Unclutter for Chrome

Most browsers come with a Reader Mode feature nowadays, which is designed to provide a more clutter-free reading experience. This can prove useful in a number of cases, such as when reading up on information for a research paper, or when you just want to immerse yourself in whatever it is you're reading.

A dedicated extension should, at least in theory, provide a more complete experience in that sense. Unclutter for Chrome is, as its name would suggest, an add-on that seeks to offer a distraction-free reading environment, where users can highlight and jot down any important information they come across.

Some websites are more reader-friendly than others: the way the pages are structured, ad placement, and overall navigation experience play a part. This leads to an experience that can vary wildly across domains, which is where such an extension can prove its value.

The value is immediately apparent to someone who often likes reading stuff on the web. Whether it is news articles, reports, research papers, or anything that involves text on a page, this add-on will offer a distraction-free environment to read up on anything.

As for the compatibility, we didn't encounter any problems during testing. It's entirely possible that some pages may not want to cooperate, in which case it's best to report the incompatibility to the developer.

Users can alter the format of the text in a few ways: changing the font size and paragraph indentation is possible, and switching between light and dark mode is always an available option.

Aside from that, users can also highlight any passages that interest them, as well as take notes on them. Simply highlight the text with your mouse, and the extension will allow you to jot down something, right next to the respective passage. Your notes can be automatically backed up via the Hypothes.is service, but you'll first need to create an account for that.

Enabling automatic activation for a domain — so you won't have to toggle the extension each time you visit a page — is another notable option.

If you enjoy reading articles of all manners on the internet, then Unclutter for Chrome is an easy one to recommend: it makes the entire experience that much better.