Chrome puts every extension you install on the toolbar next to the address bar, and after a dozen installs the row of icons is a mess. You can hide any extension icon in two clicks, bring it back just as fast, and tidy the whole toolbar without uninstalling anything. This guide covers the current Chrome (2026) on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS, and answers the follow up most people have: can you hide the puzzle piece button itself?
In this article
How to hide a Chrome extension icon
- Find the extension’s icon to the right of the address bar.
- Right click it (or click and hold on a Mac trackpad).
- Choose Unpin.
The icon disappears from the toolbar. The extension keeps running; it is only the button that is hidden. To use it, click the puzzle piece icon and pick it from the list.
The same works from the puzzle piece menu: click the puzzle piece, then click the pin icon next to any extension to toggle it on or off the toolbar. Blue pin means shown, grey pin means hidden.
How to unhide an extension
- Click the puzzle piece icon (Extensions) at the right end of the address bar.
- Find the extension in the list.
- Click the pin next to it so it turns blue.
It is back on the toolbar in the same spot it left.
Can you hide the puzzle piece button?
Not in normal Chrome. The Extensions button is permanent whenever at least one extension is installed; there is no setting or flag to remove it, and Google removed the old ability to drag it away in 2020. Three ways around it:
- Remove all extensions and the button goes away on its own.
- Use Chrome’s full screen (F11 on Windows and Linux, Ctrl+Cmd+F on Mac) which hides the entire toolbar, address bar included.
- Managed devices: on a work or school Chrome, an administrator can hide it with the
ExtensionsToolbarPinningpolicy, but you cannot apply that to a personal browser without setting up policies yourself.
If you are trying to hide extensions from other people who use the same computer, the right tool is a separate Chrome profile, not hiding icons. Each profile has its own extensions.
Hide or show all extensions at once
There is no single toggle, but the puzzle piece menu lists every extension with a pin next to it, so you can go down the list in a few seconds. Extensions you unpin stay unpinned after Chrome restarts.
Rearrange the icons
Drag any pinned icon left or right along the toolbar to reorder it. Drag it onto the puzzle piece to unpin it, or drag out of the menu onto the toolbar to pin it.
Disable an extension instead of hiding it
Hiding does not stop an extension from running. If you want it off but still installed:
- Open
chrome://extensions(or Menu, Extensions, Manage Extensions). - Flip the switch on the extension’s card to off.
It stops running and its icon disappears. Flip it back when you need it. To remove it completely, click Remove on the same card.
Where did my extension icon go?
If an icon is missing and you did not hide it, the usual reasons:
- It is unpinned: click the puzzle piece and pin it.
- Chrome disabled it after an update because it uses Manifest V2, which Chrome stopped supporting in 2025.
chrome://extensionsshows a message on the card if so; look for a Manifest V3 version in the Web Store. - The extension has no toolbar button by design and works from the right click menu or in the background.
- You are in a different profile or an Incognito window. Extensions are off in Incognito unless you allow each one in its settings.
Hide the whole toolbar
If the goal is a cleaner window rather than fewer icons: full screen (F11 or Ctrl+Cmd+F) hides everything, and Chrome’s Zoom and Hide side panel options under the three dot menu trim the rest. There is no way to keep the address bar and remove the toolbar entirely.
FAQ
Does hiding an extension turn it off?
No. Unpinning only hides the button. Use the switch on chrome://extensions to turn it off.
How do I hide extensions in Chrome on Android or iPhone?
Chrome on phones does not support extensions, so there is nothing to hide. Chrome on Android added limited extension support in 2025 on some devices; those extensions live in the three dot menu, not a toolbar.
Can I hide extensions in Edge or Brave the same way?
Yes. Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi are built on Chromium and use the same right click, Unpin or Hide option and the same puzzle piece style menu.
Why can I not unpin an extension?
If the pin is greyed out, your organisation pinned it by policy. That happens on managed work or school devices; ask the administrator.
