Surfshark makes a VPN extension for Chrome, with separate versions for Edge and Firefox. It comes with every paid Surfshark plan, so there is nothing extra to buy. The steps and settings below come from Surfshark's Chrome download page and help center, checked on November 4, 2026. For plans, prices and how Surfshark compares with other VPNs, see our Surfshark listing.
What the extension covers
When you connect, the extension sends Chrome's traffic through a Surfshark server. The sites you visit see a shared Surfshark IP address instead of your own, and Surfshark says your DNS lookups inside the browser are protected too, which matters most on public Wi-Fi.
Everything outside Chrome keeps using your normal connection: your email app, games, Spotify, a second browser and your system updates. Surfshark's help center says the extension "secures only your browser traffic", leaving the rest of the device on your regular IP. Its download page also points out that Chrome itself can still gather information about you, so the extension hides your address from websites while Google still sees what you do in a signed-in browser.
Extension or desktop app
Your Surfshark plan includes both, so pick by what you need covered.
| Chrome extension | Desktop app | |
|---|---|---|
| What it protects | Traffic inside Chrome | Every app on the device |
| Kill switch | Not listed for the extension | Yes, blocks traffic if the VPN drops |
| Ad and tracker blocking | CleanWeb in the browser | CleanWeb in browsers and apps |
The extension suits a computer where you only care about browsing. Surfshark also notes that it doesn't ask for administrator rights, which helps on a computer where you can't install software. Install the desktop app instead if you stream or download in other apps, or if you want the kill switch.
Surfshark advises against connecting the app and the extension at the same time, because the two connections can interfere with each other. If you want both, open the desktop app's Bypasser setting and exclude Chrome, so the extension handles the browser and the app handles everything else.
What you need first
You need a Surfshark account with an active plan. On November 4, 2026, Surfshark's US prices for its Starter plan were $18.95 for one month, $44.85 for the first 15 months on the 1-year plan and $67.23 for the first 27 months on the 2-year plan, with the longer plans renewing at $79 a year.
New customers can start a 7-day free trial on the 1-year and 2-year plans. You enter payment details up front, and the trial covers up to three devices; Surfshark lists Chrome among the places you can use it. Our guide to the Surfshark free trial explains how to cancel before you're charged.
How to install the Surfshark extension
- Open the Chrome page on Surfshark's website and follow its link to the Chrome Web Store. When we searched the store for "Surfshark" on November 4, 2026, the top two results were other extensions with Surfshark in their names, so the link from Surfshark's own site is the safer route.
- Click Add to Chrome, then Add extension in the pop-up.
- Click the puzzle-piece Extensions icon at the top right of Chrome, then the pin next to Surfshark. The Surfshark icon now sits on your toolbar.
- Click the Surfshark icon, choose how you want to sign in and follow the prompts. Use the same account you bought the plan with.
- Click Connect to join the best-performing server Surfshark picks for you. To choose a country, click the Locations icon next to Connect and scroll the list or use the search bar at the top.
- Wait for the status to change to Connected. Surfshark suggests running the IP leak and DNS leak tests on its website the first time, to confirm the connection works.
The Locations list also has a Static IP tab, which gives you the same IP address each time, and a Dedicated IP section if you have paid for an address of your own. To stop, click the disconnect icon, or the pause button if you only want a short break.
Settings worth turning on
The home screen has switches for the extension's protection features. You can block ads and trackers, block cookie pop-ups, block malicious sites, get a warning about sites linked to known data breaches, and check emails in Gmail for phishing.
Click the cog icon for the rest. These are the ones we would set first:
- Auto-connect connects you every time you open Chrome, so you don't browse unprotected because you forgot.
- WebRTC stops websites from using WebRTC, a browser feature for calls and video, to find your real IP address and location. Turn it on.
- Geo-spoofing hides your real location from websites, including sites you have already given permission to see it.
- Default location sets the country you join when you press Connect.
- Bypass list lets you name websites that skip the VPN or skip CleanWeb's ad blocking. Use it for a site that refuses to load through a VPN.
The extension disappears when you open an Incognito window. To use it there, click the three dots in Chrome, go to Extensions and Manage Extensions, click Details under Surfshark and turn on Allow in Incognito.
Other browsers
Surfshark has its own extensions for Edge and Firefox. Its download page says Chromium-based browsers such as Brave and Opera can install the Chrome Web Store version, and the same steps apply.
If you are still choosing a VPN, our best VPN software guide compares Surfshark with NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others.
