If you use the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser, this article will be handy for you since we have listed some of the best Microsoft Edge extensions you may want to download. These extensions help you enhance the functionality and increase your productivity so that you can use this one as the default browser without any problem.
Before getting started with the list, you should know that there are two places from where you can download the extensions for your browser – the native or office Microsoft Edge repository and Chrome Web Store.
Best Extensions for Microsoft Edge
Best extensions for Microsoft Edge are:
- LastPass
- NordVPN
- Dark Reader
- Tab Timer
- Teleparty
- GoFullPage
- Mouse Gesture Events
- Screencastify
- BlockSite
- Google Keep
To learn more about these extensions, continue reading.
1] LastPass
Everyone should use a strong and different password for every website. However, it is quite difficult to remember all the unique passwords. At such times, LastPass can help you enter your passwords and synchronize your passwords across multiple devices. The LastPass password manager is now available as a browser extension like it was for Google Chrome, Firefox, etc. After installing this extension, you need to sign in to your account to synchronize old passwords. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
2] NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs out there. Although it is not free, you can try it for a few days to check if it fulfills your demands or not. Whether you need to use USA or UK server, you can find almost any region in the NordVPN app. This extension helps you connect to the included VPN server and access the internet freely. Whether you need to watch USA content on an OTT platform or access regionally blocked content, you can do both with the help of NordVPN. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
3] Dark Reader
Although Microsoft Edge lets you install a dark theme and turn on dark mode in different ways, sometimes those setting might not be enough. Dark Reader helps you enable dark mode in the Microsoft Edge browser across all windows. Whether you want to read a piece of content on a website or go through the Facebook timeline, you can use Dark Reader to do them with the lights off. It comes with several options and settings so that you can set things up as per your requirements. For example, you can adjust the brightness, contrast, mode, grayscale, etc. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
4] Tab Timer
Microsoft Edge is a handy browser for web developers. If you are one of them and you use this browser to measure the page loading time in real life, Tab Timer is one of the best extensions you can use. It displays the page loading time on the toolbar so that you can know which page is taking more time to load than others. Whether you want to measure the page loading time of an entire website or a specific webpage, you can use this Edge extension to get the job done. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
5] Teleparty
Movies, web series, football matches, etc., become more entertaining when you watch them with friends or family. If it is not possible to watch films with friends in one room, you can use the Teleparty extension. It helps you create a watch party so that you can enjoy watching movies on OTT platforms with friends, family, or anybody else. It lets you create a unique screen that you can share with them so that they can join and watch the movie together. For your information, it supports Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
6] GoFullPage
There could be times when you might want to share the entire screen with your friends due to some reason. Instead of sending multiple screenshots, you could use the GoFullPage extension in your browser. It lets you capture a scrolling screenshot or entire page with one click. The best thing is that you can edit the screenshot, i.e., add shapes, stickers, etc., and save it to your computer. The next big thing is that you can download the image as a PDF without any other third-party app or service. Download from microsoftedge.microsoft.com.
7] Mouse Gesture Events
To open a new tab, you need to press Ctrl+T, Ctrl+W to close the current tab, and so on. However, wouldn’t it be better if you could do all those things using a mouse gesture? If you think of the same, you can use this Edge extension called Mouse Gesture Events. It helps you perform various things with the help of mouse gestures. For example, you can slide from left to right to move to the right tab and vice versa. There are more other tasks you can perform and set the gesture as per your requirements. On the other hand, you can change the mouse scroll wheel action as well. Download from chrome.google.com.
8] Screencastify
Screencastify is one of the best extensions for gamers. At times, you might want to record your browser screen and share it with friends to show them something on a website. In such situations, you can use this extension to record your screen and share it with anybody. The best thing is that you have an editing panel, which helps you do basic things, including adding text, cutting, trim, etc. Whether you want to record a website or gamer, you can use Screencastify to get the job done. Download from chrome.google.com.
9] BlockSite
Many times, you might want to block a few sites before handing over your computer to your kid. If so, you can use the BlockSite extension in your Edge browser to block any website you like. You can head to the Block Sites tab to include the desired website. On the other hand, you can use the Focus Mode to block listed websites for a specific time. The best option among all of them is the Block by Words. As it denotes, it lets you block all the web pages that contain a specific word in them. Download from chrome.google.com.
10] Google Keep
Google Keep is one of the best note-taking apps you can find on the internet. There are two ways to use the Google Keep on a Windows computer – visiting the official website and using the browser extension. If you frequently use Google Keep to save web pages to read later, you can use the browser extension. After the installation, you need to log in to your Google account so that it can synchronize all your previous notes. Following that, you can save any webpage in Google Keep and access them from any device. Download from chrome.google.com.
There are other extensions for Microsoft Edge, like the Office Online extension that let you create Office documents, but these are among those which improve the usability of the Edge browser.
Read: How to disallow the installation of Extensions in the Microsoft Edge browser.
Can you use extensions on Microsoft Edge?
Yes, you can most certainly use extensions on the Microsoft Edge browser. As mentioned in the article before, you can download extensions from two sources – microsoftedge.microsoft.com and chrome.google.com. Although the native library has few options, you can find tons of free extensions on the Chrome Web Store that are compatible with Microsoft Edge.
Do extensions slow down Edge?
A lot of heavy-weight extensions may slow down the Edge browser. It depends on several things, including your computer hardware, category of extension, etc. However, if you use five or six extensions simultaneously, you should not have any lagging issues on the Edge browser.
If you use another browser, you may want to check out these posts:
It would have been good to have included a review of these extensions too. In my experience Amazon Assistant and Save to Pocket work fine, just like they do on Chrome. I have not used page analyzer so cannot comment. Mouse gestures works as you would expect it too. It also sometimes requires you to repeat the gesture once or twice as is the case with any mouse gesture extension I have used in in Chrome or Firefox. Opera is still the gold standard for mouse gestures that just work. Every time.
The real problem child is Last Pass, which is disappointing as it is potentially the most useful extension. First issue is that Last Pass is incapable of remembering your email address, meaning you have to type it in each time you start a LastPass session. Next issue is that LastPass does not always recognize that you have a saved password for the site you are visiting. There is one particular site that I have two user accounts on and LastPass insists on only showing me the account I don’t usually use when visiting the site. Of course if I search my LastPass vault, it happily shows me both user accounts. Finally, LastPass frequently just quits and no longer responds requiring a restart of Edge. It seems that LastPass on Edge has some way to go before it is really usable on a daily basis. (Actually the same can be said for Edge too.)