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Chrome Developer Mode: Turn It On and Manage Extensions

Enable Chrome’s Developer Mode, load an unpacked extension for testing, manage extension access, and troubleshoot a missing or blocked switch.
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To turn on Chrome’s extension Developer Mode, open chrome://extensions in desktop Chrome and enable the Developer Mode switch near the upper-right corner. If you’re testing an extension stored on your computer, select Load unpacked and choose its folder; that folder must have manifest.json at its root. This setting is separate from Chrome DevTools, the browser’s general web-development tools.

Turn on Developer Mode in Chrome

  1. Open a new Chrome tab and enter chrome://extensions.
  2. Alternatively, open Chrome’s Extensions menu and select Manage Extensions.
  3. On the Extensions page, switch on Developer Mode in the upper-right area. See Google’s extension tutorial for the documented workflow.

This workflow applies to desktop Chrome. Google’s Chrome Enterprise test instructions also cover Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS devices: Create and publish custom Chrome apps and extensions.

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Load an unpacked extension for testing

Load unpacked is for testing a local extension, not for installing an ordinary extension from the Chrome Web Store. The extension’s files should be in the folder you select, with manifest.json directly inside that folder rather than in a nested subfolder.

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  1. Enable Developer Mode on chrome://extensions.
  2. Click Load unpacked.
  3. Choose the extension directory containing the root-level manifest.json.

After loading, you can find the extension in Chrome’s Extensions menu and optionally pin it to the toolbar.

Reload an extension after code changes

Not every edit requires the same refresh. The Chrome extension tutorial distinguishes changes that require reloading the extension from page changes that need a host-page reload:

Changed component What to reload
Manifest Reload the extension
Service worker Reload the extension
Content script Reload the extension and the host page
Popup No extension reload required
Options page No extension reload required
Other extension HTML pages No extension reload required

To reload, return to chrome://extensions and use the reload control on the extension’s card. If it fails, check the card’s Errors button or inspect the relevant DevTools context.

Manage an extension and its site access

The Extensions page is also where you control installed extensions. Chrome Help documents these options in Install and manage extensions.

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  • Turn it on or off: Use the switch on the extension’s card.
  • Review permissions and details: Select Details.
  • Limit site access: Depending on the extension, choose to allow access when you select it, on the current site, or on all sites. You can also manage specific allowed sites.
  • Remove it: Use the extension’s toolbar menu or find it on the Extensions page and select Remove.

Turning an extension on or off controls whether it runs; changing site access controls where it can access site data. These are different settings. Install only extensions you trust.

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Why Developer Mode may be missing or blocked

First confirm you’re using desktop Chrome and viewing the Extensions management page at chrome://extensions. Developer Mode is a switch there, not a setting in the general DevTools interface.

If the browser is managed by a workplace or school, an administrator may restrict extensions or block developer tools on the Extensions page. Google’s policy reference includes a control that can disallow Developer Mode there: Set Chrome policies for users or browsers. If the switch is unavailable on a managed browser, contact your organization’s administrator rather than trying to bypass its policy.

Chrome Help also notes that organizations may block extensions. For an extension marked unsupported, Chrome recommends finding an alternative or removing it; temporary re-enabling may be offered for a limited period, and an administrator can re-enable unsupported extensions through enterprise policy.

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