Chrome Extension CRX Direct Download
WebEverything runs locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded
There is no download button on a Chrome Web Store page, but the browser installs extensions by fetching them from the update endpoint at `clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx` — so downloading a crx needs no third-party site at all. Build the same URL and it downloads when you open it. Paste either a store URL or an extension ID. The ID is 32 letters from a–p (a 128-bit number with each hexadecimal digit spelled as a letter), so this tool can validate it: a missing character or an out-of-range letter is reported rather than silently accepted.
Features
- Accepts a store URL or a bare extension ID, in both the old and new store layouts
- Produces a direct link on the official update endpoint — opening it downloads the file
- Validates the ID alphabet (a–p) and length, so a mistyped ID is caught
- Recognises Microsoft Edge add-on URLs and explains why they are not supported
- Includes the manual install steps (developer mode, then drag the .crx in)
- Parses whatever you paste and makes no network requests of its own
How to use
- Copy the extension’s address from the store, or the extension ID itself
- Paste it; the result appears as you type
- Use the copy button on the direct link row and open it in a new tab
- To install: open chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode, and drag the downloaded file in
FAQ
- Why does an extension ID only use the letters a–p?
- Because the ID is a 128-bit (16-byte) number whose 32 hexadecimal digits are spelled as letters: a is 0, b is 1, and so on up to p for 15. Digits and the letters q–z therefore never appear — not by convention but by encoding. That also means one wrong character points at a different extension, or at none, which is why validating against that alphabet is worth doing.
- How do I install the crx once downloaded?
- Open `chrome://extensions` (`edge://extensions` on Edge), turn on Developer mode in the top right, and drag the .crx file onto the page. Note that Chrome may disable extensions from outside the store after a restart — that is expected behaviour, not a failed install.
- Why can’t it parse a Microsoft Edge add-on URL?
- Edge is a different system: its add-on IDs are much longer (32 hexadecimal characters) and downloads go through an endpoint on `edge.microsoft.com`. Feeding an Edge ID to the Chrome endpoint only yields an error, so the tool says so instead of returning something unusable.
- Does this tool fetch that download URL?
- No. It only builds the address for you to copy. The actual request is made by your browser when you open it, so the site never learns what you downloaded.
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