What is a browser extension?

Browser extensions are compact software programs that enhance or expand the features of your web browser.They can help block ads, manage passwords, improve performance, or add additional tools for working with websites. Extensions range from simple utilities like ad blockers or translators to more complex applications for working with social networks, email, or projects. Although useful, extensions can slow down your browser, cause conflicts with other programs, or become vulnerable to attackers. Therefore, it is recommended to remove outdated, unnecessary, or suspicious extensions to maintain system security and performance.

The fastest way to remove extensions on a Mac

The fastest and most convenient way to remove extensions on Mac is to use the App Cleaner & Uninstaller application (visit product page). This tool is developed by Nektony and is designed to completely remove programs, cache files, and other application “tails”. With its help, you can easily manage installed extensions in browsers, which allows you to clean the system from unnecessary or malicious components quickly.

Steps for removing extensions using App Cleaner & Uninstaller:

1. Download and install App Cleaner & Uninstaller from the official website.
2. Open the application and go to the Extensions section. 
3. Select Web Browser Extensions. You’ll see all installed extensions of different browsers in the right panel.
4. Select unneeded extensions. 
5. Click the Remove button.
6. Confirm the removal.

This method allows you to completely remove not only the extension itself but also all the files associated with it, which contributes to better system performance and frees up additional disk space on your Mac.

How to manually delete Safari extensions on a Mac

To remove extensions in Safari on Mac manually, you can use the built-in browser options. This method is suitable for those who prefer to remove extensions without using third-party applications. Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Launch the Safari browser on your Mac.
2. In the top menu, click Safari → Settings.
3. In the Settings window, go to the Extensions tab. Here you will see all installed extensions for Safari.
4. In the list on the left, find the extension you want to remove.
5. Click the Uninstall button next to its description.
6. Confirm the action if the system asks for permission to remove it.
7. Restart Safari for the changes to take effect.

How to manually delete Chrome extensions on a Mac

Removing extensions in Google Chrome on Mac is a simple process that can be done directly from the browser settings. Here is how:

1. Open Google Chrome. 
2. In the upper right corner, click on the three dots (settings) → hover over More tools → select Extensions. Or simply type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter.
3. On the page that opens, you will see a list of all installed extensions. Find the one you want to remove.
4. To remove an extension, click the Remove button below its description.
5. Confirm the action in the pop-up window by clicking Remove.
6. Restart Chrome.

Usually, a browser restart is not required, but if the changes do not take effect, try restarting Chrome for a complete cleanup.

How to delete Firefox browser extensions 

In this section, we will explain in detail how to remove extensions in Firefox to make your browser run faster and smoother.

1. Open Mozilla Firefox. 
2. In the menu bar, click Firefox and select Settings. 
3. In the left panel, select the Extensions & Themes. Here you will see a list of all installed extensions.
4. Scroll through the list of installed extensions and find the one you want to remove.
5. Click the three dots (or the settings icon) next to the extension you want to remove.
6. In the menu that appears, select Remove.
7. Confirm the removal in the dialog box that opens, confirm the removal. 

Conclusion

Removing unnecessary or suspicious extensions is an important step to maintaining the security, stability, and performance of your Mac browser. Whether manually removing them in Safari or Chrome, or using a specialized tool like App Cleaner & Uninstaller, regularly checking and cleaning extensions can help prevent potential issues like slowdowns or privacy risks. By following simple instructions, you can easily control installed extensions and keep your system running at a high level.

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What is a browser extension?

Extensions are like mini apps that you can add to your browser. They can do cool stuff with the websites you visit, the browser settings, and the browser look. For example, an extension can give you a new button on your toolbar, change how a website looks, or stop annoying pop-ups from showing up.

You usually get extensions from the official web store of your browser, like Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons. Getting extensions from other places can be risky or cause problems. That’s why you might want to get rid of them. Here, you’ll find step-by-step guides on how to delete extensions for different browsers.

