Extension development overview
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Warning
You're viewing the deprecated Manifest V2 version of this article. See Manifest V3 - Extension development overview for the MV3 equivalent.
The Chrome Web Store no longer accepts Manifest V2 extensions. Follow the Manifest V3 Migration guide to convert your extension to Manifest V3.
After reading the Getting Started tutorial and Overview, use this guide as an outline to extension components and abilities. Developers are encouraged to explore and expand extension functionality.
| Customize extension user interface | |
|---|---|
| Browser Actions | Add an icon, tooltip, badge, and popup to the toolbar. |
| Commands | Add keyboard shortcuts that trigger actions. |
| Context Menus | Add items to Google Chrome's context menu. |
| Omnibox | Add keyword functionality to the address bar. |
| Override Pages | Create a version of the New Tab, Bookmark, or History page. |
| Page Actions | Dynamically display icons in the toolbar. |
| Build extension utilities | |
|---|---|
| Accessibility (a11y) | Make an extension accessible to people with disabilities. |
| Background Scripts | Detect and react when something interesting happens. |
| Internationalization | Work with language and locale. |
| Identity | Get OAuth2 access tokens. |
| Management | Manage extensions that are installed and running. |
| Message Passing | Communicate from a content script to its parent extension, or vice versa. |
| Options Pages | Let users customize an extension. |
| Permissions | Modify an extension's permissions. |
| Storage | Store and retrieve data. |
| Modify and observe the Chrome Browser | |
|---|---|
| Bookmarks | Create, organize, and manipulate bookmark behavior. |
| Browsing Data | Remove browsing data from a user's local profile. |
| Downloads | Programmatically initiate, monitor, manipulate, and search for downloads. |
| Font Settings | Manage Chrome's font settings. |
| History | Interact with the browser's record of visited pages. |
| Privacy | Control Chrome privacy features. |
| Proxy | Manage Chrome's proxy settings. |
| Sessions | Query and restore tabs and windows from a browsing session. |
| Tabs | Create, modify, and rearrange tabs in the browser. |
| Top Sites | Access users most visited URLs. |
| Themes | Change the overall appearance of the browser. |
| Windows | Create, modify, and rearrange windows in the browser. |
| Modify and observe the web | |
|---|---|
| Active Tab | Securely access websites by removing most needs for <all_urls> host permission. |
| Content Settings | Customize websites features such as cookies, JavaScript, and plugins. |
| Content Scripts | Run JavaScript code in the context of web pages. |
| Cookies | Explore and modify the browser's cookie system. |
| Cross-Origin XHR | Use XMLHttpRequest to send and receive data from remote servers. |
| Declarative Content | Perform actions on the content of a page without requiring permission. |
| Desktop Capture | Capture content of screen, individual windows or tabs. |
| Page Capture | Save a tab's source information as MHTML. |
| Tab Capture | Interact with tab media streams. |
| Web Navigation | Status updates of navigation requests in-flight. |
| Web Request | Observe and analyze traffic. Intercept block, or modify requests in-flight. |
| Package, deploy and update | |
|---|---|
| Chrome Web Store | Hosting and updating extensions with the Chrome Web Store. |
| Other Deployment Options | Distribute extensions on a designated network or with other software. |
Updated on • Improve article