VPN for Chrome
A VPN for Chrome encrypts what you do in the browser and hides your IP from the sites you visit, in one click and with no system changes. The vpn.now extension is a fast, encrypted proxy that covers Chrome; to protect every app on the device, use the full vpn.now app.
Get the vpn.now app for Chrome
Add it in a couple of clicks, sign in, and switch it on. The download page has the exact install steps for Chrome.
Why run a VPN inside Chrome
Hide your IP from the sites you open
Pages you visit in Chrome see a vpn.now server's address instead of your real one, so your browsing is harder to tie back to your home network or rough location.
Safer on public Wi-Fi
On airport, hotel, or cafe Wi-Fi, the network sees one encrypted stream instead of the sites you open. Your browser's DNS lookups travel inside the proxy too, so the network cannot read those either.
One click, no system changes
It lives in the browser: no system tunnel, no admin rights, no drivers to install. Turn it on when you want it and off when you do not.
Choose where your browser appears
Pick a server location and your Chrome traffic exits there, handy when a site behaves differently depending on the country.
What the extension protects, exactly
When the extension is on, every page you open in Chrome travels through an encrypted proxy. Websites see the proxy server's IP address instead of yours. The Wi-Fi network you are on sees an encrypted stream, not the sites you visit. DNS lookups for your browser traffic go through the proxy too, so the local network does not see those either.
Everything outside Chrome is not covered. Your email app, system updates, music apps, and games all connect directly, just as they did before. That is not a flaw in our extension. It is how browsers work. An extension lives inside the browser sandbox and can only handle browser traffic.
If you want every app on the device protected, you need the full vpn.now app, which sets up a tunnel at the system level. See vpn.now for Windows or browse all our apps to find your platform. Using a different browser? The same extension covers Firefox and Opera too.
Chrome profiles, sync, and managed devices
Chrome keeps separate profiles for, say, your personal and work identities, and each profile has its own set of extensions. If you switch between profiles, turn the extension on in each one you want protected. A profile without it installed browses with no proxy at all, even on the same computer.
Chrome Sync is a separate thing the proxy does not touch. Your bookmarks, history, saved passwords, and open tabs sync to your Google account whether the extension is on or off, because that data goes to Google before it ever reaches the network. The proxy hides your IP and encrypts traffic in transit; it does not change what Chrome chooses to sync. If that matters to you, review Chrome's own sync settings.
On a work or school computer, Chrome is often managed by an administrator. If Add to Chrome is greyed out or the extension disappears after install, a device policy is blocking it. In that case use a personal Chrome profile, or install the full vpn.now app if your machine allows it.
How the extension connects
The extension uses an encrypted HTTPS proxy. Chrome hands your browser traffic to the extension, the extension wraps it in TLS encryption, and the wrapped traffic goes to a vpn.now proxy server. The server forwards your requests to the sites you visit and returns the responses the same way.
This is different from the system tunnel our full apps use. That tunnel works at the system network layer and carries every packet from the device. The proxy works at the browser layer and carries only what Chrome sends it. Both encrypt your traffic in transit. Read how VPN encryption works if you want the details.
DNS rides along too. While the extension is on, Chrome resolves site names through the proxy connection instead of the local network's DNS server. That closes a common gap where a network can log the names of the sites you look up.
What you need
- Google Chrome on Windows, macOS, Linux, or ChromeOS
- A vpn.now account, free or paid
- Permission to install extensions, which some school and work profiles block
Having trouble? Our setup help section covers the most common issues, or you can contact support.
Chrome VPN questions
Does the extension protect my whole computer?
No. The extension only protects traffic inside Chrome. Other apps, like your email client or games, connect as usual. For whole-device protection, install the full vpn.now app, which uses our VPN protocol.
Is this a full VPN or a proxy?
It is an encrypted proxy for browser traffic. A full VPN creates a tunnel at the system level and carries traffic from every app. A browser extension cannot do that, so we say exactly what it is.
Does the extension work on the free plan?
Yes. The free plan covers one device, and the extension counts as that device. To run the extension and a full app at the same time, you need a paid plan with a higher device limit.
Do you store my browsing activity?
Never. We do not store browsing activity, DNS queries, or traffic contents on any plan. Aggregate connection counts are kept for 30 days to run the service, then purged. Our transparency page spells out exactly what we keep.
Will the extension slow down my browsing?
A little, sometimes. Your traffic takes an extra hop through the proxy server, and encryption adds a small cost. On most connections the difference is hard to notice. Picking a nearby location keeps speed high.
Does the extension work in Incognito mode?
Only if you allow it. Open chrome://extensions, find vpn.now, click Details, and turn on Allow in Incognito. Chrome disables extensions in Incognito by default, so without this step your Incognito windows browse without the proxy.
My work or school Chrome blocks extensions. What can I do?
Managed Chrome profiles can block the Web Store by policy. Try a personal Chrome profile, or install the full vpn.now app if your computer permits it. We cannot override an administrator's device policy, and we would not want a tool that could.
Protect your Chrome device today
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