Claude Chrome Extension: Setup, Features and Limits

The short answer

Claude in Chrome is Anthropic's official Claude Chrome extension. Install it from the Chrome Web Store, sign in with a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise), pin it, and click the toolbar icon to open a side panel where Claude can read pages, click, type and fill forms for you. It runs in desktop Chrome only.

What is the Claude Chrome extension?

Claude in Chrome is Anthropic's own browser extension that puts Claude in a Chrome side panel and lets it act on web pages for you. It is not just a chat window: it can read the page you are on, click links, type into fields and fill out forms while you watch.

Anthropic describes it as generally available as of September 2026, so it is no longer a waitlist beta. The listing on the Chrome Web Store is simply called Claude, published by Anthropic. Check the publisher name before you install, because many third-party extensions use Claude in their names.

That is the key difference from most tools in our AI Chrome extensions category. Sidebar assistants mostly answer questions about a page. Claude in Chrome is a browser agent: you describe a task, and it works through the steps across tabs, pausing when something needs your sign-off.

Facts checked on 26 September 2026

Plans, features and permissions below come from Anthropic's help centre and product page. Anthropic updates this extension often, so re-check the official getting-started guide before you rely on a detail.

Who can use Claude in Chrome?

You need a paid Claude plan and desktop Google Chrome. Free Claude accounts cannot use the extension, and Anthropic's help centre says it is not supported on other Chromium-based browsers or on mobile devices.

Claude in Chrome availability (as of September 2026)
Requirement	What Anthropic says	What it means for you
Claude plan	Available on all paid plans: Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise	A free Claude account will need to upgrade first
Browser	Google Chrome only	Edge, Brave, Opera and other Chromium browsers are not supported
Device	Not supported on mobile devices	Use Chrome on a desktop or laptop computer
Side panel type	Cowork session on Max, Team and Enterprise (with Cowork enabled); rolling out on Pro	Conversations save to your account and sync across devices
Workplace accounts	Admins can restrict which sites Claude may access with allowlists and blocklists	Some sites may be off-limits on a work plan

If you mainly want Claude on your phone, the extension will not help. Our guide to Chrome extensions on Android and iPhone explains why mobile Chrome does not run extensions at all.

How do you install the Claude extension for Chrome?

Install it from the Chrome Web Store, sign in, pin it and approve its permissions. The whole setup takes a couple of minutes.

Open the Claude listing on the Chrome Web Store in desktop Chrome and confirm the publisher is Anthropic.
Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension in the pop-up that lists its permissions.
Sign in with the email you use for your paid Claude account when the welcome screen opens.
Click the puzzle-piece icon in the Chrome toolbar and pin Claude so its icon stays visible.
Grant the permissions Claude asks for during onboarding. It needs them to read and act on pages.
Click the Claude icon to open the side panel, type a request and press Enter.

Use a separate Chrome profile for agent work

Create a second Chrome profile that is signed in only to the sites you want Claude to touch. That keeps your banking, personal email and other sensitive tabs out of reach while you learn how the agent behaves.

How do you use Claude in Chrome day to day?

Open the side panel on the page you care about and describe the outcome you want, not the clicks. Claude reads the page, plans the steps and carries them out, opening extra tabs inside its own tab group when a task spans several sites.

A simple first task

Open a page with information you need to compare, such as three product pages in separate tabs.
Open the Claude side panel from the toolbar icon.
Ask for a concrete result, for example: "Compare the specs on these pages and give me a table with price, weight and warranty."
Watch the actions it takes in the panel and approve any step it pauses on.
Check the answer against the pages before you act on it.

Good requests name the finish line and the boundaries. "Find three flights under my budget and stop before booking" works better than "book me a flight", because Claude knows exactly where to hand control back to you. If a result looks wrong, tighten the instruction with the exact pages, fields or limits you mean and run it again, rather than patching the output by hand.

