How to Block Browser Extensions

Some browser extensions might interfere with your ability to enforce a content filter. Learning how to block these extension is an important step.

Tech Lockdown Team

Updated April 25, 2025

Content filters are a first line of defense for blocking harmful or distracting websites, but many users are finding ways around them using browser extensions. From VPN plugins to web proxies and encrypted search tools, these add-ons can punch holes in even the best filtering systems. If you're a parent or an adult trying to self-manage your own devices who wants to maintain safe and focused browsing environments, it's crucial to understand how extensions can be used to bypass filters—and more importantly, how to lock them down. This guide walks you through practical ways to block or control extensions in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, with an emphasis on reinforcing your content filter.

There are generally two ways that you could approach this problem:

Block the extension store or specific extension pages: This method involves blocking the browser’s extension store URL (like the Chrome Web Store) or the individual pages of known risky extensions. It's simple, but not foolproof—if your filter fails or gets bypassed, the extensions can still be installed.
Block or allow extensions by ID (recommended): This is the more reliable option. Every extension has a unique ID. By using that ID, you can create an allowlist (only approved extensions are permitted) or a blocklist (specific extensions are denied). This method is harder to bypass and easier to enforce long-term.

Choosing between these depends on your environment and control level. This guide will help you decide whether targeted blocking is enough or if a default-deny approach offers better long-term protection.

The reason we more strongly recommend blocking an extension by its ID has to do with how enforceable the option is. If you rely on blocking the extension page's URL, there is no built-in mechanism to prevent the extension from being installed if your blocking system fails.

Choosing an Approach to Block Browser Extensions

If you rarely add new browser extensions and have a consistent few you've enabled, using the default-deny approach is the most effective option if you're self-managing your own device. This means you'll be creating a list of extensions that are allowed, and all others will be blocked.

However, if you'd prefer to only block a handful of browser extensions, you can use the default-allowed approach instead. This is what most people have in mind when we talk about "blocking browser extensions", but there is always the chance for a new extension being installed that wasn't blocked.

Getting Extension Information

After choosing the right approach, you'll need to gather some information about the browser extensions you want to block, such as the URL and extension ID.

Depending on which browser you're using, you might need to consider different IDs depending on which browser extensions web stores are compatible with. Each browser has its own web store, and extension IDs are different across each store:

Google Chrome: Chrome Web Store (https://chromewebstore.google.com)
Microsoft Edge: Edge Web Store (https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com)
Firefox: Firefox Add-on Store (about:addons)

Visit your browser's extension store and find your extension. I would strongly recommend making a list of each extension's store page URL.

I would recommend saving the entire URL, but what we're really interested in is the extension ID near the end of the URL.

Take a look at the URL. At the very end of the long address, you should see a forward slash followed by a long string of letters. This string of letters is the extension ID.

Note

If you have multiple browser extensions, I'd strongly recommend creating a list of the browser URLs or extension IDS.

Get FireFox Add-on ID

Firefox requires more work to find the exact extension ID.

It's a bit tricky to find the extension ID for a browser plugin that isn't already installed, but you could use a tool like this one to view and copy the ID you'll need.

After installing the extension, you can visit Mozilla's addons page and find a specific browser extension...

Then open the tool to see the ID:

Block Browser Extensions on Mac

There are two main ways that you can block browser extensions on a Mac computer:

Either you can block the extensions store and/or filter individual store pages on the extensions store.
Or, you could use Device Configuration Files to set a blocklist or allowlist of browser extensions.

Blocking the extensions store could end up being fairly complicated, because you may need to use a browsing extension to block browser URLs.

If you'd like a more enforceable, straightforward option that can't be disabled, then we recommend using a tool to manage browser extensions on your Mac.

Tech Lockdown's Browser Extension Manager uses Apple Config Files to block extensions by their IDs on multiple browsers at once. If an extension is blocked on your Mac and you try to install it anyway, you'll get the error message below:

However, you may still need to use a browser extension, for example, to manage passwords or provide spell suggestions. Legitimate extensions can still be added.

Block Extensions on Windows

Windows computers can also block browser extensions in two main ways:

Either you can block the extensions store and/or filter individual store pages on the extensions store.
Or, you could use the Registry to modify Browser Policies directly and block extensions that way.

Of the two options, blocking the web store URL is the fastest and easiest way.

Browser policies are hidden settings that can be edited using specialized tools, like the Registry Editor, or by using specific commands in Command Prompt. I'd only recommend choosing this method if you're an advanced Windows user, as it's easy to make mistakes that are very difficult to troubleshoot.

