The Missing Puzzle Piece
Google Chrome features a unified “Extensions” menu, represented by a puzzle piece icon located in the top-right corner of the browser toolbar next to your profile picture. By default, Chrome aggressively attempts to keep your toolbar clean and minimalist. Whenever you install a new browser extension, Chrome automatically hides its icon inside this puzzle piece drop-down menu. If you rely on extensions that require frequent interaction—such as password managers, ad blockers, translation tools, or screenshot utilities—forcing you to perform two clicks (open the menu, then click the extension) instead of one is incredibly annoying and disrupts a fast workflow.
How to Pin Extensions to the Toolbar Permanently
You cannot completely disable the puzzle piece menu itself, but you can override Chrome’s automatic hiding behavior on a per-extension basis by “pinning” them directly to the main toolbar.
1. Open Google Chrome on your desktop computer.
2. Look at the top-right corner of the window and click the Puzzle Piece icon (the Extensions button).
3. A drop-down menu will appear showing a list of every active extension currently installed in your browser.
4. Next to each extension’s name, you will see an outline of a Pushpin icon.
5. Click the Pushpin icon next to the specific extension you want to keep visible. The pin will turn a solid blue color.
The icon for that extension will immediately jump out of the hidden menu and anchor itself permanently to the right side of your address bar. You can repeat this process for as many extensions as you like.
How to Rearrange Pinned Extensions
Once you have stopped Chrome from hiding your favorite extensions, you can organize them to fit your specific workflow.
Simply click and hold the left mouse button on any pinned extension icon in the toolbar, and drag it horizontally to a new position. This allows you to group your most frequently used tools (like a password manager) closest to the center of the screen, while keeping less frequently used tools further to the right. If you ever want to hide an extension again, simply click the puzzle piece menu and click the blue pushpin to un-pin it.