Features worth learning

Tab group: Claude works in its own group of tabs, so you can see which pages it opened and close them in one go.
Shortcuts: Saved prompts you trigger by typing / in the side panel. Useful for jobs you repeat, like summarising a daily report page.
Scheduled tasks: Recurring tasks set to run daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, such as checking a dashboard every Monday.
Background workflows: Claude can keep working through a task while you switch to other tabs.
Workflow recording: Show Claude a process once so it can repeat it. As of September 2026 this is only in the classic side panel, reachable via the three-dot menu and Switch back to classic.
Console log reading: Claude can read a page's browser console, which helps web developers debug front-end errors.

Anthropic also lists image uploads for visual context and a 1Password integration for login prompts, which was in beta on macOS when we checked. Treat beta features as subject to change.

What permissions does the Claude Chrome extension ask for?

Claude in Chrome asks for broad permissions because it has to see and control pages to do its job. That is normal for a browser agent, but it is far more access than a typical writing or summary extension needs.

Selected Chrome permissions requested by Claude in Chrome, in plain English
Permission	What it allows
`debugger`	Attach Chrome's debugging protocol to tabs, which lets it click, type and read page internals such as console logs
`scripting`	Run scripts on web pages to read content and fill in forms
`tabs` and `tabGroups`	See your open tabs, open new ones and manage its own tab group
`webNavigation`	Follow page loads and navigation as it moves between sites
`sidePanel`	Show Claude in Chrome's side panel
`alarms` and `notifications`	Run scheduled tasks and tell you when they finish
`downloads`	Save files it fetches during a task
`nativeMessaging`	Talk to apps installed on your computer, such as a password manager integration
`storage` and `unlimitedStorage`	Keep settings, shortcuts and session data locally

Anthropic's help page also lists offscreen, system.display and declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess. You can see the full list at any time by opening chrome://extensions, clicking Details under Claude and reviewing Site access. Our permissions glossary explains what each Chrome permission means in general.

Debugger access is powerful

The debugger permission is what lets an agent operate a page like a person would. It also means the extension can see anything on a tab it attaches to. Only run Claude on tabs you are comfortable with it reading, and read our guide on whether Chrome extensions are safe before installing any agent.

How do approvals and safety controls work?

You choose how much Claude may do without asking. In the automatic approval mode, Claude works continuously, reviews each action for safety and pauses when something needs your approval; a stricter permissions mode makes it ask more often.

Mode memory: if you switch modes, the side panel keeps your choice for future sessions, so check which mode is active before a sensitive task.
Sensitive actions: Anthropic says Claude pauses before actions such as financial transactions.
Prompt injection: web pages can hide instructions aimed at AI agents. Anthropic says the extension has built-in defences, but no defence is perfect, so avoid pointing it at untrusted sites while logged in to important accounts.
Admin controls: on Team and Enterprise plans, admins can limit Claude to an allowlist of sites or block specific ones.

Start strict, then relax

Use the stricter permissions mode for your first week. Once you know how Claude handles your usual sites, move routine research tasks to automatic approval and keep anything involving money, messages or account settings on manual approval.

What are the limits of Claude in Chrome?

The main limits are access, platform and reliability. It needs a paid plan, it runs only in desktop Chrome, and like any AI agent it can misread a page or take a wrong turn on a complex site.

No free tier: there is no way to use it on a free Claude account as of September 2026.
Chrome only: Anthropic says other Chromium browsers and mobile devices are not supported.
Feature split: workflow recording lives in the classic side panel, while saved, synced sessions live in the Cowork panel.
Speed: an agent clicking through pages is slower than doing a quick task yourself; it pays off on repetitive or multi-tab work.
Accuracy: always check figures, dates and form entries before you submit anything it prepared.
Work restrictions: your admin's site rules can block pages you expect it to reach.

If what you really want is to stop AI from appearing in search results rather than use it, that is a different job. See our walkthrough on how to hide Google AI Overviews.

What are the best alternatives to Claude in Chrome?

