Enable Copy Everywhere vs Other Right-Click Extensions
If you've been browsing the Chrome Web Store for a fix to copy restrictions, you've probably run across Enable Copy Everywhere. It has solid ratings, a clear purpose, and a lot of users. But the question that matters isn't whether it works — it's whether it's the right tool for what you specifically need.
This comparison looks at Enable Copy Everywhere honestly, puts it next to the other strong options in the same space, and helps you make a decision that fits your workflow rather than just grabbing whichever extension you found first.
What Enable Copy Everywhere Does (and Doesn't Do)
The core functionality
Enable Copy Everywhere targets the most common copy restriction mechanisms: JavaScript event listeners blocking copy, cut, selectstart, and keyboard events, along with CSS user-select: none properties that prevent text selection. It injects a script at page load that removes these restrictions, making text selectable and copyable normally.
What it doesn't cover
Enable Copy Everywhere does not specifically restore the browser's right-click context menu. If a site blocks the contextmenu event (which suppresses the right-click menu), Enable Copy Everywhere won't fix that. Text copying may work, but right-click will still be suppressed.
It also doesn't target paste restrictions in form fields. If your main frustration is that you can't paste into a banking site's password field, Enable Copy Everywhere isn't the tool you need.
For those who need to enable copy paste specifically in form fields and input boxes, there are purpose-built tools for that.
The Comparison Field
Let's look at the five extensions most commonly considered alongside Enable Copy Everywhere:
- Allow Right Click — broader coverage of right-click and copy restrictions
- Enable Copy — similar to Enable Copy Everywhere, slight differences in implementation
- Don't Fuck with Paste — paste-specific, form-focused
- Super Simple Highlighter — highlight-and-save, research-focused
- Copy Plain Text 2 — clipboard content cleaning tool
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Enable Copy Everywhere | Allow Right Click | Enable Copy | Don't Fuck with Paste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Removes copy event block | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Removes CSS user-select | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Restores right-click menu | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Restores form paste | ❌ | Partial | ❌ | ✅ |
| Works on text-heavy sites | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | N/A |
| Works on image-heavy sites | Limited | ✅ | Limited | N/A |
| MV3 compatibility | Check | ✅ | Check | ✅ |
| Free | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Enable Copy Everywhere vs Allow Right Click
This is the comparison that matters most for most users.
Where Enable Copy Everywhere wins: Pure text copy scenarios. If you're on an academic database or a news site and you want to copy a paragraph, Enable Copy Everywhere handles this well and keeps its footprint minimal. It requests fewer permissions than some broader tools.
Where Allow Right Click wins: Any scenario where you also need the right-click context menu. If you visit image sites, need to access Inspect, or use the context menu for link-handling, Allow Right Click is the more complete tool. It generally handles both text copy and right-click restoration in one extension.
Verdict: For most users, Allow Right Click is the better single install because it covers more scenarios. Enable Copy Everywhere is worth considering if you specifically want a lighter-weight tool focused only on text copy and don't care about right-click restoration.
Enable Copy Everywhere vs Enable Copy
These two are very similar in scope and approach. Both target JavaScript event blocks and CSS user-select. The main practical differences are in implementation details: which events they target, how they handle edge cases, and how recently they've been updated for Manifest V3.
At the time of writing, the distinction between these two is mainly about which one has been updated more recently for Chrome compatibility. Check the Chrome Web Store update dates — the one updated in 2025 or 2026 is the safer bet.
When to Use Enable Copy Everywhere Specifically
Enable Copy Everywhere is a solid choice when:
- You primarily need text copying and selection restored.
- You don't need right-click menu access.
- You're looking for a minimal-permission, text-focused tool.
- You want something with a straightforward purpose and no overlap with other tools you've already installed.
It's a good fit for users who pair it with a separate right-click tool, keeping each extension's job clearly defined.
Building the Right Extension Stack
For most users, the optimal stack is two extensions:
- Enable Copy Everywhere (or a general right-click tool) — covers right-click and text copy on regular pages.
- Don't Fuck with Paste — covers paste in form fields, which is a separate problem the above tools don't address.
Anything beyond two extensions starts creating potential conflicts. If you're dealing with specific research scenarios, the researcher's tool guide covers how to extend this with note-taking tools without adding to the extension conflict risk.
Performance Considerations
Both Enable Copy Everywhere and Allow Right Click inject a small content script at page load. The performance difference between them is negligible — sub-millisecond in both cases. Neither runs in the background or makes network calls.
The only meaningful performance consideration is extension count. Each extension adds to Chrome's process overhead. Two well-chosen extensions are fine. Eight overlapping extensions with redundant functionality will be noticeable.
The Manifest V3 Situation
Google has been migrating extensions to Manifest V3, which changes how content scripts can be injected. Extensions that haven't been updated for MV3 may work with reduced reliability on Chrome 120+.
When comparing Enable Copy Everywhere against alternatives:
- Check the extension's update date on the Chrome Web Store.
- Look for mentions of "MV3" or "Manifest V3" in the description or recent reviews.
- Read the one-star reviews — they often surface compatibility issues.
This is true for all copy extensions, not just Enable Copy Everywhere. The landscape shifts with Chrome updates, and an extension that worked perfectly last year may need a newer alternative now.
A Note on Permissions
Enable Copy Everywhere requests access to read and modify page content on all websites — which is the necessary permission for injecting its override scripts. This is standard for all extensions in this category.
If you see an extension requesting access to your browsing history, network requests, or clipboard data beyond what's needed for copy restoration — that's a red flag worth noting. For a full breakdown of how to evaluate right-click and copy extensions, that comparison covers permission evaluation in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Enable Copy Everywhere do?
It removes JavaScript copy/paste/selectstart event blocks and overrides CSS user-select: none, restoring text selection and copy on blocked pages. It does not restore the right-click context menu.
Is Enable Copy Everywhere free? Yes, it's free on the Chrome Web Store with no paid tier.
What's the difference between Enable Copy Everywhere and Allow Right Click? Enable Copy Everywhere focuses on text copy restoration. Allow Right Click restores the context menu and also handles copy restrictions — broader coverage in one extension.
Does Enable Copy Everywhere work on all Chrome versions? It should work on current Chrome versions if updated for MV3. Check the Chrome Web Store for recent update dates.
What should I do if Enable Copy Everywhere doesn't work on a specific site? Try Allow Right Click as a fallback — it uses a different injection approach. For sites with advanced obfuscation, the DevTools console method is the most reliable fallback.