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My top 5 most used Google Chrome extensions, and why they are so awesome

There are a lot of Google Chrome extensions out there, but here are the ones I find invaluable.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor

Over the years I've written a lot about the best Google Chrome extensions, but now that I'm using Firefox a lot more, it's got me thinking about the extensions I use on a regular basis. So, over the past week or so I've been paying attention to the extensions that I use. And it's interesting that there are a few that I've come to rely on, while the bulk get used occasionally.

So, here are my top five most used Google Chrome extensions, along with why I think they are awesome.

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I don't know how I would manage without LastPass as my password manager. It's on every device I own, and thanks to extensions, built into the browsers I use. After years of flitting from one password manager to another, I finally found the one that worked for me.

The extension not only gives me access to my passwords, but also allows me to do things like create new strong passwords and manage my account.

If you're not using a password manager -- and you really should be! -- then I suggest you take LastPass for a spin. Highly recommended.

I find websites that spontaneously start spewing sound or music out to be the worst. AutoMute changes all that by either muting every new tab you open automatically and letting you create a whitelist, or blacklisting the noisy websites and leaving everything else working as it should. It's this flexibility that I find useful, and why I use it all the time.

Twitter is my social media platform of choice, but sadly it's is increasingly turning into a cesspool of garbage, especially in relation to politics. Bot Sentinel automatically detect and track trollbots and untrustworthy Twitter accounts. 

It helps make Twitter a little bit nicer by highlighting the bots and untrustworthy accounts.

BioLite CampStove 2 in action

I'm not a huge fan of Facebook, and part of that is how noisy the interface is and how the developers keep changing things all the time.

An extension that has help me maintain my sanity without giving Facebook the book is F.B.(FluffBusting)Purity. This extension can be set to hide all the ads, game spam, sponsored posts and other annoying stuff on Facebook, making it a bit more tolerable.

This is basically dark mode for video sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and Hulu. It basically dims all the noise around the video, allowing you to focus on the video.

Very simple, but very effective, especially for longer video viewing sessions.

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