From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

Tutorial:
How to Transfer & Install Chrome Web Store Extensions to Ungoogled Chromium

Due to Ungoogled Chromium's limited direct access to the Chrome Web Store,
this tutorial provides a method I just successfully tested moments ago for transferring & installing extensions from another Chromium-based browser,
such as the deprecated Epic Privacy Browser, into Ungoogled Chromium.

As always, please improve so that everyone benefits from your every post.

Part 1: Get Hide.me VPN into Epic Privacy Browser
Part 2: Locate and Copy Hide.me VPN Files from Epic
Part 3: Install Hide.me VPN in Ungoogled Chromium

======================================================================
Part 1: Get Hide.me VPN into Epic Privacy Browser ======================================================================
1. Open Epic Privacy Browser.
2. Go to the Chrome Web Store:
<https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions>
3. Search for "Hide.me VPN":
<https://chromewebstore.google.com/search/Hide.me%20VPN>
Important: Confirm the Correct Extension
The correct official Hide.me VPN extension is:
<https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/hideme-proxy/ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp>
Look for "hide.me" or "EVENTURE LIMITED" as the developer.
4. Make a note of the unique ID "ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp"
(which you can copy from the URL above in your address bar).
5. Click the "Add to Chrome" button on the official extension page.
6. In the confirmation pop-up, click "Add extension" to proceed.
Hide.me VPN should now be installed in Epic.

======================================================================
Part 2: Locate and Copy Hide.me VPN Files from Epic ======================================================================
1. In Epic Privacy Browser, go to the extensions management page:
<chrome://extensions>
2. Locate the "Hide.me Proxy" extension in the list.
(Note: While Epic hides the 'Developer mode' switch, preventing
direct 'Load unpacked' functionality within Epic, you can still
view individual extension details.).
3. Click on the "Details" button for "Hide.me Proxy".
4. Find the extension's unique ID in the URL bar.
The URL will look like:
<chrome://extensions/?id=ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp>
The ID is the string after "?id="
Which, for this extension, is "ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp"
5. Open your Windows File Explorer to Epic's Extensions folder:
Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
Type: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Epic Privacy Browser\User Data\Default\Extensions
Press Enter.
Note: This path is for Windows users. Mac and Linux paths would differ.
6. Inside this folder, you may see many extenstion ID folders.
Find the folder that matches the Hide.me ID:
"ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp"
Tip: To see the most recently modified folders (which might be
Hide.me if it was a recent install), use the command prompt:
C:\> dir /b /o:-d
For the mac, you can use a similar command such as this:
$ ls -lt | head -n 10
7. Inside the "ohjocgmpmlfahafbipehkhbaacoemojp" folder, you will
find a subfolder named with the version number, e.g., "1.3.0_0".
This is the unpacked extension. This is what you want to copy.
It should contain a "manifest.json" file directly inside it.
8. Copy this entire version number folder to a logical location.
C:\software\browsers\chromiums\extensions\hideme\1.3.0_0\

======================================================================
Part 3: Install Hide.me VPN in Ungoogled Chromium ======================================================================
1. Open Ungoogled Chromium.
2. Go to the extensions management page:
<chrome://extensions>
3. In the top-right corner, find & ENABLE the "Developer mode" toggle.
(Unlike with Epic, this switch IS visible in Ungoogled Chromium.)
4. Click the "Load unpacked" button that appears.
5. Navigate to the safe location where you copied the "1.3.0_0" folder
(from Part 2, Step 8). Select that specific version number folder.
6. Click "Select Folder".
7. Hide.me VPN should now appear in your list of extensions in
Ungoogled Chromium and it should immediately be ready to use.

====================================================================== Important Notes: ======================================================================
No Automatic Updates:
Extensions installed via "Load unpacked" in Ungoogled Chromium
will NOT automatically update. If Hide.me releases new versions,
you'll need to repeat this entire process to get the latest version.

Security:
Always ensure you trust the source of any extension.
Using the official Hide.me extension from the Chrome Web Store,
is generally safer than installing unofficial CRX downloads. =============================================================================

As always, please improve so that everyone benefits from your every post.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

On Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:03:40 -0000 (UTC), Marion wrote :

Due to Ungoogled Chromium's limited direct access to the Chrome Web Store, this tutorial provides a method I just successfully tested moments ago for transferring & installing extensions from another Chromium-based browser, such as the deprecated Epic Privacy Browser, into Ungoogled Chromium.

This is written ad hoc off the cuff as I added uBlock origin to Ungoogled Chromium (to compensate for the Epic Privacy Browser being deprecated).

(As always, please add value to improve the tribal knowledge for the team.)

Since Ungoogled Chromium has no access to the Google Chrome Web Store, sometimes a well-behaved extension has a crx file you can install.

