Install the Sidepanel browser extension on Microsoft Edge

The Tekst Sidepanel browser extension is published in the Chrome Web Store only. There is no Tekst listing in the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store, so if you work in Microsoft Edge, you install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.

This is not a workaround. Edge is built on Chromium, the same engine as Google Chrome, so it installs and runs Chrome Web Store extensions natively. Once installed, the Sidepanel works in Edge exactly as it does in Chrome and keeps itself up to date the same way.

This article covers the part of the installation that is specific to Edge. For the full picture, including which web tools the extension supports, the prerequisites, and how to log in, see Set up the Sidepanel as a browser extension.

Installation steps

1. In Microsoft Edge, open the Chrome Web Store and search for "Tekst".
2. The first time you open a Chrome Web Store page, Edge shows a banner at the top asking whether to allow extensions from other stores. Select Allow. Edge asks this once, not for every extension.
3. Open the Tekst Sidepanel listing and select Add to Chrome, then confirm with Add extension. The buttons keep their Chrome wording inside the Chrome Web Store, even though you are in Edge.
4. Pin the Tekst icon to your toolbar so it is always within reach: select the puzzle-piece icon next to the address bar, then select the pin next to Tekst. Hovering over the icon shows the tooltip "Open Tekst".
5. Open a supported page, select the item you want to review, and select the Tekst icon to open the Sidepanel.

The first time you open the panel, it asks you to log in. The sign-in options, including single sign-on, are the same in Edge as in Chrome and are described in Set up the Sidepanel as a browser extension.

If your organization blocks the Chrome Web Store

The banner in step 2 is a personal setting, so you can accept it yourself even if it starts out turned off. Your IT team can go a step further, though, and block Chrome Web Store extensions for everyone through Edge's central extension policies. If they have, accepting the banner is not enough and you cannot lift the block yourself.

How to recognize a block

• Add to Chrome does nothing, or the install stops with a message saying your administrator has blocked the extension.
• Edge reports the extension as blocked by your organization, either while installing or on the edge://extensions page.
• The setting that allows extensions from other stores is dimmed or marked as managed by your organization.

Ask for an exception for the Tekst Sidepanel extension

If the Chrome Web Store is blocked, ask your IT administrator for an exception for the Tekst Sidepanel extension.

Worth mentioning when you ask: they do not have to open up the whole Chrome Web Store to do this. Edge's extension policies let an administrator keep the store blocked in general and still allow one specific extension by its extension ID. The ID is the long string of letters at the end of the extension's Chrome Web Store address, so you can copy the address from the Tekst Sidepanel listing and send it along with your request.

Administrators can find the relevant policies in Microsoft's guide to managing Microsoft Edge extensions.

Once the exception is in place, work through the installation steps above again.

Getting help

If the extension installs but the panel does not load or stays empty, see Troubleshoot the Sidepanel. For anything else, contact support@tekst.com.