How To Download And Save Chrome Extension As Crx

Meanwhile, Chrome extensions can usually be installed directly from their respective web store pages, and the process is quite simple. Although this is not always the case, it’s actually pretty great since the extensions are installed automatically. The question that arises now is what to do if your favorite extension gets removed from the Chrome Store or if you prefer to save the extension files without installing them. Fortunately, you can download and save the Chrome extension as CRX so that you can save the extension file on your computer and access it easily. This means that even if some of the extensions you use are removed from the Chrome Store or updated to a version you do not like, the current extension will always be available as long as it’s already saved on your PC. CRX files are simply a workaround to bypass the Chrome Web Store and install extensions in the browser. Moreover, most users are unfamiliar with the specific procedure required to install these CRX files as browser extensions. Therefore, this article describes various methods to download and save Chrome extensions as CRX files and add them to your browser.

3 Ways to Download and Save Chrome Extension as CRX

We’ll discuss three different methods to download and save Chrome extension as CRX on your computer:

Method 1: Repack the installed Chrome extension into the CRX file

This method is for you if you’ve already added the Chrome extension you want to download and save as a CRX file to your browser. You just need to follow these steps to repack the extension:

In Chrome, type the following address and press Enter to open the extensions list.
Toggle on the Developer mode to see the ID of the extension you want to save as CRX.
Press Windows + E to open File Explorer, go to This PC, and open the C drive.
Select Users and tap on the username you are using (the username will be “user” if you’ve never set a username before).
Tap the View menu at the top of your screen and check the Hidden items option (AppData is always hidden, and without enabling the Hidden items option, you won’t find it)
Navigate to AppData and open it.
Then click on Local > Google > Chrome.
Tap User Data and click on Default; if you are using a different User profile in Chrome, you have to click that instead of Default. For this article, I selected Profile 4 instead of Default as that is the profile I have the extensions show on the image in the first step.
Click on Extensions to open the extension files on your computer.
Navigate to the folder with the same name as the extension ID you want to download.
Go back to the Chrome extension page and click on Pack extension.
Click Browse in front of the Extension root box and navigate to the extension folder we noted earlier in step 9.
Select the file in the extension folder and tap Select folder.
After that, click Pack extension.
Select OK on the resulting page.
Now, go back to the extension folder and open it.

You’ll find the CRX file, which can now be copied to another folder for you to keep. Related Read: 10 Best Image Downloader Chrome Extensions

Method 2: Use Online Downloader

There are some platforms that can help you download and save Chrome extensions as CRX files. We’ll guide you through the procedures to use our recommended downloader, which is also quite simple.

How to use CRX Extractor

Go to the CRX Extractor and click on Start for free.
On the resulting page, you’ll see a URL box under Download .CRX file section. This is where you’ll have to paste the Web Store URL link of the extension you want to save as CRX.
Visit the extension’s page on the Chrome Web Store, then copy the link from the address bar. However, the URL link should end with the extension ID. Therefore, if necessary, you might need to remove a few characters from the link. See the following example: This: Not this:
Paste the edited link into the CRX Extractor box and click Download.
Tap on Get .CRX for the download to start.
You may get any error pop-up saying “File might be harmful” click on Download anyway.
Now, the file will be downloaded to your computer and can be used anytime you want.

Method 3: Use CRX Extractor/Downloader extension

Chrome extensions can be downloaded as CRX or ZIP files with the help of the CRX Extractor/Downloader browser extension. You can use this program instead of the methods mentioned above if you like, as it is quite simple. Here is how to use CRX Extractor/Downloader to download extensions as CRX files:

Visit here to add CRX Extractor/Downloader to your Chrome extensions.
After adding the extension to your browser, go to the Google Chrome Store page of the extension that you want to save as a CRX file.
Right-click on any space on the page and place your cursor on Download CRX for this extension option.
Then click on Download CRX for this extension.
The Chrome extension will immediately start downloading.

How to install CRX files as Chrome extensions

Installing your saved CRX file as a Chrome extension requires a different process, and here you can find detailed instructions on how to do that:

Go to CRX extractor and click on Start for free.
Under Drop downloaded.CRX and get source code, click on Choose file.
Navigate to the CRX file you want to extract, select it and click open. We used the CRX file we downloaded with the second method in the previous section for this guide.
Select Get Source Code and wait for the ZIP file to download.
This process would have unpacked the CRX, which can now be added to the chrome extension without any issue.
Extract the installation file from the downloaded ZIP file and go back to your Chrome extension page.
Go back to your Chrome extension page, click on Load unpack.
Select the extracted file.
Click the Select folder option to complete the process and add the extension to Chrome.

The extension will immediately get added to your browser.

Benefits of saving a Chrome extension as a CRX file

There are a few benefits to saving a Chrome extension as a CRX file. First, if you lose your Chrome browser, you can still access the extensions that you have saved as CRX files. Second, if you want to share an extension with other users, you can easily do so by sending them the CRX file. Finally, if you want to modify an extension or add new features, you can do so by editing the CRX file. Each Chrome extension can be downloaded as a CRX file using one of the techniques described above; you need to decide which method to use depending on your preferences. We have also discussed how to add CRX files as extensions if required. These options to download and save Chrome extensions as CRX files are always useful to keep your extension file offline. Let us know which method you prefer in the comment section below.