How to Pin and Unpin Extensions from the Chrome Toolbar

To pin an extension to the Chrome toolbar, click the icon of the extension on the toolbar and click the “Pin” icon next to the extension.

Read on for a detailed guide, complete with screenshots.

Google Chrome has redesigned the way it shows extensions in the toolbar. With the new UI, you can pin Chrome extensions on the toolbar. In this article, we will teach you how to use the new extensions toolbar. We will also see how to add an icon to the toolbar.

Note: If you are looking for an extension to “Pin” (add to Pinterest) websites and pictures, you can install the official Pinterest extension from here.

New Chrome Toolbar

Here is how the new UI looks like:

The new Chrome extensions toolbar

Click on the icon of the extension on the toolbar to bring up the complete list of your extensions.

If you do not have the new extensions toolbar yet, refer to the How to Enable Google Chrome’s New Extensions Menu section at the end of this article.

Why pin or unpin extensions?

There is only a limited amount of space on the Chrome toolbar for extensions. As you install more extensions, this space becomes crowded.

However, not all extensions need an icon there. For example, I have a Grammarly extension installed. It works on the page as I write. I do not need to see the extension’s icon all the time.

What do I do?

I can hide the extension icon by “unpinning” it. Let me show you how.

Unpin or hide an extension icon

If you prefer a video, here is our guide explaining how to pin or unpin Chrome extensions.

Want to read the how-to guide? Let’s get started.

Click the extension icon on the toolbar. You will see a pin icon next to each extension. Click this icon to hide an extension.

When it is hidden or unpinned, the pin icon will show only an outline. When the icon is pinned, the icon will be blue.

Pinned Icons

You can also right-click an extension on the toolbar and choose Unpin to hide it.

Unpin extension icon

Pin Chrome extension

To pin an extension:

  1. Click the extension icon from the toolbar
  2. Click the pin icon next to your extension. When the extension is pinned, you will see the pin icon in Blue.

How to Enable Google Chrome’s New Extensions Menu

If you do not have the new extensions toolbar menu yet, here is how to enable it.

  1. Open a new tab and go to chrome://flags
  2. Search and find the Extensions Toolbar Menu flag.
  3. From the dropdown, select Enabled.
  4. Restart Chrome.
Extensions Toolbar Menu Flag

After you restart Chrome, you should have the new extensions toolbar menu. Look for the plugin icon on the toolbar:

Chrome Extensions Toolbar Icon

Do you have any questions about pinning extensions? Let us know in the comments section.


2 responses to “How to Pin and Unpin Extensions from the Chrome Toolbar”

  1. Can this be done by GPO? We would like to show the extension on the toolbar automatically.

    1. Dinsan – Bangalore, India – Digital Minimalist & Content Developer. Drinks Tea and writes Stuff (mostly about Chromebooks). My views are mostly copied from others.

      Looks like this is possible. Please take a look here: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/9039146?hl=en

Leave a ReplyCancel reply