How to Use the Registry to Block Extensions on Windows

Some of us might prefer to modify the Registry visually without using the command line.

Keep in mind that modifying the Registry without knowing what you're doing can be dangerous. I would strongly recommend that you make a backup before continuing.

First, search for Registry in the Start Menu, and accept the User Account Control prompt:

You should see a screen that looks like this:

From here, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Policies:

If you've never done this before, you will probably have to create a Google entry. To do this, right-click on Policies and choose New > Key.

Name this new key Google:

Under Google, create another key named Chrome. Under Chrome, add one called ExtensionInstallBlocklist:

The final path should be Computer \ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Google \ Chrome \ ExtensionInstallBlocklist. You can check this towards the top of the Registry Editor:

On the ExtensionInstallBlocklist entry you just created, then right-click and choose New > String Value:

Name this new String Value "1":

Double-click on this value and enter your first extension ID under Value data:

Click OK when you're done.

Perfect! The final product should look like this:

If you want to add more extensions to this blocklist, right-click on ExtensionInstallForcelist again, choose New > String Value, then set this new value's name to "2". If you had three extensions that you wanted to the blocklist, it might look like this:

How to add Extensions to Blocklist using Command Prompt

The Command Prompt can be used to modify your browser's policies directly. It does this by modifying the Registry with commands instead of using a GUI.

Keep in mind that modifying the Registry without knowing what you're doing can be dangerous. I would strongly recommend that you make a backup before continuing.

You should have the extension ID(s) of the browser extensions you want to block first.

Open Command Prompt as an Administrator.

In order to create a blocklist, you'll first need to create a directory in the Registry first called the ExtensionInstallBlocklist.

To create the directory, copy/paste this command into Command Prompt (make sure that you are running as an Administrator):

For Google Chrome, use this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallBlocklist"

For Microsoft Edge, use this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallBlocklist"

After you've created this directory in the Registry, you can start adding entries to start building your Forcelist.

To add an entry, you'll need to use a command to add a String Value within the ExtensionInstallForcelist; before you try to run this command in Command Prompt, take a look at it:

For Google Chrome, look at this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v "1" /t REG_SZ /d "pganeibhckoanndahmnfggfoeofncnii"

For Microsoft Edge, look at this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v "1" /t REG_SZ /d "pganeibhckoanndahmnfggfoeofncnii"

You'll see that the command starts going to the ExtensionInstallBlocklist directory first. Next, it creates a new String value with the title "1", then you might recognize the extension ID near the end for Cold Turkey: "pganeibhckoanndahmnfggfoeofncnii".

If you want to change which extension is blocked, just take the extension ID you've copied earlier and replace Cold Turkey's value with your own.

If you want to add additional extensions to your blocklist, you can, but just make sure that you change the name to "2" for the second entry, "3" for the third entry, and so on.

For example, if you also wanted to add Google translate:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v "2" /t REG_SZ /d "aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb"

(and for Edge)

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v "2" /t REG_SZ /d "aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb"

Notice the "2" and the changed extension ID in the above command.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Web Browser Policies?

You are probably familiar with the Settings page on Chrome:

Your browser also has hidden settings (called Policies) that you can’t change from this menu. One of these policies is called the ‘ExtensionInstallBlocklist.’ If an extension's ID is added to this list, then your browser will block it from being downloaded.

You can view current policies enabled for your browser by visiting the links below:

For Google Chrome: chrome://policy.
For Microsoft Edge: edge://policy.
For Firefox: about:policies.

Here's what these pages should look like (my browser has no policies currently active):

What is an Extension ID?

The extension ID is how your browser knows which extension to install. To find a browser extension's ID, go to its store page and look for the string of letters:

Does blocking an extension uninstall it?

Yes. If you add an extension to your blocklist, it should be uninstalled next time you restart your browser.

How do I remove an extension I’ve enforced?

If you need to remove an entry, the easiest way is to delete the ExtensionInstallForcelist entry in either the Registry (for Windows) or remove the Device Configuration File you've installed (for Mac).

For Windows, open Command Prompt as administrator and enter the following command for Chrome:

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v 1 /f

Here's the command for Edge:

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallBlocklist" /v 1 /f

For Mac, open Terminal and enter the following command for Chrome:

defaults delete com.google.Chrome ExtensionInstallBlocklist

For Edge, use this command:

defaults delete com.microsoft.Edge ExtensionInstallBlocklist

Restart your browsers in order for the changes to take effect.