When I saw that Claude had a Beta Chrome extension, I wasn’t too keen on using it. I was doing just fine using the desktop app to get what I needed. I couldn’t help but wonder what I was missing out on, so I decided to try it. I was missing out on the upgraded assistant I needed when I saw everything it did for me, from finding the lipstick I needed on Amazon to creating a good-looking timeline for the Claude models. It did things I didn’t expect from a browser extension.

Claude in Chrome felt more like a personal assistant than a chatbot

I asked for a red lipstick and watched it search for me

It felt weird yet helpful watching Claude find a red lipstick for me, but it’s something I’ll do again. I needed to buy one, but didn’t feel like spending time looking for it. So, I clicked the Claude Chrome extension -> went to Amazon, and told it to find the top five red lipsticks on the site. After giving it permission to search, the edges of the screen had a nice glow to them, indicating that Claude was at work.

I could see Claude enter the search bar “red lipstick,” and once it was done, it listed them in the side panel, each one with a name and price. Claude asked me if I wanted to click on any of the options, so I had Claude click on the one with the most reviews, and it turned out to be the Revlon option. After testing Claude in Chrome, I know this isn’t going to just be another chatbot but an assistant that will help me save time looking for things.

One prompt built an interactive timeline directly in my browser

Claude skipped the chat and opened it in a new tab

I was on Anthropic’s official page reading about their different models when curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see if the Chrome extension had any limitations compared to the desktop app. So I asked it to create a timeline of all the Claude models.

I expected it to drop an HTML file in the chat for me to download and open elsewhere. Instead, Claude opened a fully built timeline in a brand new tab, right there in my browser. Each model had its own marker on the timeline. At the top, it showed Claude Opus 4.6 with the February 5, 2026, release date. Below the date, it had a brief description, saying that it’s the most capable model to date, and it has new levels of reliability and precision for:

• Coding
• Agents
• Enterprise workflows.

I didn’t have to open another app, which is great because I usually have way too many open anyway.

I write in three languages, and the extension keeps up just fine

English, Spanish, and Italian without having to leave the sidebar

I was already happy to see my Italian improving with Claude Projects, but seeing how easy it was to switch Claude into Italian in the side panel was an unexpected bonus. When I switch languages, I can see that the welcome prompt is in the language I chose. That way, I can see which one I selected and avoid typing in the wrong language.

This is a huge help because I can now visit a site in a language I don’t speak, but still understand what it says. To make sure it worked correctly, I used the Anthropic support page as an example and asked it to give me a summary in Spanish. When it gave me an answer, I checked the answer, and it was correct. I know Claude can make mistakes, but it’s still great to get an idea of what the information says.

The Chrome extension is still in beta, and it shows

The screenshot feature didn’t work the way I expected

I was on Anthropic’s support page, and I wanted to ask Claude about a specific icon. I decided to take a screenshot. I thought that would be faster than describing it. When I let go of the mouse, it captured the entire screen rather than the section I selected. I tried it multiple times, and it never worked. It might not seem like a big deal, but it’s something worth mentioning. That was the only issue I came across, and hopefully the last one.

I found one bug, but it didn’t change my mind

The features that worked saved me real time

The screenshot issue bothered me, but I installed this Chrome extension expecting to uninstall it, and that’s not happening any time soon. It found me the shade of lipstick I was looking for without having to waste time visiting options I wasn’t going to go with. The timeline it built was nicer than I expected. My experience using the Claude Chrome extension was good enough to change my mind about installing it. The screenshot feature will hopefully get fixed soon; that’s what betas are for. But the features that actually worked were helpful enough to make me one happy camper.

It took one session to change my mind

I installed the Chrome extension, thinking it would have some restrictions. I was wrong. It shopped for me on Amazon and found the lipstick I needed, made that good-looking timeline, and I was able to use it in three languages. Sure, the screenshot feature didn’t work as expected, but that’s not a reason to uninstall it. I’m glad I decided to give it a shot.