If you do not have a paid Claude plan, or you only need help reading and writing rather than an agent that clicks for you, a sidebar or writing extension is the better fit. Several let you pick Claude models inside a multi-model sidebar.

Alternatives and complements to Claude in Chrome

SiderFreemium

AI

A sidebar that lets you chat with GPT, Claude and Gemini side by side on any page; the catch is that heavier use sits behind a paid plan.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)
MonicaFreemium

AI

One AI sidebar for chat, writing, translation and image generation across sites; it is broad rather than deep, and advanced use is paid.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)
Merlin AIFreemium

AI

An AI browser agent for chat, writing and research on any webpage, the closest in spirit to Claude in Chrome; the free tier is limited.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)
ChatGPTFree

AI

OpenAI's official extension to browse and control your browser with ChatGPT; pick it if you already pay for ChatGPT rather than Claude.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)
AI Writing AssistantFree

Writing

Fixes grammar, rewrites and translates text on any site using Claude or GPT; it edits text only and does not act on pages.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)
GlaspFreemium

AI

Highlights and AI summaries for web pages, PDFs and YouTube; a good research companion, though it is not an agent.

Review Add to Chrome (opens Chrome Web Store)

For a wider comparison of assistants, read our roundup of ChatGPT alternatives for Chrome, or browse the AI writing extensions and AI summarizer extensions we list.

How do you turn off or remove Claude in Chrome?

Go to chrome://extensions, find Claude and either flip its toggle off or click Remove. Turning it off keeps your setup for later; removing it deletes the extension from that Chrome profile.

Removing the extension does not cancel your Claude subscription, which you manage in your Claude account settings. For step-by-step screenshots of the Chrome side, follow our guide on how to remove a Chrome extension.

Frequently asked

Is there an official Claude Chrome extension?

Yes. Anthropic publishes Claude in Chrome, listed as Claude on the Chrome Web Store. Check that the publisher is Anthropic, since many third-party extensions use Claude in their names.

Is the Claude AI Chrome extension free?

No. As of September 2026 it requires a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. The extension itself installs at no cost, but a free Claude account cannot use it.

Does the Claude browser extension work in Edge or Brave?

Anthropic says it is not supported on other Chromium-based browsers, so use Google Chrome. It may install elsewhere, but you would be outside official support.

Can I use the Claude extension for Chrome on my phone?

No. Anthropic says Claude in Chrome is not supported on mobile devices, and mobile Chrome does not run extensions. Use the Claude app on your phone instead.

How do I open Claude in Chrome after installing it?

Pin the extension from the puzzle-piece menu, then click the Claude icon in the toolbar. A side panel opens where you type requests.

What can Claude in Chrome actually do on a website?

It can read pages, click links, type, fill in forms and manage tabs in its own tab group. It can also run saved shortcuts and scheduled tasks.

Does Claude in Chrome ask before it clicks something?

That depends on the mode you pick. In automatic approval it keeps working and pauses when a step needs your approval; a stricter permissions mode asks more often.

Is the Claude browser extension safe to install?

It comes from Anthropic, but it requests powerful permissions, including debugger access to tabs. Use it on sites you trust, keep sensitive tabs in another Chrome profile and review its actions.

Can Claude in Chrome run tasks on a schedule?

Yes. You can set recurring tasks to run daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, such as checking a report page every morning.

What is the difference between the Cowork and classic side panel?

The Cowork panel saves conversations to your account and syncs them across devices. The classic panel, reached via the three-dot menu, is where workflow recording lives as of September 2026.

Which extensions let me use Claude models without a Claude subscription?

Multi-model sidebars such as Sider offer Claude alongside GPT and Gemini under their own plans. They answer and write, but they do not act on pages the way Claude in Chrome does.

How do I uninstall the Claude Chrome extension?

Open chrome://extensions, find Claude and click Remove. This does not cancel your Claude plan, which you manage in your Claude account.

How to Use Claude in Chrome: Setup, Features and Limits