After taking over three dozen virtual classes and countless more online hybrid classes, I have learned firsthand how using web browser extensions for virtual learning can make a huge difference in how well I do in my virtual classes. While these extensions don’t help me with tests or quizzes, they do me with accessing online content and making it easier to use my computer for long periods of time. Here are my favorite free web browser extensions for virtual learning and how they help me in my online classes in college.
What are web browser extensions?
Web browser extensions are tools that users can add to their favorite web browser to increase productivity or add additional functionality to their browser that doesn’t come built-in by default. Some web browser extensions can be accessed offline or within other applications, though most require some form of internet connection. My favorite web browser extensions for virtual learning are a mix of productivity, accessibility, and educational tools.
Blue Light Filter Guard/Blue Light Filters
For anybody that is going to be working on the computer for a long period of time, I highly recommend downloading Blue Light Filter Guard (or a similar web browser extension) or enabling computer settings that block out blue light. Blue light can contribute to eye strain and eye pain, and studies have shown that it can also affect sleep patterns if people use technology before they go to sleep. Users can find blue light filter extensions on any web browser, or they can configure settings on their device to decrease the amount of blue light.
Related links
- Ten Ways To Reduce Eye Strain From Screens With Technology
- Assistive Technology For Fluctuating Eyesight
- How Tinted Glasses Help My Light Sensitivity
Microsoft Editor
Microsoft Editor is a free web browser extension that can check for spelling and grammatical errors in writing, and tell users how to fix them. This is a game-changer for online discussion board posts, as it can automatically detect when users make a spelling mistake or when something they are writing doesn’t make any sense, though I do have Text Prediction turned off so that I am still writing all of my own content. Microsoft Editor requires a free Microsoft account and is available on Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome, as well as built into select Microsoft applications like Word.
Previously, I recommended Grammarly as one of my favorite web browser extensions, but this has changed since I learned Grammarly doesn’t work well with screen readers. However, for students that don’t use screen readers or text-to-speech, Grammarly is another viable free option.
Related links
- Free Online Text Editor Software | Microsoft Editor
- Tips To Make Proofreading Feedback Accessible For Low Vision
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- How To Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows
Simplified Reading Displays
One of my all-time favorite tools for reading digital content with low vision is a simplified reading display, which applies a consistent font size, font style, and background color to digital text. This makes it easier to read content without having to zoom in on a page, edit content, or enabling other accessibility settings, and makes it easy for users to simplify reading with technology. There are different simplified reading display options for various web browsers, though my m0st-used simplified reading display app is Immersive Reader.
Related links
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
- How To Use Text-To-Speech With Low Vision
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- Low Vision Assistive Technology For Discussion Board Posts
Digital Bookmarking Tools
Bookmarking tools save web content and other types of digital media for later reading, and apply custom font sizes/styles, spacing, and background colors to saved content for a consistent reading experience. Users can save content from online sources, upload their own content from a device or cloud storage, or utilize a mix of both methods to organize multimedia content and topics of interest using headings, tags, folders, and other organizational tools. Many tools also provide options for adding notes or applying visual formatting to text, which can aid in the notetaking process or when organizing content from multiple sources, as well as support for simplified reading displays or reading PDFs. Some examples of free tools I’ve written about on my website include Instapaper and Wakelet.
Related links
- Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
- Wakelet Accessibility Features For Low Vision
- Instapaper Accessibility For Visual Impairment
AdBlock Plus
While I may not encounter many ads within my online courses, I have definitely run into lots of ads on websites when researching information or reading articles. Besides being visually distracting, some of these ads can actually be dangerous for me if they have lots of animation or flashing lights. Because of this, I have multiple ad blockers enabled on my devices and I disable auto-play whenever possible, but once of my favorite ad-blocking web browser extensions is the classic AdBlock Plus, as it does a great job of blocking out advertisements on websites. AdBlock Plus is available for Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and more.
Related links
- Avoiding Flashing Lights On Social Media
- Smartphone Accessibility Settings For Photosensitivity
- How To Check Videos For Flashing Lights
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Modifying Assignments To Remove Flashing Lights
Turn Off The Lights
Turn Off The Lights is a web browser extension that helps to reduce the clutter around videos on streaming websites such as YouTube and Vimeo by darkening the display so only the video is in focus. I find this especially helpful when taking notes for a class, as I don’t have to worry about visual distractions and can easily focus on whatever I am watching. Turn Off The Lights is available for free download for many popular web browsers, including Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and more.
Related links
- Turn Off The Lights website
- YouDescribe: Audio Description For YouTube
- How To Create Audio Description For YouTube With YouDescribe
Dark Reader
While many web browsers offer options for dark mode and high contrast color schemes, users may still find the provided color options to be too bright or too dark for their liking. Dark Reader is a free customizable dark mode extension that can be used to configure settings for individual websites, with the option to toggle between custom light mode, dark mode, and sepia displays. There is also an option to customize the display font used on a particular website, though I have not tested this feature personally. Dark Reader is available for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Firefox, and can also be enabled on mobile web browsers through the paid Dark Reader app.
Related links
- Dark Reader website
- Customize Microsoft Edge Accessibility For Low Vision
- Choosing Between Light Mode and Dark Mode For Low Vision
Other helpful websites and web browser extensions for virtual learning
- How I Use Quizlet With Low Vision
- My Favorite Free Math Websites For Low Vision
- Five Accessible Calculator Apps For Low Vision
- Accessible Periodic Tables For Low Vision
- How To Access Images Without Alt Text
- Ten iOS Shortcuts For Visual Impairment
- Capti Voice Narrator App For Low Vision
Published March 30, 2020. Updated March 2025