Publish in the Chrome Web Store

This page describes how you publish a new extension or theme ("item") to the Chrome Web Store.

Before you publish an extension, you need to load it locally and test that it works, as described in Development Basics. Make sure that it runs correctly and that all its functionality works as you intend.

To publish your item to the Chrome Web Store, follow these steps:

1. Create your item's zip file.
2. Create and setup a developer account.
3. Upload your item.
4. Add assets for your listing.
5. Submit your item for publishing.

We'll go into detail about each step below.

# Create your item's zip file

To upload your item, you need to create a ZIP file that contains the manifest file located in the root directory and the files for your extension. The manifest file must specify at least the following fields:

• "name":—This name appears in the Chrome Web Store and in the Chrome browser
• "version":—The version of the metadata, incremented
• "icons":—An array specifying the icons your item uses
• "description":—A string of no more than 132 characters describing your extension

Your zip file may also include other images and any files that the item requires. The contents of the ZIP file and manifest depend on the specifics of your item.

Tips:

• Set the initial version number in the manifest to a low value, such as 0.0.0.1. That way, you have room to increase the version number when you upload new versions of your item. Each new version that you upload to the Chrome Web Store must have a larger version number than the previous version.

# Create and setup a developer account

Before you can publish your item on the Chrome Web Store, you need to pick a developer account to own your items, then set up your account in the Chrome Web Store.

# Create your account

First you will need to register as a Chrome Web Store developer. We suggest using a new account just for your item instead of your personal account.

If you already host your item in Google Play and you want your Chrome Web Store listing to show an "Available for Android" link, your item must have the same name as your Google Play listing, and both items must be owned by the same developer account. To transfer your Chrome Web Store item to a different developer, submit this form.

# Set up your account

After registering, finish setting up your developer account on the Account page. (To access the Account page click the link in the left menu.

Here you can provide your developer profile information, configure management settings and enable email notifications, among other things. The page itself provides instruction; however, there a few fields worth calling out.

# Verify your email address

Verifying your contact email address is now mandatory when you set up a new developer account. When you click Add email on your account page, you can enter an email address and then request verification. The Chrome Web Store then sends a verification link to that address; use that link to verify your address.

If you have an existing account and you haven't verified your contact email address yet, your address appears as "unverified" in the developer dashboard, as shown in this screenshot:

Click the Verify email link to send the verification link to your email.

# Upload your item

To upload your item, use the Chrome Developer Dashboard.

If you need the item ID to complete your item's code, then you need to upload the item while you're still writing its code. Otherwise, you can wait until the item is finished. You can upload your item many times before submitting it for review.

When your item, its Chrome Web Store listing, and all the sites it relies on are ready, you can publish your item.

Here's how to upload your item:

1. Go to the Chrome Developer Dashboard.
2. Sign into the developer account you chose in Step 1.
3. Click the Add new item button.
4. Click Choose file > your zip file > Upload. If your item's manifest and ZIP file are valid, you can edit your item on the next page.

# Submit your item for publishing

Once you've uploaded your extension, you will see it as an item in the dashboard.

You need to fill out additional listing information before you can publish, as contained in the left-hand tabs. Here is a quick summary of the information on these tabs; click through for more detail about how to fill in each tab.

• The Package tab displays details of your uploaded item. This page isn't editable when you first create an item.
• The Listing tab contains details of your listing and how it should display in the Chrome Web Store.
• The Privacy tab is where you include declarations about how your item uses privacy and security related features.
• The Payment and Distribution tab lets you control which countries will list your item and which set of users will see it.

# To publish your item:

1. Make sure you've completed the details on all the tabs described above.
2. Click the Submit for Review button.
3. The following dialog appears, letting you confirm that you want to submit the item for review.

# Deferred publishing option

The confirmation dialog shown above also lets you control the timing of your item's publishing. If you uncheck the checkbox, your item will not be published immediately after its review is complete. Instead, you'll be able to manually publish it at a time of your choosing once the review is complete.

This lets you pause the rollout of a submitted item if you discover an error after submitting it or if you simply want to change your rollout time.

Once the review is complete, you will have up to 30 days to publish. After that period expires, the staged submission will revert to a draft which will have to be submitted again for review. You can check when your staged submission will expire under the status of your item.

# Review of submitted items

After you submit the item for review, it will undergo a review process. The time for this review depends on the nature of your item. See review times for more details.

There are important emails like take down or rejection notifications that are enabled by default. To receive an email notification when your item is published or staged, you can enable notifications in the Account page.

# Additional resources

• Update your Chrome Web Store Item.
• Learn how to Manage your Chrome Web Store Item.
• Understand the Chrome Web Store Review Process.