How to add and use the Claude extension in Chrome
Claude in Chrome puts Claude in a side panel next to the page you’re on. It reads the page, clicks, types, fills forms, and moves between tabs while you watch. Here’s how to install it, the settings worth changing first, and the safety rules Anthropic itself recommends.
Who can use Claude in Chrome
- A paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise. It isn’t available on the free plan. See how much Claude costs for the plan prices.
- Google Chrome on a computer. Anthropic says it is not supported on other Chromium-based browsers, like Edge or Brave, or on phones (Anthropic’s setup guide).
- On a Team or Enterprise plan, your admin decides whether the extension is allowed and which sites it can use. If it won’t install or open, ask them.
How to install it
- Open Google Chrome on your computer.
- Go to the Chrome Web Store listing for Claude. Check that the publisher is Anthropic before you install, because copycat extensions with similar names show up in the Web Store.
- Click Add to Chrome and confirm.
- Sign in with your Claude account when it asks.
- Pin it: click the puzzle-piece icon in Chrome’s toolbar, then the pin next to Claude.
- Click the Claude icon to open the side panel, and approve the permissions it asks for.
The permissions are broad because the extension controls the browser. Chrome’s debugger permission is what lets Claude click, type, and take screenshots, and the tabs permission lets it open and switch tabs.
Run your first task
Open a page, open the side panel, and describe what you want in plain words. Good first tasks are ones you can check at a glance:
- “Summarize this article and list the three main claims.”
- “Open the pricing pages for these three tools and compare their cheapest plans in a table.”
- “Fill in this form using the details in my notes tab.”
Claude collects the tabs it opens into a tab group of its own, and it keeps working when you switch to another tab, as long as Chrome stays open.
Choose an approval mode
A dropdown on the chat box sets how much Claude does before it checks with you (permissions guide):
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Manually approve | Claude stops and asks before each action. This used to be called “Ask before acting.” Use it while you learn how the extension behaves. |
| Automatically approve | The side panel’s default. Claude works continuously, runs a safety check on each action, and stops to ask when something needs your approval. It uses more of your plan’s usage. |
| Skip all approvals | No pauses and no automatic safety review. This used to be called “Act without asking.” Only for sites and tasks you fully trust. |
Sites have their own permission too. The first time Claude needs to act on a site, you can allow that one action, always allow actions on that site, or decline. Even on a site you always allow, Claude asks before it downloads files, enters sensitive information, or grants an authorization. To take a site back, open the extension’s settings and remove it from Your approved sites.
Shortcuts and scheduled tasks
Once a prompt works, save it as a shortcut and run it again by typing / in the chat. Tasks can also run on a schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. The classic side panel can record a workflow: you do the steps once while it watches, and Claude repeats them later.
The side panel itself is now part of Claude Cowork, announced on August 12, 2026. Sessions save to your account, so a task you start in a Chrome tab can be finished in the Claude desktop, web, or mobile app. It launched on Max and Team plans, with a rollout to Pro announced for the weeks after; on Enterprise it is off until an admin turns it on. To go back to the old panel, open the three-dot menu and choose Switch back to classic.
Use it from Claude Code
Developers can drive the same extension from Claude Code. Start a session with claude --chrome, then ask Claude to open your local site, click through a form, or read the console for errors. Run /chrome to check the connection or turn it on by default (Claude Code docs).
- You need extension version 1.0.36 or later and a Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan.
- Sign in to Claude Code with
/login. Sessions that use an API key can’t connect to the extension. - Unlike the side panel, the Claude Code connection also works in Edge and other Chromium browsers such as Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, and Opera.
If you’d rather have an extension of your own built for your team, that’s Chrome extension development.
Stay safe
Anthropic itself calls Claude in Chrome risky, and its safety guide names the main reason, prompt injection: instructions hidden in a web page or email that try to make Claude do something you didn’t ask for. Its advice comes down to a few habits:
- Start on sites you trust, and avoid unfamiliar sites and pages full of user-generated content.
- Use Manually approve for anything new, and watch for Claude drifting off topic or asking for information it doesn’t need.
- Keep it away from bank and investment accounts, medical records, legal documents, and work accounts with sensitive data.
- Use a separate Chrome profile that isn’t signed in to your important accounts.
- Close confidential pages first. Anything visible in the tabs Claude works in can end up in its screenshots.
By default it blocks adult and known pirated sites, and it asks for permission before it opens financial sites.
If it isn’t working
- No side panel in Edge or Brave: the side panel needs Google Chrome.
- It asks you to upgrade: the extension needs a paid plan.
- It won’t install at work: your Team or Enterprise admin controls it.
- The icon disappeared: check that the extension is turned on at
chrome://extensions, then pin it again. - A scheduled task didn’t run: tasks need Chrome to be open.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude in Chrome free?
No. It needs a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise. The extension itself costs nothing to install, but it won’t run on the free plan.
Does Claude in Chrome work in Edge, Brave, or on a phone?
The side panel only works in Google Chrome on a computer; Anthropic says other Chromium browsers and mobile devices aren’t supported. Claude Code’s browser connection is the exception and also works in Edge, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, and Opera.
How do I make Claude ask before every click?
Open the mode dropdown on the side panel’s chat box and choose Manually approve. Claude then stops before each action and waits for your go-ahead.
Can Claude see my other tabs?
Claude works in a tab group of its own, and anything visible in the tabs it works in can be captured in its screenshots. Close confidential pages before you start a task, or use a separate Chrome profile.
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