Where Chrome Extensions Are Stored on Windows, Mac and Linux

Where are Chrome extensions stored on each operating system?

Every extension you install from the Chrome Web Store is unpacked into a folder inside your Chrome profile. The parent folder is called Extensions, and it sits next to your bookmarks, history and cookies files.

The table below shows the default location for the stable release of Google Chrome, using the profile named Default. If you use more than one Chrome profile, the same structure exists once per profile (see the profile section further down).

How do you open the Chrome extensions folder?

The fastest route is to paste the path into your file manager, because the parent folders are hidden. The steps differ slightly per system.

Windows

1. Press Win + R to open the Run box.
2. Paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and press Enter.
3. File Explorer opens the folder directly, even though AppData is hidden.

Mac

1. Switch to Finder and choose Go then Go to Folder, or press Cmd + Shift + G.
2. Paste ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Extensions and press Return.
3. To browse Library normally, press Cmd + Shift + . (period) in Finder to show hidden items.

Linux

In most file managers, press Ctrl + H to show hidden files, then open .config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions in your home folder. From a terminal, cd ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions gets you there. If you installed Chrome as a Snap or Flatpak, the path can differ, so use the chrome://version trick in the profile section to read your real one.

What is inside the Extensions folder, and what are those long names?

Each subfolder name is a 32-letter extension ID, not the extension's name. Inside it you will find a folder named after the installed version, and that folder holds the unpacked extension files.

Extensions/
  <32-character-id>/
    1.4.2_0/
      manifest.json
      background.js
      popup.html
      icons/
      _locales/

The _0 suffix is a counter Chrome adds to the version number. When an extension updates, you may briefly see two version folders side by side before Chrome cleans up the old one.

The manifest.json file is the quickest way to identify a mystery folder. Open it in a text editor and read the name and version fields. Some names look like __MSG_appName__, which means the real name lives in the _locales folder.

How to find an extension's ID from inside Chrome

1. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Switch on Developer mode in the top-right corner (see how to enable developer mode in Chrome).
3. Each extension card now shows an ID line. Copy it and search for that name in the folder.

The ID is also the last segment of the extension's Chrome Web Store URL, which is how extension profiles on this site map back to the store.

Which profile folder is yours: Default, Profile 1 or Profile 2?

Chrome stores extensions per profile, so the folder that matters is the one for the profile you are signed in to. The first profile is Default, and later ones are Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on.

Folder numbers do not match the profile names you see in the Chrome menu. A profile called Work could be Profile 3, so guessing is unreliable.

1. Open the profile whose extensions you want to locate.
2. Type chrome://version in the address bar.
3. Find the Profile Path row. It shows the full path to that profile's folder.
4. Add Extensions to the end of that path.

The row above it, Executable Path, tells you which Chrome build you are running. That is useful on Linux and on machines that have both Chrome and Chromium installed.

Where does an extension store its settings and data?

Extension code and extension data live in different places. The Extensions folder holds only the code, while settings, saved lists and caches are kept in sibling folders inside the same profile.

Local Extension Settings

Holds data saved through the chrome.storage.local API, one folder per extension ID. This is where many extensions keep their options and saved items.

Sync Extension Settings

Holds data saved through chrome.storage.sync, which Chrome can sync across your signed-in devices.

IndexedDB

Some extensions store larger databases here. Extension entries are named with the chrome-extension_<id> pattern.

Preferences and Secure Preferences

Profile-level files that record which extensions are installed, enabled and pinned, plus their granted permissions.

Most of these stores use LevelDB or SQLite formats, so they are not meant to be read in a text editor. Extension authors read and write them through Chrome's storage API.

Cookies are a different case. An extension that edits cookies does not keep them in its own folder. They stay in the profile's cookie database, and the extension reads and changes them through the browser. Tools like Cookie-Editor and EditThisCookie V3 work that way, which is why deleting one of them does not delete your site logins.

Do Chrome Beta, Canary, Chromium and Edge use the same folder?

No. Each browser and release channel has its own user data directory with the same internal layout, so only the parent folder changes.

Canary and other pre-release builds follow the same idea but use their own folder names. Because these can change between releases, confirm the location on the chrome://version page of the browser you are running rather than trusting a table.

An extension installed in Chrome is not visible to Edge or Chromium, even though they share an engine. Each browser needs its own install, and each keeps its own copy on disk.

Where do unpacked extensions, ChromeOS and mobile Chrome fit in?

Unpacked extensions are not copied into the Extensions folder at all. Chrome runs them from wherever you pointed it, so they live in the folder you chose.

That happens when you use Load unpacked on chrome://extensions with Developer mode on. If you move or delete the source folder, the extension breaks or shows an error on the next launch. The card on the extensions page shows the source path so you can find it.

On ChromeOS, extensions are stored in the signed-in user's profile and are not meant to be browsed like normal files. Manage them from chrome://extensions, and use sync to bring them to another Chromebook.

Chrome for Android and iOS does not run desktop extensions, so there is no folder to find. If a guide tells you otherwise, it is describing a different browser or a workaround, not stock Chrome.

Developers who inspect their own builds will find the developer tools category more useful than the raw folders. React Developer Tools and JSON Formatter are two examples that run entirely from their unpacked store install.

Can you copy, back up or move Chrome extensions?

Copying the ID folders by hand is not a reliable backup. Chrome verifies installed extensions against its own records, and a copied folder that is not listed in the profile's preferences is ignored or removed.

The dependable ways to carry extensions to another machine are these.

1. Sign in to Chrome on the new computer and turn on sync. Open Settings then You and Google then Sync and Google services then Manage what you sync, and make sure Extensions is on.
2. Reinstall from the Chrome Web Store if you need a specific extension without syncing everything.
3. Export the extension's own data through its options page, where it offers an export or backup button.
4. For a full profile move, close Chrome and copy the entire profile folder, not just Extensions, to the same path on the new machine.

Sync moves the list of installed extensions, and can move data saved through the sync storage area. Data kept in local storage is not guaranteed to follow, so export anything important.

What if the folder is missing, huge or an extension will not go away?

Most problems come down to looking in the wrong profile or the wrong browser. Check chrome://version first, then work through the cases below.

• Folder is empty or missing: you are probably in the wrong profile, browser or channel. Read Profile Path from chrome://version.
• IDs do not match any name: open manifest.json in the version folder, or match the ID against chrome://extensions with Developer mode on.
• A removed extension left a folder behind: Chrome usually cleans this up on restart. Close Chrome fully before deleting a leftover folder.
• Extension shows Corrupted: reinstall it from the store. Chrome flags files that no longer match their signature.
• Storage seems large: the size is often in Local Extension Settings or IndexedDB, not in the code folder.

If a site is misbehaving rather than an extension, clearing browser data usually helps more than hunting through folders. Clear Cache does that in one click, and Cookie Manager lets you remove single cookies without wiping your whole profile.