.crx file install in chrome
In case Chrome tells you "This can only be added from the Chrome Web Store", you can try the following:
- Go to the webstore and try to add the extension
- It will fail and give you a download instead
- Rename the downloaded file to .zip and unpack it to a directory (you might get a warning about a corrupt zip header, but most unpacker will continue anyway)
- Go to Settings -> Tools -> Extensions
- Enable developer mode
- Click "Load unpacked extention"
- Browse to the unpacked folder and install your extention
Update: appears to have stopped working since Chrome 80
Drag & Drop the '.crx' file on to the 'Extensions' page
Settings - icon > Tools > Extensions
( the 'hamburger' icon in the top-right corner )Enable Developer Mode ( toggle button in top-right corner )
Drag and drop the '.crx' extension file onto the Extensions page from step 1
( crx file should likely be in your Downloads directory )Install
Source: Chrome YouTube Downloader - install instructions
I had a similar issue where I was not able to either install a CRX file into Chrome.
It turns out that since I had my Downloads folder set to a network mapped drive, it would not allow Chrome to install any extensions and would either do nothing (drag and drop on Chrome) or ask me to download the extension (if I clicked a link from the Web Store).
Setting the Downloads folder to a local disk directory instead of a network directory allowed extensions to be installed.
Running: 20.0.1132.57 m