Deleting Chrome extensions manually

Here’s how you can delete extensions from Chrome on your Mac using the browser settings. It’s easy and free, but it might not get rid of all the stuff that the extension left behind on your Mac. Just follow these steps:

1. Open Chrome on your Mac.
2. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser window.
3. Choose Extensions and then Manage Extensions from the menu.
4. A new window or tab will show you all the extensions you added to your browser.
5. To delete an extension, find the one you want to remove and click the Remove button next to it.
6. A confirmation popup will appear asking whether you want to remove the extension. Click on “Remove” to confirm.
7. Do the same for any other extensions that you don’t want anymore.
8. After removing the extensions, close the Extensions tab.
9. You should also restart your browser to make sure everything works well.

Deleting Safari extensions manually

Here’s how you can get rid of Safari extensions on your Mac, easy peasy:

1. Launch Safari on your Mac.

2. Click Safari in the menu bar. 

3. Select Settings from the drop-down window.

4. Switch to the Extensions tab.

5. A comprehensive list of all the extensions installed in your Safari browser will be displayed. 

6.  To remove an extension, simply click on the “Uninstall” button found in the right panel.

7. You may have to restart Safari for the changes to apply.

Deleting Mozilla Firefox extensions

If you want to remove or disable some of the extensions that you have installed on Firefox, follow these steps:

1. Open Firefox.
2. In the menu bar, click Firefox.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu. You will see the Settings tab. 
4. Click Extensions & Themes in the left panel.

5. Find the extension that you want to delete and click on the three dots next to it. 
6. You will see a drop-down menu with the option to remove it. Click on Remove. 

7. When you see a confirmation pop-up asking you if you are sure you want to remove the extension, click on Remove again to confirm.
8. The extension will be deleted from your browser. You may need to restart Firefox for the changes to take effect.

Removing extensions with third-party tools

There are numerous software tools that allow users to take control of all extensions installed on a Mac easily. You can use any application that best suits your needs. Now, let’s see how to manage Mac extensions with a popular tool called App Cleaner & Uninstaller. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download and install App Cleaner & Uninstaller on your Mac from its official website.

2. Launch the app and select Extensions from the sidebar menu.

3. You will see a list of all the extensions that are installed on your Mac. 

4. Select the extensions that you don’t need.

5. Click the Remove button.

6. Confirm your action by clicking on Remove again.

Conclusion

Extensions can enhance your browsing experience, but they can sometimes cause issues or take up space on your Mac. If you want to remove extensions on Mac, you can either do it manually using our step-by-step guide or use third-party apps like App Cleaner & Uninstaller. 

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The impact of extensions on Mac Performance

Extensions, whether browser-based or application-specific, can consume valuable system resources, leading to a noticeable slowdown in performance. Here are some ways extensions can influence your Mac’s overall speed:

• Extensions often run in the background, utilizing CPU and memory resources. The more extensions you have installed on your Mac, the more system resources they collectively consume. This can result in slower response times for applications and increased load times for web pages.
• Browser extensions, in particular, can significantly impact your browsing experience. Each extension adds to the browser’s memory footprint and can cause increased page loading times. Furthermore, incompatible or outdated extensions may lead to crashes and instability.
• Some extensions are designed to launch automatically when your Mac starts up. While these extensions may provide convenience, they also contribute to longer startup times. Having numerous extensions launching at startup can cause delays in getting your Mac up and running.

Tips to speed up your Mac

Now that we understand how extensions can influence Mac performance, let’s explore some effective tips to optimize your system and restore its speed:

1. Remove unnecessary extensions.

You should regularly assess the extensions installed on your browsers and applications. Remove any extensions that you no longer use or that do not significantly contribute to your workflow.

2. Update extensions and software.

Keep your extensions and applications up to date. Developers frequently release updates to address performance issues and improve compatibility. Ensure that the extensions you use are compatible with the latest version of your operating system and software.

3. Disable or limit background processes

Some extensions run background processes even when not actively in use. Disable or limit background processes for extensions that are not essential to your daily tasks. Check your browser settings for options to prevent extensions from running background processes.

4. Use Safari’s Extension Manager

If you’re a Safari user, use its built-in Extension Manager to review and manage installed extensions easily. Open Safari Settings and go to the Extensions tab. Here you can disable or remove unnecessary extensions.

