CRT Monitor Overlay

What it does

It puts a retro CRT look on any page: scanlines, dark edges, slight curve, and an optional VHS-style sound on in-page video and audio. The overlay doesn’t capture clicks or keys—the page works as usual. Turn it on or off from the popup or with Ctrl+Shift+C (Command+Shift+C on Mac). Sliders control how strong each effect is. Everything is saved on your machine and applied across tabs.

How to use

1. Click the extension icon to open the popup.
2. Turn “Enable overlay” on and adjust the sliders if you like.
3. Optionally turn on “VHS sound” and “VHS glitches.”
4. Use the shortcut to toggle the overlay without opening the popup.

Privacy

CRT Monitor Overlay does not collect or send any of your data. No analytics, no accounts, no server.

Your choices (overlay on/off, slider positions, VHS options) are stored only in Chrome’s local storage on your device. The VHS audio is processed in the browser and never recorded or uploaded. This applies to the extension as distributed on the Chrome Web Store; other sources may differ.

Why these permissions

• Storage — Saves your settings on your device so they persist and apply to all tabs.
• Active tab — Lets the popup know which tab you’re on so it can work correctly.
• Tabs — Applies your overlay and settings to every tab and keeps new tabs in sync.

Nothing here is used to read history, track you, or send data off your device.

FAQ

Every site? The overlay can run on any page. VHS sound only affects <audio> and <video> the page loads directly; embedded iframes (e.g. many YouTube embeds) are out of scope because of browser security.

Turn it off? Use the popup or the same shortcut; your last state is remembered.

Source? The code is available on GitHub; the store listing or this page may link to it.

Contact

If you installed from the Chrome Web Store, use the Support link on the listing or the contact given there. If you have the repo, open an issue there.

2026 · extension v0.1.0