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Get started with the Paperpile Chrome extension

By · Updated Aug 14, 2026

Paperpile’s Chrome extension makes it easy to save references and PDFs to your library while you’re browsing. Wherever your research leads you, you can save it with one click.

Install the Chrome extension

  • Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store.
  • Make sure the Paperpile extension is pinned to your Chrome toolbar.
The Chrome Extensions menu open in the toolbar, listing “Paperpile Extension” with a blue pin icon under “Full access”, above “Manage Extensions”.

Save references and PDFs

On every page you visit, you can click the Paperpile button (”P”) and select Save to Paperpile to save the reference and any associated PDF to your library.

The Paperpile extension popup on a journal page, showing the detected reference title, authors and year with a “Save to Paperpile” button, a “My Library” destination selector and an “Add note” field.

Add labels, folders and notes

In the extension popup, you can directly select labels, folders, and add notes.

The Paperpile extension popup with the Thesis folder and RNA label added to the destination selector and “Use for Chapter 3” typed in the note field, above Cancel and Save buttons.

Tip: If you collect multiple references belonging to one project or topic, you can pin folders and labels. This way, the next time you add a reference, it will go into the same folder or have the same label.

The extension popup’s destination selector with a tooltip reading “Pin to set as default for saving new references” over the pin icon beside the Thesis folder and RNA label.

Database integrations

On many popular databases like Google Scholar, PubMed, or arXiv, you will see Paperpile buttons in the search results. Click these buttons to add the references and any associated PDFs to your library.

PubMed search results for “bumble bee” with red arrows pointing to Paperpile buttons below two results — one showing a green tick with a PDF badge, the other an unsaved plus button.

You can add multiple references at once by clicking the plus on the Paperpile button, which becomes a checkmark:

PubMed results with red arrows pointing to two ticked Paperpile buttons, and the extension popup above reading “2 references selected” with Save, “Select all” and “Clear selection” controls.

To save all references from a results page, click Select all in the extension popup.

The extension popup reading “8 references selected” with a red arrow pointing to the “Select all” link, beside “Clear selection” and above the destination selector and note field.

You can choose which databases and websites show Paperpile buttons in your Settings. In the Paperpile web app, click your profile picture on the top right, go to Settings > Browser extension, and choose the databases from the Website and database integrations dropdown menu.

Settings › Browser extension with “One-click import” and “Google Docs integration” toggles above a searchable list of ticked database integrations including ACM Digital Library, arXiv, BASE, Connected Papers, Consensus, DeepDyve and Dimensions.