5. Monitor System Activity

Use the Activity Monitor application to identify resource-intensive processes and extensions. Keep an eye on CPU and memory usage, and take appropriate action if you notice any extensions consuming an excessive amount of resources.

6. Optimize Startup Items

Review the list of items that launch at startup. Go to System Settings → General →  Login Items. Remove unnecessary startup items, especially extensions that may not be critical for immediate use.

7. Use MacCleaner Pro

Instead of taking the previous six steps, you can use one tool that will help you take control of all your extensions and speed up your Mac. Simply download and run MacCleaner Pro → select options in the Speed Up section and click to perform them.

Conclusion

Extensions can significantly enhance the functionality of your Mac, but they also have the potential to impact performance negatively. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can effectively manage and optimize your Mac, ensuring a smoother and more responsive user experience. Regularly reviewing and maintaining your extensions, keeping software up to date, and monitoring system activity are essential practices to keep your Mac running at its best.

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In addition, if the site is not working as it should, you can selectively allow/block JavaScript. You can also use filter lists to enable aggressive blocking or minimize it to balance your experience without disrupting the site.

Advanced features (blocking malicious domains, media files larger than a certain size) will keep your internet connection safe and fast.

You can easily deselect pre-selected filter lists if you think uBO blocks too much. For reference, Adblock Plus is installed only with EasyList, ABP filters, and Acceptable Ads enabled by default.

It is important to note that using a blocker is NOT stealing. Don’t fall for this creepy idea. The final logical consequence of blocking = theft is the criminalization of the inalienable right to privacy.

Ads, whether “unobtrusive” or not, are only a visible part of the privacy violation tools that appear on your browser when you visit most sites. The main goal of uBO is to help users neutralize these privacy practices in a way that welcomes those users who do not wish to use additional technical means.

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The password manager in the form of a Firefox extension is no different from similar services. In this extension, you get all the key functionality, starting with password creation, storage management, and advanced options.

Password theft is a serious problem. The websites and apps you use are attacked every day. If they have a security vulnerability, all your passwords can be stolen. If you use the same password for all your apps and websites, hackers can easily access your email, bank accounts, and other important data.

Digital security experts recommend using different, randomly generated passwords for each account. But how will you manage all these different passwords? Bitwarden makes it easy for you to create, store, and access your passwords.

Bitwarden stores all of your data in an encrypted vault that is synchronized across all of your devices. Because your data is fully encrypted before it leaves your device, only you have access to it. Even we at Bitwarden can’t read your data even if we wanted to. Your data is encrypted using AES-256 and PBKDF2 SHA-256.

Bitwarden is 100% open source software. Bitwarden’s code is stored on GitHub and anyone can view it, audit it, and contribute to its development.

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The free version is quite enough for basic spell checking and typical grammar errors. Personally, as I write this article, the LanguageTool extension is active. Not only is it privacy-oriented and serves as an open-source alternative to other services, but it works very fast without affecting your performance.

The server side is open-source, but unfortunately the extension itself is not. The developers explained that they took this step because they didn’t want competitors to use their extension and not give anything in return.

LanguageTool is designed with an emphasis on simplicity. At the touch of a button or a keyboard shortcut, LanguageTool will check the spelling and grammar of the selected text. LanguageTool is compatible with almost any text, regardless of the source, including social networks such as Twitter or LinkedIn and online services such as Gmail.

List of supported languages: Ukrainian, English (Australian, Canadian, British, New Zealand, South African, American), French, German (Austrian, German, Swiss), Asturian, Belarusian, Breton, Galician, Greek, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Catalan (also Valencian), Chinese, Khmer, Dutch, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian, Portuguese, Angolan, Mozambican), Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Tagalog, Tamil, Swedish, Tagalog, Swedish, Esperanto, and Japanese.

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And also such an extension can be enabled on individual sites and disabled on all others. In addition, there is an option to create a whitelist and blacklist of sites. This is an open-source project that values the privacy of users. You can read more and test the extension on its GitHub page.

The Dark Reader extension makes the web pages dark, so that the ‘whites’ on the pages don’t hurt your eyes when you look at them at night. Well, I recognize that the dark theme is becoming a ritual today. Similarly, people just give preference to darker pages on these screens practically nothing, whether it is Windows, mobile add-ons or web pages. Dark theme has become fashionable these days.

