Checking your browser plugins is a good way to really ensure that your browser is not under attack. At the same time, it can be a good thing to know if you want to install various plugins that can enhance the performance or to help you get more out of your browser, to begin with.
A lot of it is going to depend on what browser you are using and what you plan on doing with it. Below, we will be going over some of the things that browser plugins can do for your browser, to begin with and we will be discussing some of the different ways to check your browser plugins.
What Can Browser Plugins Do?
1. Add Features
One of the best things that these browser plugins can do for you is to add features to your browser that you wouldn’t normally have. You will be able to add all kinds of features to your browser that can help you get even more out of it. Whether you are looking to gain features to improve efficiency, to do more with your browser, or to enhance integration with your mobile devices, there is plenty these added plugins can do for your browser. You will find browsers that will help you organize your tabs better, help you play music in higher fidelity, optimize videos, change CSS themes easily and effortlessly, block advertisements on the web and in videos, and more.
2. Play Videos
As noted above, you are going to be able to find plugins that will help provide you with the proper codecs needed to play videos or more. Some browsers are going to require Adobe Flash and other kinds of browser plugins to be installed to watch certain videos. Thus, you are going to want to be sure that you have these plugins installed from the official provider to keep your browser safe and secure.
3. PDF
Another important thing that you might need browser plugins would be to open, read, and edit PDFs. If you are going to be dealing with PDFs a lot, you are likely going to want to install Adobe’s suite of PDF browser plugins for all of the browsers that you plan on using.
How to Find Them?
Typically, you are going to be able to choose the best browser plugin when you need them. A lot of the times, a web page that requires the use of plugins is going to notify you that you need to install it in order to view and/or watch something. Thus, you should be notified to all of the essential plugins that you might need via the websites that you visit.
When this happens, you want to be sure that you are installing them from an SSL verified the website and the official website of the plugin provider. For instance, if you are installing flash, you want to make sure that you are on Adobe’s website. Another way you are going to be able to find them is by manually searching for them. A lot of the browsers nowadays have their own plugin stores or search engines that you can use to find the various plugins that are available. This is a good way to search for the most popular plugins because you will be able to locate some of the most installed plugins available for the browser. When doing this, you want to make sure to pay close attention to the number of reviews the plugin has when you are trying to determine which one to select.
How to Install Them?
Installing them is typically going to be an automated process. You can simply click on install and you will follow the directions from that point on. It is typically going to require you to accept a license agreement and to restart your browser to activate the plugin.
How to Check Them?
In order to keep your browser safe and secure, you will want to regularly check up on the plugins that you have installed and enabled. You should be able to do this directly through the browser that you are using in the settings page. By doing this, you will be able to see what plugins you have, which ones are currently active, whether or not they need to be updated, what permissions each plugin has, and more. A lot is going to vary depending on what browser you are using, but the major browsers like Chrome, Internet Explorer/Edge, and Firefox all have the plugins in a centralized location where you will be able to easily view them.
Overall, there are a lot of different things that you are going to want to do when you are trying to figure out what plugins you might need for your browser, which ones you might want to avoid, and how to check them consistently. Browsers have become much easier to use nowadays which makes keeping tabs on your browser a much simpler process than ever before. Nowadays, all you have to do is head over to the settings of your default browser and check on the plugins section. This will allow you to keep track of all of the plugins that you have available which can make it much easier.
If you are looking to keep tabs on the plugins on your mobile browser, the process is identical in a lot of instances which is going to make it easier to keep track of your mobile browsers as well. Never install plugins from third party websites that are untrusted and do not install plugins that require a lot of permissions because they have the ability to snoop on pretty much everything that you do. Be careful with the plugins that you do end up installing because it is going to dictate how safe and secure you are able to keep your browser. Follow the tips above and you should be able to easily navigate through your options and find the most essential plugins to install on each browser you have.
