An extension used for one work tool may not need to read every website you open. Chrome provides site-access controls for applicable extensions, making it possible to match access to the task. Start by deciding where the feature is actually needed.

Inspect the permission, not just the icon

Open Chrome’s menu, Extensions, then Manage extensions. Select Details for the extension you recognise. Review its site-access options and choose access on selection or on specific sites when those options suit its function. Add the intended website carefully; avoid a broad list of unrelated domains simply to make a test pass.

Hiding an extension’s toolbar icon is a different action from limiting its access. An unpinned extension can remain installed and active. Keep the management page as your reference when checking what changed.

Test both the useful task and the boundary

Return to the approved site, reload it and try one harmless use of the extension. Then visit an unrelated non-sensitive page and inspect the extension’s access indication. Record the chosen scope so you can recognise an unexpected change later.

If the feature stops working, read the developer’s explanation of the required permission before widening access. Some functions legitimately need more than one domain; others may be unsuitable for the information you handle. On a managed work browser, discuss enforced settings with the administrator.

Google notes that these host-permission changes do not constrain extensions that alter lower-level network access through VPN or proxy settings. A narrow website list is therefore not a universal sandbox. Remove software you no longer trust rather than assuming this one setting makes every extension safe.

Source: Google Chrome Help.