Bitwarden for Chrome

The browser extension is what most people actually use day-to-day — autofill credentials, save new logins as you sign up, generate strong passwords inline. Same vault as the desktop and mobile apps.

Installation steps

1. Click Open Chrome Web Store above. Chrome opens the Bitwarden extension page.
2. Click Add to Chrome. Confirm the permissions dialog.
3. Pin the Bitwarden icon to the toolbar: click the puzzle-piece icon → pushpin next to Bitwarden.
4. Click the Bitwarden icon → Log in or Create account.
5. After login, browse to any site with a saved credential — Bitwarden offers to autofill.

What the extension does

• Autofill on page load: recognises login forms, offers credentials matching the domain.
• Save new logins: after you submit a new signup or login, prompts to save.
• Generate passwords: right-click in any password field → Bitwarden → Generate Password.
• TOTP codes: if your vault item has a TOTP secret stored (Premium feature), the extension can autofill the 6-digit code on the second step.
• Send anything: ephemeral encrypted text/file sharing without leaving the browser.
• Vault access: the extension popup is a full vault viewer — search items, copy fields, edit entries.

Other Chromium browsers

The Chrome Web Store extension installs cleanly on every Chromium fork:

• Brave: Brave allows Chrome Web Store installs by default. Same UX as Chrome.
• Vivaldi: works without modification.
• Arc: install from Chrome Web Store; Arc's command bar integrates with Bitwarden's autofill.
• Opera: Opera has its own extension store, but Chrome Web Store extensions install via the "Install Chrome Extensions" Opera add-on. There's also a dedicated Bitwarden extension on the Opera store.

Biometric unlock with desktop app

If you have the Bitwarden desktop app installed, the extension can use the OS biometric (Touch ID, Windows Hello, fingerprint) to unlock the vault without typing the master password every time:

1. Open the desktop Bitwarden app, sign in.
2. In the desktop app: Settings → Allow browser integration → enabled.
3. In the extension: Settings → Account Security → Unlock with biometrics → enabled.
4. Restart the browser. Now extension unlock prompts for fingerprint/Face ID/Windows Hello instead of password.

Walks the line between security and convenience — the master password is still required after a full reboot.

Manifest V3 status

Bitwarden's Chrome extension migrated to Manifest V3 in late 2023. Some features (specifically the background page that handled autofill) had to be rewritten as a service worker. If you experienced "vault locks unexpectedly" issues in 2024, this was the cause; current versions handle it correctly.

Chrome extension — frequently asked questions