTube and Facebook for example. After the time is up the easily distracted user is rewarded with a 5 minute break.
This extension works like the Pomodoro Technique brought about in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo; a productivity technique in which a timer is used to segment work periods. This adds reassurance that the technique behind the extension is real, and that it can perhaps work even more effectively on a device.
There may doubters among you think it would be too easy to get around this defence against mind-numbing time wasting, but it really cannot be stopped.
OneTab
OneTab would be extremely useful if you are a Web user that often has multiple windows open at once. This can quickly weigh down the experience of browsing, and that is where this extension comes in.
The extension compresses multiple tabs down into a single tab page, within which all of the open pages will be contained and visible. When the tabs are compressed into the single page they can be cleared from the browser, but still returned to at will if they are needed again imminently.
Users of the extension have the option of pinpointing certain pages to restore, or instead they can all be restored at once. A further option the extension allows is to export these tabs into a list of URLs or web page if there is a need to share them.
Closing tabs is also made very straight forward and simple to control, as hovering over a list item with the cursor will bring up will bring up a cross, akin to the kind you would use to close a window.
Hiver
This one would come in handy in a work environment, or simply if you have a team of people to communicate with in a synchronised manner. This Chrome extension makes Gmail considerably more formidable, adding a heap of features that add efficiency to communication and planning processes.
Teams are benefitted greatly by this extension, as a prominent advantage is the Shared Mailbox system, which has obvious benefits for keeping a group of individuals in sync with the task at hand and one another.
Shared Labels and Tasks contribute to arming a team with a task management system within Gmail, while the ability to add notes means thoughts and contributing ideas can be added easily in email threads. Another feature that could prove useful to many users is a “send later” feature.
READ MORE: Best Mobile Antivirus
Email templates, contact sharing, and message snoozing can also help to eliminate time spent on menial tasks, and can also keep up the flow of progress by planning ahead. A further stand out feature is the collision detection system; this capability provided by the extension warns team members if they are both working on the same task or email. This feature in particular prevents time being wasted, and keeps up group cohesion.
