How to Fix Chrome Extensions Not Working or Greyed out?

Top Reasons for Chrome Extensions Not Working or Greyed out

Chrome extensions can help you deal with some work easily and quickly. After you install an extension in Chrome, it will show up in the toolbar of Chrome (on the upper-right corner). However, some users say that their Chrome extensions are not working or even greyed out.

What is the reason for this issue? These are the main causes:

1. Chrome process glitch
2. Extensions conflicts
3. Outdated Chrome version
4. Outdated Windows version
5. Corrupted browser user profile
6. Settings issues
7. Browser hijacker infection

Focusing on these possible causes, we collect some solutions that are proved to be effective to fix Chrome extensions stopped working or Chrome extensions greyed out. You can select a suitable one to help you out.

How to Fix Chrome Extensions Not Working?

Fix 1: End the Chrome Process Using Task Manager

1. Right-click blank space in the Taskbar and then select Task Manager.
2. Click Google Chrome in the Processes tab and then click the End task button on the bottom-right corner. You can also right-click Google Chrome and then select End task from the pop-up menu to end the Chrome process.

However, it is said that this method can only temporarily fix the issue. The issue may happen again at times. If so, you can try other methods to solve the issue.

Fix 2: Re-Enable the Installed Chrome Extensions

You can also disable your Chrome extensions and then re-enable them to fix the issue. This post shows you what you can do to do this work: How to Disable and Enable Chrome Extensions/Plug-Ins/Add-Ons?

Fix 3: Upgrade Chrome

An outdated Chrome can also cause Chrome extensions not working. So, you can go to check whether you are using the latest Chrome version. If not, you need to upgrade it.

1. Click the three-dot menu.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click About Chrome from the left menu.
4. If there is an available Chrome update, the update process will automatically start. You should wait patiently until the whole process ends.

Fix 4: Upgrade Windows

Some users reflect that they solve the issue by updating Windows. You can also do this to have a try.

You can go to Start > Settings > Update & Security to check for updates and update your Windows to the latest version.

Fix 5: Create a New User Profile

Corrupted browser user profile is also one possible cause. To rule out this possibility, you need to create a new user profile:

1. Close Chrome.
2. Press Win+R to open Run.
3. Type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ and press Enter to open access the location that contains the default Google Chrome folder.
4. Find the Default folder and then rename it to Default-Bak. This will make Chrome create a new one.

After doing these things, you can re-launch Chrome to see whether the extensions can working normally again.

Fix 6: Disable Experimental Settings in Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Copy and paste this to the address bar: about:flags.
3. Press Enter to open Experiments. If it is the first time for you to open it, you will receive a warning. You should not worry about it.
4. Click the Reset all button.

Restore your Chrome to see whether the issue is solved.

chrome://flags: Try Experimental Features & Activate Debug Tools

In this post, we will talk about chrome://flags, which can help you activate additional debugging tools or try out new or experimental features in Chrome.

Read More

Fix 7: Perform a Virus and Malware Scan

If your Chrome is infected by a browser hijacker, Chrome extensions not working can also happen. You can use Malwarebytes to perform a deep scan to remove it from your Chrome.

How to Fix Chrome Extensions Greyed out?

Normally, the Chrome extensions’ icons should be lighted and they can work automatically when accessing a site in Chrome. However, you may find some of your Chrome extensions are greyed out.

Don’t worry. This is not a big problem. You can try the following methods to get rid of this issue.

Fix 1: Re-Install the Chrome Extensions

When your Chrome keep disabling extensions, you can remove them and then re-install these extensions. Some users said they solve the issue by using this method. You can also have a try. However, this method doesn’t work all the time. If it can’t solve your issue, you can try the next method.

Fix2: Re-Enable the Chrome Extensions

Some Chrome extensions are disabled due to its settings. You need to manually enable it every time you want to use it. The methods to enable Chrome extensions are different.

For some extensions, you just need to click its icon to enable it.

For other extensions, you need to click it and then turn on the button for it.

Fix 3: Modify the Extension Settings in Chrome

If your Chrome keeps disabling extensions and you don’t want this effect, you need to modify the extension settings to make it always work on all sites.

1. Open Chrome.

2. Right-click the extension icon and then select Manage extensions.

3. Select On all sites under Site access.

After reading this article, you should know what you can do when Chrome extensions not working or greyed out. Should you have any related issues, you can let us know in the comment.