Permissions

To access most extension APIs and features, you must declare permissions in your extension's manifest. Some permissions trigger warnings that users must allow to continue using the extension.

For more information on how permissions work, see Declare permissions. For best practices for using permissions with warnings, see Permission warning guidelines.

The following is a list of all available permissions and any warnings triggered by specific permissions.

"accessibilityFeatures.modify"

Lets extensions modify accessibility feature states when using the chrome.accessibilityFeatures API.
Warning displayed: Change your accessibility settings.

"accessibilityFeatures.read"

Lets extensions read accessibility states when using the chrome.accessibilityFeatures API.
Warning displayed: Read your accessibility settings.

"activeTab"

Gives temporary access to the active tab through a user gesture. For details, see activeTab.

"alarms"

Gives access to the chrome.alarms API.

"audio"

Gives access to the chrome.audio API.

"background"

Makes Chrome start up early (as soon as the user logs into their computer, before they launch Chrome), and shut down late (even after its last window is closed, until the user explicitly quits Chrome).

"bookmarks"

Gives access to the chrome.bookmarks API.
Warning displayed: Read and change your bookmarks.

"browsingData"

Gives access to the chrome.browsingData API.

"certificateProvider"

Gives access to the chrome.certificateProvider API.

"clipboardRead"

Lets the extension paste items from the clipboard using the web platform Clipboard API.
Warning displayed: Read data you copy and paste.

"clipboardWrite"

Lets the extension cut and copy items to the clipboard using the web platform Clipboard API.
Warning displayed: Modify data you copy and paste.

"contentSettings"

Gives access to the chrome.contentSettings API.
Warning displayed: Change your settings that control websites' access to features such as cookies, JavaScript, plugins, geolocation, microphone, camera etc.

"contextMenus"

Gives access to the chrome.contextMenus API.

"cookies"

Gives access to the chrome.cookies API.

"debugger"

Gives access to the chrome.debugger API.
Warnings displayed:

• Access the page debugger backend.
• Read and change all your data on all websites.

"declarativeContent"

Gives access to the chrome.declarativeContent API.

"declarativeNetRequest"

Gives access to the chrome.declarativeNetRequest API.
Warning displayed: Block content on any page.

"declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess"

Gives access to the chrome.declarativeNetRequest API but requires host permissions for all actions.

"declarativeNetRequestFeedback"

Gives permission to write errors and warnings to the DevTools console when using the chrome.declarativeNetRequest API. This permission is for use with unpacked extensions and is ignored for extensions installed from the Chrome Web Store.
Warning displayed: Read your browsing history.

"dns"

Gives access to the chrome.dns API.

"desktopCapture"

Gives access to the chrome.desktopCapture API.
Warning displayed: Capture content of your screen.

"documentScan"

Gives access to the chrome.documentScan API.

"downloads"

Gives access to the chrome.downloads API.
Warning displayed: Manage your downloads.

"downloads.open"

Allows the use of chrome.downloads.open().
Warning displayed: Manage your downloads.

"downloads.ui"

Allows the use of chrome.downloads.setUiOptions().
Warning displayed: Manage your downloads.

"enterprise.deviceAttributes"

Gives access to the chrome.enterprise.deviceAttributes API.

"enterprise.hardwarePlatform"

Gives access to the chrome.enterprise.hardwarePlatform API.

"enterprise.networkingAttributes"

Gives access to the chrome.enterprise.networkingAttributes API.

"enterprise.platformKeys"

Gives access to the chrome.enterprise.platformKeys API.

"favicon"

Grants access to the Favicon API.
Warning displayed: Read the icons of the websites you visit.

"fileBrowserHandler"

Gives access to the chrome.fileBrowserHandler API.

"fileSystemProvider"

Gives access to the chrome.fileSystemProvider API.

"fontSettings"

Gives access to the chrome.fontSettings API.

"gcm"

Gives access to the chrome.gcm and chrome.instanceID APIs.

"geolocation"

Allows the extension to use the geolocation API without prompting the user for permission.
Warning displayed: Detect your physical location.

