LaunchRepoShort answer
- Treat the store listing as your main landing page: a clear name, a summary of up to 132 characters, five real screenshots, the 440×280 promo tile and a short video.
- Submit early with deferred publishing. After review you have up to 30 days to press publish, so launch day does not depend on the review queue.
- List the extension in Microsoft Edge Add-ons as well and, after a port, in Firefox Add-ons. Each store is a separate search with its own users.
- Bring the first users from outside the store: your own landing page, a demo video, Product Hunt, Show HN, fitting communities and a few directories. Store ranking then follows real usage and ratings.
- Earn ratings by answering every review. Incentivized or fake ratings break the store’s spam policy.
Three browser stores, three chances to be found
Microsoft documents how to bring an existing Chrome extension to Edge, and Firefox Add-ons accepts extensions after a port. Each store has its own account, review and search, so each one is a separate chance to be found.
Chrome Web Store
- Account
- Developer account with a one-time registration fee; 2-step verification is required to publish.
- Review
- Most reviews finish within a few days, some take up to a few weeks.
- Worth knowing
- New publishers can have two published extensions at first; more can be requested in the dashboard.
Microsoft Edge Add-ons
- Account
- Developer account in Microsoft Partner Center.
- Review
- Certification can take up to seven business days.
- Worth knowing
- Microsoft has a porting guide for Chrome extensions; the listing has its own description, search terms and YouTube video.
Firefox Add-ons
- Account
- Mozilla account on the Add-ons Developer Hub.
- Review
- You choose “On this site” for a public listing or “On your own” to distribute the signed file yourself.
- Worth knowing
- Test the port first; the Extension Workshop explains signing and when reviewers need your source code.
Check your release in the browser
Paste your manifest.json or type the fields. The checker applies the official limits and version rules, counts repeated keywords in your description and turns the result into a Markdown checklist. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded or stored.
Listing assets and their sizes
The store needs three images before it accepts a submission. Two more assets raise your chances of being shown prominently. Sizes as given in the Chrome Web Store documentation:
| Asset | Size | Format | Needed | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store icon | 128×128 | PNG | Required | Artwork about 96×96 inside the 128×128 file, with transparent padding. Inside the ZIP as well. |
| Screenshots (1–5) | 1280×800 / 640×400 | PNG/JPEG | Required | Show the real extension at work, full bleed, little text. Can be localized per language. |
| Small promo tile | 440×280 | PNG/JPEG | Required | Shown on the home page, in categories and search. Brand, not a screenshot. Same in every language. |
| Marquee promo tile | 1400×560 | PNG/JPEG | Optional | Only used if editors feature the extension in the home page carousel. |
| Promo video | YouTube | URL | Optional | A short demo on YouTube. Can be localized per language. |
Want to check image files before upload? The image size tool checks your files in the browser against these and other launch platform specs. Check your launch images against platform size specs → · Check your tagline against every platform’s character limit →
Listing rules in the store’s own words
The listing decides whether people install, and it is also reviewed. These are the rules that matter most for marketing copy and images.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Required images | Only the extension icon, a small promotional image, and a screenshot are mandatory. | Icon, small promo tile and one screenshot are the minimum. Do more. |
| Promo tile | Extensions that don't have a small promotional image will be shown after extensions that do have that image. | Without the 440×280 tile you are listed behind extensions that have one. |
| Screenshot size | Currently, all screenshots are downscaled to 640x400 pixels. | Large text becomes unreadable. Show the interface, not a slide. |
| Promo tile language | Unlike screenshots , promotional images are not currently locale-specific. | Keep text out of the tile so it works in every language. |
| Summary length | Your summary is used to give an overview of your item in a concise phrase (132 characters or less). | The summary appears in search results. Say what it does in one line. |
| No superlatives | Include generic descriptions like "best extension ever", superlatives like "greatest" and "fastest", or specifically reference similar or competing extensions. | Concrete benefits beat “best” and “fastest”, and avoid naming competitors. |
| Complete listing | If your product has a blank description field or is missing an icon or screenshots, it will be rejected. | A missing description, icon or screenshot means a rejection. |
| Keyword spam | Unnatural repetition of the same keyword more than 5 times | The checker above counts repeated words in your description for you. |
| Testimonials | We don’t allow unattributed or anonymous user testimonials in the product's description. | Only quote users with a name you may show. |
Release timing for launch day
Store review and a launch date pull in different directions. The store gives you the tools to keep both under control:
- 1 · Test privatelyPublish with private visibility to trusted testers or an unlisted link. Same review, no public listing yet.
- 2 · Submit early, defer publishingSubmit at least two weeks before launch and uncheck automatic publishing. After review the version waits for you.
- 3 · Publish on launch dayPress publish when your landing page, posts and emails go live. You have up to 30 days after review.
- 4 · Ship updates carefullyEach update is reviewed again. Above 10,000 weekly users you can roll out to a percentage first.
