Desktop Chrome lets you control whether an extension can access website data only when you select it, automatically on the current site, or automatically on all sites. To allow access on a short list of sites instead, open the extension’s Details page and manage its allowed sites under Permissions.
Choose how an extension can access site data
In desktop Chrome, you can set an extension to require your selection, work automatically on the current site, or work automatically across all sites. To change the setting from the toolbar:
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- Select the Extensions icon in Chrome.
- Find the extension and open its site-data access menu, labeled “This can read and change site data.”
- Choose the access level you want.
| Choice | What it allows | Practical trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| When you select the extension | The extension can access the current site when you select it in the open tab or window. | Most restrictive of the three choices, but you must select the extension again after closing the tab or window. |
| On the current site | The extension can access the site you are on without you selecting it each time. | More convenient on that site, with less reach than access across all sites. |
| On all sites | The extension can access site data across websites you visit. | Most automatic, and the broadest access. |
Google says access to all websites can let an extension read, request, or modify data on pages you visit. A permission warning describes what an extension is capable of doing; it does not, by itself, prove that the extension is malicious. See Google’s explanation of app and extension permissions.
Choose the narrowest setting that still supports the feature you need. Restricting access may make an extension’s feature unavailable on a site until you select the extension or allow that site; the effect depends on how the extension works.
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Allow an extension on specific sites
Use the extension’s Details page to create a site allowlist or remove a site from it:
- Open Chrome’s More menu, then select Extensions → Manage extensions.
- Find the extension and select Details.
- Under Permissions, set site access to On specific sites if the Allowed sites control is not already shown.
- To permit a site, select Add beside Allowed sites and enter the site.
- To revoke a site’s access, open the More menu beside that site and select Remove.
You can change these permissions at any time. For Google’s current desktop instructions, see Install and manage extensions. Menu names can vary by Chrome version or language.
Extension access is not the same as website permissions
Chrome’s Site settings control permissions a website requests from the browser, such as access to your camera or location. Extension site access controls whether an extension can read or change data on websites. If your goal is to stop an extension from accessing pages, change that extension’s permissions rather than only changing a website’s camera or location permission. Google documents website permissions in Change site settings permissions on a computer.
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Extension site-access settings are not a universal network firewall. Google notes that the setting does not affect extensions that change lower-level network access through VPN or proxy settings.
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If you use Chrome at work or school, some controls may be set by your organization. Administrators can configure website access and separately restrict whether extensions can alter pages at selected URLs. Those policies are distinct from the per-extension setting available to consumers, and organization policy may limit what you can change. If a control is managed or unavailable, contact your administrator. See Google’s guidance on allowing or blocking website access, preventing extensions from altering webpages, and app and extension permissions.
These steps are documented for desktop Chrome. Do not assume the same controls or menu paths are available in Chrome on phones.
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