But sometimes not.
That's unfortunately the case with uBlock Origin <https://ublockorigin.com>

Here's one way to install uBlock Origin into Ungoogled Chromium:

1. Go to the official github page for uBlock Origin
<https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases>

2. Find the "Assets" section & download the zip file under it
í°  <https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/download/1.65.1b2/uBlock0_1.65.1b2.chromium.zip>
Name: uBlock0_1.65.1b2.chromium.zip
Size: 4102576 bytes (4006 KiB)
SHA256: 5D9944DE6ECC3A194731A8AC30FAA9E466A683F765FA12A912D8ACE0E2EBC99D

3. Unzip it & make sure there is a manifest.json file in the hierarchy
PS> Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter manifest.json
C:\> dir /s /b manifest.json

It found manifest.json in .\uBlock0_1.65.1b2.chromium\uBlock0.chromium\.

3. In Ungoogled Chromium, go to chrome://extensions/

4. Enable Developer mode in the top right (if not already enabled).

5. Click the "Load unpacked" button in the top left.

6. Select the folder containing manifest.json (.\uBlock0.chromium\)

7. uBlock Origin should now be installed & running in Ungoogled Chromium.

8. To "pin" it to Ungoogled Chromium select the puzzle icon at top right

9. A dropdown will appear showing all installed extensions

10. Click the pin icon next to uBlock Origin in the list


(As always, please add value to improve the tribal knowledge for the team.)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

Now that Epic is, apparently unusable, we have to "build our own"
VPN (aka proxy) browser, which is what I outlined in this thread.
a. Ungoogled Chromium
b. uBlock Origin
c. HideMe VPN

The Core Challenge:
Ungoogled Chromium, by design, removes direct access to the Chrome Web
Store. This is done to eliminate Google's integration, tracking, and
automatic updates for extensions, thereby enhancing user privacy. Consequently, the typical "Add to Chrome" button for extensions like uBlock Origin and hide.me VPN is not available.

Solution for the uBlock Origin Extension:
For uBlock Origin, a direct and secure solution exists. Users can perform a manual installation into Ungoogled Chromium by downloading the official, unpacked .zip release directly from uBlock Origin's GitHub page. This downloaded .zip file contains the raw extension files, which can then be loaded into Ungoogled Chromium using the "Developer mode" and "Load
unpacked" feature on the chrome://extensions/ page. This method allows installation without any reliance on Google's Web Store infrastructure.

Solution for the hide.me VPN Extension:
For extensions like hide.me VPN, which are primarily distributed only via
the Chrome Web Store and do not offer direct, official .zip downloads, a
more involved manual transfer and installation method is required. This involves:
a. Installing the extension into any other chromium-based browser
b. Locating and copying the installed, unpacked extension folder
c. Loading this copied folder into Ungoogled Chromium using
the "Developer mode" and "Load unpacked" feature
on the chrome://extensions/ page.

The problem this post resolves is how to find that installed extension.

Windows Epic Browser:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Epic Privacy Browser\User Data\Default\Extensions
Windows Chrome Browser:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
Windows Brave Browser:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Extensions

macOS Epic Browser:
~/Library/Application Support/Epic Privacy Browser/Default/Extensions
macOS Chrome Browser:
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Extensions
macOS Brave Browser:
~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Extensions

Linux Epic Browser (default):
~/.config/epic-browser/Default/Extensions
Linux Chrome Browser:
~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions
Linux Brave Browser:
~/.config/brave/Default/Extensions

General Tip for Linux/Mac:
If you're unsure of the exact path, open the source browser,
go to chrome://version/, and look for the "Profile Path"
or "User Data Directory" entry. The "Extensions" folder is
usually located within the "Default" profile folder
(or your specific profile folder if you use multiple profiles).

As always, if you know of a better way to build your own privacy
based web browser out of common components, please improve!
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 05:23:53 -0000 (UTC), Marion wrote :

As always, if you know of a better way to build your own privacy
based web browser out of common components, please improve!

On the Firefox newsgroup, people suggested we also try LibreWolf as the "Ungoogled Chromium" in the Mozilla world (far removed from Mozilla).
*Is there a de-mozzilla'd Firefox (similar to degoogled chromium)?*
<https://al.howardknight.net/?STYPE=msgid&MSGI=%3C1061qe9%2429dl%241%40nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com%3E>

It's on all platforms at https://librewolf.net/installation/
You only need to add the hide.me vpn extension to extend your tutorial.

The goal is to replace the venerable Epic Privacy Browser now that it's no longer working like it used to - which is too bad as it was fantastic.

My plan is to start with the most private Mozilla/Chromium browser possible. Then add as a DIY the minimum extensions to make it a proxy browser.

For that first step, LibreWolf is even better than Ungoogled Chromium in
that LibreWolf will accept xpi extensions from the Mozilla Store.

Ungoogle Chromium is completely disassociated from Google so it won't
accept anything from the Chrome Web Store (so it's harder to extend).

At first LibreWolf failed to connect to https sites like duckduckgo
whenever I had all four extensions enabled but I think I may have
fixed it but it will take testing as adding VPN to privacy browsers
turns out to be unexpectedly difficult due to the nature of the beast.