"history"

Gives access to the chrome.history API.
Warning displayed: Read and change your browsing history on all signed-in devices.

"identity"

Gives access to the chrome.identity API.

"identity.email"

Gives access to the user's email address through the chrome.identity API.
Warning displayed: Know your email address.

"idle"

Gives access to the chrome.idle API.

"loginState"

Gives access to the chrome.loginState API.

"management"

Gives access to the chrome.management API.
Warning displayed: Manage your apps, extensions, and themes.

"nativeMessaging"

Gives access to the native messaging API.
Warning displayed: Communicate with cooperating native applications.

"notifications"

Gives access to the chrome.notifications API.
Warning displayed: Display notifications.

"offscreen"

Gives access to the chrome.offscreen API.

"pageCapture"

Gives access to the chrome.pageCapture API.
Warning displayed: Read and change all your data on all websites.

"platformKeys"

Gives access to the chrome.platformKeys API.

"power"

Gives access to the chrome.power API.

"printerProvider"

Gives access to the chrome.printerProvider API.

"printing"

Gives access to the chrome.printing API.

"printingMetrics"

Gives access to the chrome.printingMetrics API.

"privacy"

Gives access to the chrome.privacy API.
Warning displayed: Change your privacy-related settings.

"processes"

Gives access to the chrome.processes API.

"proxy"

Gives access to the chrome.proxy API.
Warning displayed: Read and change all your data on all websites.

"readingList"

Gives access to the chrome.readingList API.
Warning displayed: Read and change entries in the reading list.

"runtime"

Gives access to runtime.connectNative() and runtime.sendNativeMessage(). For all other features of the runtime namespace, no permission is required.

"scripting"

Gives access to the chrome.scripting API.

"search"

Gives access to the chrome.search API.

"sessions"

Gives access to the chrome.sessions API.
Warnings displayed:

• When used with the "history" permission: Read and change your browsing history on all your signed-in devices.
• When used with the "tabs" permission: Read your browsing history on all your signed-in devices.

"sidePanel"

Gives access to the chrome.sidePanel API.

"storage"

Gives access to the chrome.storage API.

"system.cpu"

Gives access to the chrome.system.cpu API.

"system.display"

Gives access to the chrome.system.display API.

"system.memory"

Gives access to the chrome.system.memory API.

"system.storage"

Gives access to the chrome.system.storage API.
Warning displayed: Identify and eject storage devices.

"tabCapture"

Gives access to the chrome.tabCapture API.
Warning displayed: Read and change all your data on all websites.

"tabGroups"

Gives access to the chrome.tabGroups API.
Warning displayed: View and manage your tab groups.

"tabs"

Gives access to privileged fields of the Tab objects used by several APIs, including chrome.tabs and chrome.windows. You usually don't need to declare this permission to use those APIs.
Warning displayed: Read your browsing history.

"topSites"

Gives access to the chrome.topSites API.
Warning displayed: Read a list of your most frequently visited websites.

"tts"

Gives access to the chrome.tts API.

"ttsEngine"

Gives access to the chrome.ttsEngine API.
Warning displayed: Read all text spoken using synthesized speech.

"unlimitedStorage"

Provides an unlimited quota for chrome.storage.local, IndexedDB, Cache Storage, and Origin Private File System. For more information, see Storage and cookies.

"userScripts"

Gives access to the chrome.userScripts API. NOTE: the user must also explicitly enable the usage of user scripts.

"vpnProvider"

Gives access to the chrome.vpnProvider API.

"wallpaper"

Gives access to the chrome.wallpaper API.

"webAuthenticationProxy"

Gives access to the chrome.webAuthenticationProxy API.
Warning displayed: Read and change all your data on all websites.

"webNavigation"

Gives access to the chrome.webNavigation API.
Warning displayed: Read your browsing history.

"webRequest"

Gives access to the chrome.webRequest API.

"webRequestBlocking"

Allows the use of the chrome.webRequest API for blocking.