The Browser Extension

The Anchor web app works fine on its own, but the extension is what makes it feel native. Your desktop appears on every new tab, and saving a page takes one keystroke.

What it does

Anchor as your new tab

Every new tab opens your Anchor desktop instead of the browser default. The address bar stays focused, so you can still just start typing to search.

There are three modes, switchable from the extension's popup:

  • Dynamic (the default) opens whichever desktop you used last
  • Pinned always opens one specific desktop you choose
  • Disabled leaves your new tab alone; the quick-save features keep working

Save as you surf

Found a page worth keeping? Three ways to save it without leaving your tab:

  • Press Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+S (Mac)
  • Right-click any link → Add link to Anchor
  • Click the extension icon → Add Current Page to Anchor

A small popup lets you pick the desktop and group, tweak the name, and save. The icon is fetched automatically.

Installing

Grab the extension for your browser:

  • Chrome on the Chrome Web Store (works on other Chromium browsers like Brave and Vivaldi too)
  • Edge on Microsoft Edge Add-ons
  • Firefox on Firefox Add-ons
  • Safari is coming soon. In the meantime, set https://www.anchordesktop.com/app as your Homepage in Safari → Settings → General

Then:

  1. Open a new tab. You'll land on your Anchor desktop.
  2. If you're signed in to Anchor, your desktops sync automatically. In guest mode, the extension uses the desktops stored in your browser.

Tip: if you'd rather keep your browser's default new tab, set the extension to Disabled mode and use it purely for the quick-save shortcut. Best of both worlds.