Chrome’s popularity stems, in part, from its ability to accommodate a wide range of extensions and add-ons, which allow users to personalize their browsing experience. Users like Chrome because it is very compatible with extensions, which bring new functionality to the browser.
In contrast, Chrome add-ons are typically easily accessible from the web shop pages where they may be downloaded. The automated installation of extensions is a nice touch, however this is not always the case. What should you do if your favorite extension disappears from the Chrome Store, or if you just want to download the files without downloading the extension? The Chrome add-on is available for download as a CRX file, which means you may keep it on your computer and simply access it whenever you need it.
If an extension you rely on is ever withdrawn from the Chrome Store or changed to a version you don’t like, the version you now have installed on your computer will continue to function indefinitely. To install Chrome browser extensions outside of the Chrome Web Store, CRX files are merely a workaround. Most people also don’t know how to add CRX files as browser extensions because they don’t know what to do with them. Thus, this page details numerous means by which Chrome add-ons can be obtained as CRX files and installed.
Here Are Three Methods to Save a CRX File of A Chrome Extension
Here are three options for getting a CRX file of a Chrome plugin onto your computer:
First, you can repack the CRX file that contains your Chrome extension.
To access Chrome’s extension gallery, go to this URL and hit Enter.
The ID of the file type that can be saved as CRX can be viewed by toggling on the Developer mode.
To access the C drive, press Windows + E, then select This PC.
Choose Users and then tap your username (which is “user” if you haven’t put one up yet).
If you want to access AppData, you must first enable the Hidden items option by going to the View menu at the top of the screen and selecting it.
Use the file browser to get to AppData.
Select Chrome from the Local > Google > menu.
If you’re using Chrome with the default User profile, tap User Data, and then click Default. Rather than use the Default profile, which hides the extensions by default, I opted for Profile 4 for this piece.
To access your computer’s extension files, select Extensions and click the file.
Find the directory that shares a name with the ID of the extension you wish to install.
Select Pack extension on the Chrome extension page.
In the Extension root box, click Browse, then select the folder containing the extensions we identified in Step 9.
Choose the appropriate extension folder and then the file.
Then, select the ‘Pack extension’ option.
On the following page, click the OK button.
Open the folder containing your extensions once again at position.
You can now save the CRX file by copying it to another location.
Related Read: 10 Best Image Downloader Chrome Extensions
Method 2: Use Online Downloader
You can get CRX files for Chrome extensions from a few different sites. We’ll show you how to use our suggested downloader, which is likewise quite easy to use.
How to Extract CRX Files
Go to the CRX Extractor and click on Start for free.
A download URL box labeled “Download.CRX file” will appear on the subsequent page. Copy and paste the extension’s Web Store URL from the Web Store into this box.
The extension’s URL can be copied from the address bar of your browser after you navigate to its page in the Chrome Web Store. However, the extension ID needs to be the final part of the URL. Therefore, you may need to trim the link down to size if necessary. Consider the following case:
Paste the edited link into the CRX Extractor box and click Download.
To initiate the download, select Get.CRX.
Any error is possible. alert window that reads “File could be dangerous” Just hit the Download button.
You can use the file whenever you choose now that it’s being downloaded to your computer.
Thirdly, install the CRX Extractor/Downloader add-on.
The CRX Extractor/Downloader add-on for Chrome allows you to save Chrome extensions as either a CRX or ZIP file. This tool is so easy to use that you can skip the above procedures if you like. To get your extensions in CRX format, follow these steps with CRX Extractor/Downloader:
If you use Chrome, you may add the CRX Extractor/Downloader plugin by clicking here.
Visit the extension’s page in the Chrome Web Store after installing it to download its CRX file.
Simply select the Download CRX for this extension option from the context menu that appears when you right-click anywhere on the page.
To get the CRX file for this add-on, select Download.
The addon for Chrome will begin downloading instantly.
Chrome extension installation for CRX files
Here are the specific steps you’ll need to do in order to install your CRX file as a Chrome extension:
To use the free CRX extractor, double-click its icon.
Select a file next to Drop downloaded.CRX and the corresponding source code will be downloaded to your computer.
Select the CRX file that you want to extract, click Open, and then navigate to its location. The CRX file used for this tutorial was obtained using the second technique described above.
To obtain the zipped source code, click Get Source Code.
After this, the CRX would be unzipped and ready to be integrated into the Chrome extension.
Once the ZIP file has downloaded, extract its installation file and return to the Chrome extension page.
After reloading the Chrome extension page, select Load unpack.
Pick the extracted file to open it.
To finish installing the add-on in Chrome, select the folder where you want to put it from the available options.
The browser add-on will be installed instantly.
Advantages of storing a Chrome add-on in CRX format
Keeping a Chrome add-on in CRX format has a few advantages. To begin with, you may still use the CRX files that contain your Chrome extensions even if you no longer have access to your Chrome browser. Second, the CRX file makes it simple to distribute an extension to other customers. Finally, you can update the CRX file to make changes to an extension or add new functionality.
You can get CRX files for all Chrome extensions by following the methods listed above; which one you use will depend on your needs. We’ve also covered the process of adding support for CRX files should that become necessary. Chrome extensions are available as CRX files, which can be downloaded and saved for offline use at any time. Leave a comment telling us which approach you like most.