Safest Volume Booster is a lightweight Chrome extension that allows you to boost the volume of HTML5 video elements beyond the default 100%, using the Web Audio API.
Most importantly, this has as little permissions as possible.
I had a volume booster extention for years via the Chrome App Store. There is a large issue with extentions getting hijacked and malicious code being uploaded. Due to extentions auto-updating, a malicious actor uploaded an update to it and got access to all my sessions. My bank session, my work sessions, etc.
This extension uses minimal, privacy-friendly permissions:
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
activeTab |
Only runs on the currently open tab when you interact with it |
scripting |
Injects volume boost logic — only on demand |
storage (optional) |
Stores your preferred volume boost level locally |
- Background scripts that run silently
- All URLs or tabs in your browser
- Any cookies, sessions, or page content unless you activate it
| Permission | Can Steal Tokens | Can Redirect URLs | Abuse Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
"<all_urls>" |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Full access to every page the user visits — steal tokens, inject JS, spy silently |
webRequest* |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Monitor, block, or rewrite network requests — can hijack sessions or inject payloads |
tabs |
❌ No* | ✅ Yes | Redirect or open tabs to phishing or ad pages |
cookies |
✅ Yes | ❌ No | Read session cookies if also granted host access |
scripting + "<all_urls>" |
✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Run arbitrary JavaScript on any site, intercept form data, keystrokes, etc. |
activeTab |
❌ No | ❌ No | Only affects the currently active tab when the user interacts |
storage |
❌ No | ❌ No | Can only store internal extension data, not page data |
💡 Extensions that request broad access (especially
"<all_urls>",webRequest, orcookies) can potentially hijack sessions, inject malicious scripts, or spy on sensitive data.
I didn't want to run anything in the background. It only has the ability to run any code when it is clicked on.
- Clone or download this repo
- Go to
chrome://extensions - Enable Developer Mode
- Click “Load Unpacked” and select the project folder
- Use the popup to boost video volume!
- Works on most video players using
<video>tags - Some sites (like Netflix or YouTube) may restrict audio routing due to strict CSP (Content Security Policy)
- You may need to press Play once for the volume boost to take effect