Sometimes, a user's browser extension may cause issues they're experiencing in Infinite Campus. This article outlines methods for determining whether browser extensions are the source of the problem.
What is a Browser Extension?
A browser extension is a small piece of software that modifies the functionality or appearance of your web browser. It can also influence how websites appear and behave when using that browser.
When Should You Investigate Browser Extensions as the Cause of an Issue?
If you can't easily identify the cause of an issue, it's a good idea to investigate browser extensions. Certain conditions should make you especially suspicious that a browser extension may be interfering with your experience.
Such as:
- The issue happens on one browser but not another.
- The issue happens when browsing normally, but not in incognito mode.
- The issue happens on one machine but not another (using the same username and Campus app server), and clearing the browser cache does not resolve the issue.
Even if your issue doesn’t meet these criteria, a browser extension could still be the cause. There are exceptions to these conditions; for example, the same browser extension might be installed on multiple browsers, used by all users, synced across devices via a browser profile, or allowed in incognito mode.
What Issues Can a Browser Extension Cause?
Depending on the permissions granted, a browser extension can modify the appearance and functionality of the webpage you are viewing. This means it can affect nearly all aspects of your browsing experience on a site. Therefore, it's important to consider browser extensions as a potential cause of any issues you encounter immediately. It's worth noting that the problems caused by a browser extension may be completely unrelated to its intended function. For example, we have previously observed a grammar-checking tool that caused a login screen to refresh repeatedly.
How to Identify and Disable a Problematic Browser Extension
Chrome
See this page for Google's official documentation on this process: Google Chrome documentation
- Paste chrome://extensions into Chrome's address bar and hit Enter
- Toggle off all browser extensions. (If you cannot toggle off an extension, your district's IT team likely controls this for your district. Contact your district's IT team.)
- Close your browser (all windows) entirely and reopen it.
- Attempt to recreate the issue you were encountering.
- If the issue is no longer occurring, it means one of your browser extensions is causing this issue.
Navigate back to chrome://extensions, toggle one extension back on, try again, then toggle one more extension back on, try again, etc., until you've pinpointed the problematic browser extension.
Firefox
See this page for Firefox's official documentation on this process: Firefox documentation
Firefox refers to browser extensions as a subcategory of browser add-ons.
- Paste about:addons into Firefox's address bar and hit Enter
- Toggle off all browser extensions. (If you cannot toggle off an extension, your district's IT team likely controls this for your district. Contact your district's IT team.)
- Close your browser (all windows) entirely and reopen it.
- Attempt to recreate the issue you were encountering.
- If the issue is no longer occurring, it means one of your browser extensions is causing this issue.
Navigate back to about:addons, toggle one extension back on, try again, then toggle one more extension back on, try again, etc., until you've pinpointed the problematic browser extension.
Edge
- Paste edge://extensions into Edge's address bar and hit Enter
- Toggle off all browser extensions. (If you cannot toggle off an extension, your district's IT team likely controls this for your district. Contact your district's IT team.)
- Close your browser (all windows) entirely and reopen it.
- Attempt to recreate the issue you were encountering.
- If the issue is no longer occurring, it means one of your browser extensions is causing this issue.
Navigate back to edge://extensions, toggle one extension back on, try again, then toggle one more extension back on, try again, etc., until you've pinpointed the problematic browser extension.
Safari
- Navigate to Safari > Settings > Extensions.
- Unmark the checkbox next to each browser extension. (If you cannot toggle off an extension, your district's IT team likely controls this for your district. Contact your district's IT team.)
- Close your browser (all windows) entirely and reopen it.
- Attempt to recreate the issue you were encountering.
- If the issue is no longer occurring, it means one of your browser extensions is causing this issue.
Navigate back to Safari > Settings > Extensions, toggle one extension back on, try again, then toggle one more extension back on, try again, etc., until you've pinpointed the problematic browser extension.
Notify the Extension Developer of an Issue
Third-party browser extensions are supported by the companies or individuals who developed them. If you encounter an issue with an extension, consider notifying the developer so they can address it. You can usually find support contact information on the page or web store where you installed the extension or on the developer's website.