- 5 · Roll back if neededIf an update breaks something, the dashboard can roll back to the previous version.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Before you can publish items on the Chrome Web Store, you must register as a CWS developer and pay a one-time registration fee. | Plan a developer account before launch week; publishing needs it. |
| Item limit | When you first create your publisher in the Chrome Web Store, you will be limited to a maximum of two published extensions. | Start with your strongest extension. More slots can be requested later. |
| Review time | For most extensions, review is completed within a few days, but it can take up to a few weeks. | Submit at least two weeks before a fixed launch date. |
| Slower reviews | Reviews may take longer for extensions that request broad host permissions or sensitive execution permissions, or which include a lot of code or hard-to-review code. | Ask only for the hosts and permissions you need; it speeds up review. |
| Permissions | Your extension should request the minimum permissions consistent with the purpose of the extension. | Fewer permissions mean fewer warnings at install and a smoother review. |
| Version | Each new version must have a larger version number than the previous version. | Every upload needs a higher version. The checker compares them. |
| Deferred publishing | This lets you wait until you are ready (for example, with marketing announcements) and then manually publish it at a time of your choosing. | Pass review first, publish when your announcement goes out. |
| 30-day window | Once the review is complete, you will have up to 30 days to publish. | After review you have 30 days to publish before it returns to draft. |
| Partial rollout | This is only available for new versions of an already-published item with over 10,000 seven-day active users . | Once you have more than 10,000 weekly users, roll big updates out gradually. |
Ratings and reviews
Ratings feed the store ranking and decide many installs. The store is clear that they have to be real:
- Ask happy users for a rating at a natural moment, for example after the third successful use, and link straight to the reviews page.
- Answer every review in the dashboard, and turn on email notifications for new reviews.
- Use the support hub or your own support link so problems reach you before they become one-star reviews.
- Never offer rewards, swaps or giveaways for ratings, and do not use paid review services.
| Rule | Official wording | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Ranking is performed by a heuristic that takes into account ratings from users as well as usage statistics, such as the number of downloads vs. uninstalls over time. | Installs that stay and good ratings lift you. Uninstalls pull you down. |
| Review replies | Users are more likely to improve their reviews if you respond and address their concerns promptly. | Answer every review; it often turns a low rating into a better one. |
| No manipulation | Developers must not attempt to manipulate the placement of any extensions in the Chrome Web Store. | Placement has to come from real users. |
| No bought ratings | inflating product ratings, reviews, or install counts by illegitimate means, such as fraudulent or incentivized downloads, reviews and ratings. | No rewards for reviews or installs, no review swaps. |
| Featuring | Developers cannot pay to be featured on the home page. | Featuring is earned with quality and design; it cannot be bought. |
| Collections | Solicitations to be placed in a collection are not accepted. | Do not pitch the editors. Build the extension and promote it outside the store. |
Channel matrix for a Chrome extension
The store converts visitors, but early on few of them come from store search. These channels bring the first ones. Pick the rows that fit your audience.
| Channel | When | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome Web Store listing | Before everything else | Complete listing, five screenshots, promo tile, video, homepage and support URL. |
| Microsoft Edge Add-ons | Launch week | Your package after a quick port check, its own description and search terms. |
| Firefox Add-ons | After the port is tested | A tested Firefox build and reviewer notes. |
| Your landing page | Launch day | One clear benefit, the store button, a GIF or video. Verify the site as the official URL. |
| Demo video on YouTube | Launch day | Thirty to sixty seconds showing the extension at work; also used in the listing. |
| Product Hunt | Launch day or the week after | Gallery images, a maker comment and time to answer questions. |
| Show HN on Hacker News | When anyone can try it without signing up | A plain title, the store link, a first comment on how it works. |
| Communities of your users | Ongoing | Helpful answers where your users ask for this, read each community’s rules first. |
| AlternativeTo | Week one | Name the tools people would otherwise use, so you appear as an alternative. |
| Directories and launch platforms | Weeks one to four | Your landing page, logo and screenshots, reused from the store listing. |
Product Hunt, Hacker News and AlternativeTo link to our field guides for those platforms. Other channels are described without names on purpose.
Plan your SaaS demo video with a real example →How to launch on Show HN →Distribution for open source maintainers →
What stays manual, and where LaunchRepo helps
Publishing to the Chrome Web Store, Edge Add-ons or Firefox Add-ons happens in each store’s own dashboard, signed in to your developer account. LaunchRepo does not publish, update or review extensions in any store. If you want to automate your own releases, Chrome offers the Chrome Web Store API for your CI.
LaunchRepo covers the layer around the store: your coding agent submits your extension’s landing page to directories and launch platforms and keeps a tracker of every listing. You keep the store, the community posts and the conversations with users.
Sources
All rules were read on October 1, 2026 and are quoted word for word in English. Text copies are kept with our evidence.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I promote a Chrome extension?
- Make the store listing complete and convincing, then bring the first users from outside the store: a landing page with a demo video, Product Hunt, Show HN, the communities of your users and a few directories. Store ranking then follows real installs and ratings.
- What images does the Chrome Web Store require?
- A 128×128 icon, a 440×280 small promo tile and at least one screenshot at 1280×800 or 640×400. A 1400×560 marquee tile and a YouTube video are optional but help.
- How long is the summary allowed to be?
- The summary, which is the description field in the manifest, can have up to 132 characters. The name can have up to 75.
- How do I launch on a fixed date if review takes time?
- Submit early and uncheck automatic publishing. After the review passes you have up to 30 days to publish manually, for example on your launch day.
- Can I pay for reviews or to be featured?
- No. The store does not allow incentivized ratings, reviews or installs, and developers cannot pay to be featured. Answer reviews and build quality instead.
- Does LaunchRepo publish my extension to the Chrome Web Store?
- No. Publishing stays in your own store account. LaunchRepo submits your extension’s landing page to directories and launch platforms through your coding agent.
Let your agent handle the directories
One purchase, your coding agent, every product you build: LaunchRepo submits your extension’s landing page to directories and launch platforms while you polish the store listing.
See pricing