Dark Reader is open source and was previously available only for Chrome. Now Firefox users can also install it. The extension works by changing the color scheme of the website you are visiting, by requesting it to change the dark ‘white space’.

After installing the extension, an icon appears on the browser toolbar that allows you to interact with the extension. This way you can quickly activate or deactivate the dark theme on any website. It also has a handy shortcut, Ctrl + Shift + A to add sites to the whitelist; websites that you want to automatically have ‘dark’ when you visit them.

Please keep in mind that this is the first time the extension has been ported to Firefox and the developer may have some learning curve issue. So forgive me a bit if it doesn’t work as great as it usually does in Chrome. Heck, my experience with Speed Dial 2 on Firefox was a disappointment from what I was used to in Chrome, but developers do knock out the hurdles over time.

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Tabby is a window and tab manager that helps you easily manage a large number of windows and tabs.

It can help you quickly open, close, pin, and perform many other actions on tabs and windows.

You can also drag and drop tabs to move them around, open the last used tab/window with simple keyboard shortcuts, and much more! You can even save all your windows and tabs for later with just one click, and Tabby will even save your scroll position and video progress for you when it can! There’s also a Mozilla Firefox version! https://addons.

• It can help you quickly open, close, pin, and perform many other actions on tabs and windows;
• You can also drag and drop tabs to move them around, open the last used tab/window with simple keyboard shortcuts, and much more;
• You can even save all your windows and tabs for later with just one click.

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There are two versions of LastPass: personal and enterprise. In the personal version, in addition to creating and storing passwords, there is storage for notes, bank card data, addresses, contacts, photos and documents in encrypted form. Password Manager integrates with user’s browsers and applications where login and password are required to log in, and automatically fills in their forms. To create a strong password for a website, LastPass has a password generator where you can choose the password complexity and number of characters.

The business version of LastPass is oriented for use in large teams. Companies have an administrator panel in LastPass, from where common passwords are created, access is granted to individual employees, and teams are created. Team members, creating new passwords for sites and applications, can share them with members of the space. To protect passwords from theft, LastPass provides multi-factor authorization and Single Sign-on (SSO), to view employee activity.

LastPass features

• Storing passwords in a single space;
• Categorize passwords;
• Storage of notes, files and data;
• Multi-factor authentication;
• Generate strong passwords;
• Audit passwords;
• Administrator panel;
• One-time passwords.

Interesting facts

1. LastPass service was founded in 2008 by Joe Siegrist and Marcos Barabash;
2. In 2015, LastPass was acquired by LogMeIn for $110 million dollars;
3. LastPass uses the AES-256 encryption standard, which is considered one of the most secure;
4. In addition to passwords, LastPass can store encrypted information such as credit card numbers, addresses, notes, and other sensitive information;
5. The service was acquired by NortonLifeLock in 2021;
6. One of LastPass’ unique features is “Safe Mode,” which allows users to delete all locally stored password data on their device if it is lost or stolen.

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The Checker Plus for Gmail extension allows you to work with emails in full, and you don’t even have to log in to Gmail. You will receive notifications about new emails and can open, read and delete them immediately. You can switch between accounts.

The main idea behind Checker Plus is to bring the simplicity of email to the level of chat, where a single pop-up window provides the user with everything they need to interact with their conversation partner. This includes displaying the sender’s photo in notifications to instantly identify the person who wrote.

Another cool out-of-the-box feature is voice-reading of incoming emails, which is also available in the background.

The extension settings allow you to specify the shortcuts, which will be announced in Checker Plus, and for each shortcut you can create a unique, different notification. In practice, this allows you to know the type and importance of the incoming email before you look at the title of the email and its sender.

Since some version of Chrome has been successfully running in the background, including as a process, after closing the browser. The same trick is implemented in Checkrer Plus – you can close the browser, but notifications with the advanced management interface will still appear in the systray.

Checker Plus automatically detects all used Gmail accounts and supports multiple accounts.

The extension is distributed absolutely free of charge, and only some (very specific) options become available in it after a token donation to the developer.

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