How to Disable Extensions and Plug-ins in Google Chrome

This article is only intended for users running the Google Chrome browser on Chrome OS, Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows operating systems.

Small programs that provide added functionality to Chrome and are usually developed by a third-party, extensions are a big reason for the browser's overall popularity. Free to download and easy to install, you may find the need to disable one or more of these add-ons on occasion without actually uninstalling them. Plug-ins, meanwhile, allow Chrome to process Web content such as Flash and Java. As is the case with extensions, you may want to toggle these plug-ins on and off from time to time. This tutorial explains how to disable both extensions and plug-ins in a few easy steps.

To get started, type the following text into Chrome's address bar (also known as the Omnibox) and hit the Enter key: chrome://extensions. You should now see a list of all installed extensions, also known as add-ons. Each listing details the extensions' name, version number, description, and related links. Also included is an enable/disable checkbox along with a trash can button, which can be used to delete an individual extension. To disable an extension, remove the check box next to its Enabled label by clicking on it once. The extension selected should be immediately disabled. To enable it again at a later time, simply click on the empty check box.

Type the following text into Chrome's address bar and hit the Enter key: chrome://plugins. You should now see a list of all installed plug-ins. In the upper right-hand corner of this page is a Details link, accompanied by a plus icon. Click on this link if you'd like to expand the respective plug-in sections, displaying in-depth information about each.

Locate the plug-in that you would like to disable. Once found, click on its accompanying Disable link. In this example, I have chosen to disable the Adobe Flash Player plug-in. The plug-in selected should be immediately disabled and grayed out, as shown in the screenshot above. To enable it again at a later time, simply click on its accompanying Enable link.