1. uBlock Origin
<https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/releases/download/1.65.1b2/uBlock0_1.65.1b2.firefox.signed.xpi>
2. Skip Redirect
<https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/3920533/skip_redirect-2.3.6.xpi>
3. Canvas Blocker
<https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/4413485/canvasblocker-1.11.xpi>
4. Hide.Me Free VPN Proxy
<https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/4225118/hide_me_vpn_free_proxy-1.2.5.xpi>

One workaround I tried to solve the LibreWolf flaw was to flip the
about:config setting of "security.OCSP.require = true" to "false".

Doing that changes the LibreWolf OCSP hard-fail, which checks certificate validity online. When a VPN extension like hide.me reroutes your traffic, LibreWolf may block connections if it can't verify certificates properly, resulting in no internet access at all.

Flipping this switch didn't work for MullVad though, so there's likely
more going on with MullVad and VPN/Proxy extensions than in LibreWolf,
but even in LibreWolf, it's a bit flaky so that's the hardest thing.

If others know how to add a vpn/proxy to the ungoogled/unmozilla
privacy browsers, that would be useful as it turns out to be
unexpectedly difficult to add a vpn to a browser that is private.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.system

On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 20:59:32 -0000 (UTC), Marion wrote :

If others know how to add a vpn/proxy to the ungoogled/unmozilla
privacy browsers, that would be useful as it turns out to be
unexpectedly difficult to add a vpn to a browser that is private.

TESTING UPDATE:

Every day I test more free no-registration no-ad privacy extensions.
I'm focusing mostly on Brave for now because it's easier to update than UC.

Luckily, archiving browser extensions is really simple & straightforward.
%localappdata%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Extensions\.

With Brave, you can trick tabs into loading in the foreground to speed them
up where most people will NOT want this trick - but it's useful to know. "C:\Program Files\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" --disable-background-timer-throttling --disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows --disable-renderer-backgrounding

With Brave you can go to brave://system to list the most important three things about all your extensions, namely the name, identity & version.

These are the score of browser extensions I have been testing for a while.
bhchdcejhohfmigjafbampogmaanbfkg : User-Agent Switcher and Manager : version 0_6_4
cafckninonjkogajnihihlnnimmkndgf : Disable HTML5 Autoplay (Reloaded) : version 0_9_3
cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm : uBlock Origin : version 1_65_0
fhcgjolkccmbidfldomjliifgaodjagh : Cookie AutoDelete : version 3_8_2
fhkphphbadjkepgfljndicmgdlndmoke : Font Fingerprint Defender : version 0_1_6
fjkmabmdepjfammlpliljpnbhleegehm : WebRTC Control : version 0_3_3
hhnhplojcganfmfimkeboiipphklcbih : Location Guard (V3) : version 3_0_0
hnkcfpcejkafcihlgbojoidoihckciin : Referer Control : version 1_35
ikclbgejgcbdlhjmckecmdljlpbhmbmf : HTTPS Everywhere : version 1_0
jaoafjdoijdconemdmodhbfpianehlon : Skip Redirect : version 2_3_6
jjbikklopibeimjelkohlldbjcdnofei : StayInTab : version 1_0
lckanjgmijmafbedllaakclkaicjfmnk : ClearURLs : version 1_26_0
ldpochfccmkkmhdbclfhpagapcfdljkj : Decentraleyes : version 3_0_0
mhjfbmdgcfjbbpaeojofohoefgiehjai : Chrome PDF Viewer : version 1
mnojpmjdmbbfmejpflffifhffcmidifd : Brave : version 1_0_0
njdfdhgcmkocbgbhcioffdbicglldapd : LocalCDN : version 2_6_79
njkmjblmcfiobddjgebnoeldkjcplfjb : Trace - Online Tracking Protection : version 3_0_6
nomnklagbgmgghhjidfhnoelnjfndfpd : Canvas Blocker - Fingerprint Protect : version 0_2_2
pkehgijcmpdhfbdbbnkijodmdjhbjlgp : Privacy Badger : version 2025_5_30

As for VPN/Proxy extensions, they're more problematic where my tests
are whether you can use YouTube without needing to log in, and, of
course, whether or not testing sites show that the iP is obfuscated.

These VPN extensions all failed for one reason or another.
The most common reaqson was they weren't free & account free.
hotspotshieldvpn
itopvpn
protonvpn
urbanvpn
hidemevpn
hiddenbatvpn
tunnelbearvpn
windscribevpn

These VPN extensions all obfuscated the IP address & all passed the
free login-free & no ad requirement but failed the YouTube test.
xvpn
1clickvpn
1vpn
setupvpn
vpnly
securefreeedgevpn

This is the only VPN extension that also passed the YouTube test.
browsec

If someone wished to follow in my footsteps, my recommendation
at this point in time would be to first add those privacy extensions
to your Brave browser, choosing to add one of the VPN extensions.

Second, I'd suggest they copy the Brave Unpacked folders to
their software archives & then sideload them into Ungoogled
Chromium via the 'Developer mode' 'Load unpacked' button.

After that, they'd have two replacements for the Opera/Epic
privacy browsers, giving them useful choices moving forward.

As always, if you can add value to what I've figured out on
my own above, please do so that everyone benefits from your knowledge.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2