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''In the absence of web'' can be added to the title.

I have not tried to sync Chrome among my systems. My friend was not able to add an extension (YouTube Downloader). But I added it to my browser sometime before. So I tried to copy the .crx file and install in the other computer. Chrome notified me that "Using Chrome Web Store only you can install".

So how can I install in the other system?

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  • 1
    i found this question relevant after Evernote shut down it's "Clearly" extension. I wan't it to migrate from my office laptop to personal laptop.
    – KNU
    Feb 10, 2016 at 6:37

4 Answers 4

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+50

You should be able to install the .crx file, but you may need to try a few things.

  • First, if you simply drag the .crx file to the browser window, you should see a notice at the bottom of the page asking you to confirm. If you click Confirm, it should ask you to install. If that does not work, try creating a simple .html file that has an anchor (<a> tag) with an href pointing to the .crx file:

    extension

    Put the .html file in the same location as the .crx file and open it. Click the link and see if Chrome allows you to install it like that.

    If it does not, you can try running a local webserver and serving the file from there (I know I have does this at least once before).


  • Another (probably easier) option is to extract the .crx file (using 7Zip for example). Open the extensions page (chrome://extensions/), click the Developer mode check-box, and then Load unpacked extension…:

    enter image description here


  • Finally, you could manually copy the extension, but it is somewhat of a pain in the butt:

    1. Open the extensions page (chrome://extensions/)
    2. Click the Developer mode check-box
    3. Examine the ID of the extension (long string of letters next to ID:)
    4. Open the User Data Directory, then the Extensions directory
    5. Copy the folder with the same name as the extensions’s ID to the Extensions folder of the target system
    6. Open the file Preferences in the User Data Directory in a text editor
    7. Find the section containing the extension (do a search for the ID)
    8. Copy the whole section, making sure to match braces correctly, for example:

      "jchfimlohbodnpamghfgfgabbnfajpbe": {
        "from_bookmark": false,
        "from_webstore": false,
        …
        "path": "jchfimlohbodnpamghfgfgabbnfajpbe\\2012.6.9_0",
        "state": 1
      },
      
    9. Paste the extension in the Preferences file of the target computer. Check the trailing comma ( the }, at the end of the block). If the block you pasted is the last one (i.e., the next line is a single brace one indent back), then you must remove the comma, but if it is another block, then you must make sure it’s there (it’s obvious whether you need it or not when you actually paste it)

    10. Save the file (you may want to make a backup of Preferences and maybe even your whole Extensions directory) and run Chrome

  • These were options for copying general extensions, but for extensions specifically for downloading YouTube videos, I recommend forgoing extensions altogether (which usually run in a whole separate process) and using the YousableTubeFix user-script.

    It adds a Download button to YouTube videos, but it also lets you configure what you do or do not want on the page as well. For example, many people will want to get rid of the comments section and/or the related-videos section, and YousableTubeFix lets you do that as well.

    YousableTubeFix also lets you configure YouTube videos to not automatically start buffering and playing, which is extremely useful.

    And because it’s a script, it only runs when necessary, so it does not use up extra memory when browsing other sites and also does not require the Web Store and can simply be saved/installed/etc.

enter image description here

7
  • @Synetech I clicked unpack, pointed it to ddfsfsdsf within the extensions directory, and got an error "manifest file is missing or unreadable" so I clicked unpack, I pointed it to sdfdsfdsfddssd\7.0 and it said "could not load extension from..." The 'manifest_version' key must be present and set to 2(without quotes..." So I edited manifest.json but I still get that error. pastebin.com/raw.php?i=sjRkg4VK
    – barlop
    Jun 29, 2013 at 17:44
  • I recall something about newer versions of Chrome getting more locked down recently and making the extension requirements stricter, so it might accept fewer extensions than before. I’ll run some tests on Tuesday.
    – Synetech
    Jun 30, 2013 at 2:37
  • @Synetech thanks, here's the extension i'm trying. it's called "tab menu" i've zipped the folder from a computer it's installed on galfofdpepkcahkfobimileafiobdplb.zip I can't install it onto my other machine ge.tt/6BKTsdk/v/0
    – barlop
    Jun 30, 2013 at 19:13
  • @barlop, I just tried it in Chromium 11 and it installed just fine (when I pointed it to the 7_0 folder). I’ll try it out on a newer, locked-down version soon.
    – Synetech
    Jun 30, 2013 at 23:00
  • @barlop, I just tried it in a new version of Chrome and it loaded just fine (again, pointing it to the 7_0 folder). Try renaming the User Data Directory so that Chrome creates a fresh, empty profile. If it can be loaded, then it is a problem with your user profile.
    – Synetech
    Jul 2, 2013 at 15:56
4

If you are using Windows 7, copy them from C:\Users\your-username\AppData\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions, and then paste them into the same folder on another computer. Replace your-username with your username.

If you're not worried about your privacy, you can synchronise all of your data, extensions, and settings anyway. To do it, click the wrench icon and then select Sign in to Chromium..., but you'll need a Google account to start with.

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  • 1
    Link : Why sign in to Chrome.
    – harrymc
    Aug 20, 2012 at 5:49
  • 1
    > copy them from Extensions -1 That won’t work. As soon as you run Chrome, the folder will be deleted from Extensions. Go ahead and try it and see for yourself. By simply copying it, you have not properly told Chrome about the extension and it is not in the habit of just blindly loading everything that happens to be in the Extensiosn directory since that would be extremely poor security design. Syncing could/should work, but is good for your own systems; I would not want to create a new account to be shared with another person; especially if it’s a one-time use thing.
    – Synetech
    Aug 21, 2012 at 20:04
  • @Synetech I can't comment on syncing, but re copying the dsfsdfsdfsdsfd folder (extensions as we know, produce folder names like that), I can confirm that about chrome not seeing the extension, and deleting the folder.
    – barlop
    Jun 26, 2013 at 19:03
  • Yup, Chrome has a nasty habit of blindly deleting anything and everything in the Extensions folder that is not registered in the Preferences file. Many people have lost extensions due to this frustrating behavior (which persists to the latest version).
    – Synetech
    Jun 27, 2013 at 19:28
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  1. Downloaded the chrome extension from internet and saved it in my 'D' drive.(File extension : crx)

    enter image description here
    click to enlarge

  2. Then i dragged the the file from 'D' drive and dropped it on Chrome 'Manage extensions' console. It will be installed.

    enter image description here
    click to enlarge

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  • 1)how did you download the file, i'm not sure how to do that in chrome 2)if the file is no longer online then what, you have to transfer it from another computer but your answer doesn't cover that.
    – barlop
    Jun 29, 2013 at 11:13
0

The method described by Oliver and Mohit does work. I was not able to find the Extension in the Chrome store anymore (discontinued?) but I had the *.CRX file in my Downloads folder from a previous installation (on XP computer). I transferred the file onto a new computer (Win7, over a network). With the Chrome Extensions window open, I had the other Folder open just as the picture shows. With a simple drag-and-drop the Extension was installed in the new location!

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