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How to Control Which Websites a Browser Extension Can Access

Use each browser’s extension settings to grant access only when needed, on selected websites, or across all sites. The exact controls vary by browser.

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Open the settings for the specific extension and limit its site access to the smallest scope that still lets it do its job: click-only or current-site access for occasional use, selected sites for a few domains, and all sites only when the extension needs broad access and you trust it. The controls and labels differ by browser, so follow the matching steps below.

Choose the right access scope

Site access controls determine where an extension can use the website permissions it requested. Use the narrowest option that suits how you use it:

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  • Click-only or on-demand: grant access when you select the extension, useful when you need it occasionally.
  • Selected sites: allow access automatically on a short list of domains where the extension needs to work.
  • All sites: allow access broadly. Reserve this for an extension whose function requires it and whose permissions you trust.

These settings are per extension. Change the access for the particular add-on you want to limit, rather than assuming one browser-wide switch controls every extension. Chrome for Developers recommends using optional permissions where functionality allows, so users can grant access when a feature needs it: Declare permissions.

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Change site access in Chrome on desktop

  1. Open More > Extensions > Manage extensions.
  2. Find the extension and select Details.
  3. Under Allow this extension to read and change all your data on websites you visit, choose the available access mode: On select, On specific sites, or On all sites.
  4. For a selected-sites list, choose On specific sites, then use Allowed sites to add or remove domains. If the list is not displayed, first switch the overall access setting to On specific sites.

For temporary access, open the Extensions menu and point to This can read and change site data. Chrome Help describes selecting the extension as granting access to the current site in the open tab or window; after you close that tab or window, you must select the extension again to grant access. The menu also offers current-site and all-sites choices. Chrome’s support page labels one mode On select, while its explanation describes selecting the extension to grant current-site access; retain the label shown in your version of Chrome. See Google Chrome Help: Install and manage extensions.

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Change site access in Microsoft Edge

  1. Select Extensions beside the address bar. If it is hidden, open Settings and more > Extensions.
  2. On the extension, select … More actions, then point to This can read and change site data.
  3. Choose click-only, current-site, or all-sites behavior from the menu.
  4. To manage a site list or related settings, select Manage extensions, open the extension’s Details, and look under Site access. Use the automatic access option for specified sites if it is available.

Edge also lists separate controls for Allow in InPrivate and Allow access to file URLs on the extension details page. Click-only access applies to the current site in the open tab or window when you select the extension; after closing that tab or window, select it again to grant access. The steps and available options are documented in Microsoft Support: Change site access permissions for extensions in Microsoft Edge.

Set website permissions in Safari

Review the extension’s website access using Edit Websites, then set each listed site to Ask, Allow, or Deny. These are site-specific choices. Check your Safari version before relying on profile or private-browsing boundaries: Apple says that in Safari 17 and later, granting access to a specific website applies across all profiles, private browsing, and browsing without a profile. The controls are described in Apple Developer Documentation: Managing Safari web extension permissions.

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Check the individual add-on in Firefox

Firefox’s available controls depend on the extension’s permission model and the settings it exposes. Open Add-ons and themes > Extensions, select the add-on, and inspect its permissions and settings. Firefox documentation covers a Site Permissions panel and optional extension permissions, but does not establish one site-by-site allow-list workflow that applies to every add-on. Do not assume that every extension can be restricted to an arbitrary set of websites through a shared browser control. See Mozilla’s guides to the Site Permissions panel and managing optional permissions for Firefox extensions.

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What site access limits—and what it does not

These controls limit an extension’s ability to operate on matching pages using its requested host permissions; they are not a complete firewall. Chrome specifically says that changing or canceling those permissions affects sites matching the extension’s host permissions, but not lower-level network access changes through VPN or proxy settings. Treat site access as a way to constrain an extension’s page access, not as a guarantee that the extension cannot make any network request through another mechanism. See Google Chrome Help.

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