How to Set Up BlurTab in 5 Minutes: A Step-by-Step Guide

You just installed BlurTab. Now what? This guide walks you through everything you need to know to go from installation to fully protected in under 5 minutes. No technical knowledge required.

Step 1: Install the Extension (30 seconds)

BlurTab is available on all major browsers. Pick your browser and click the link:

After installation, you'll see the BlurTab icon in your browser's toolbar (usually top-right). If it's hidden behind the puzzle piece icon, click the puzzle piece and pin BlurTab for easy access.

Step 2: Create Your Account (30 seconds)

Click the BlurTab icon in your toolbar. You'll see a login screen. If you already have a BlurTab account from our website, sign in with those credentials. If not, create a new account — it takes about 10 seconds.

Your account syncs your blur rules and settings across all your devices. Set up once on your work laptop, and everything carries over to your home computer automatically.

Step 3: Set Up Your First Blur Rule (2 minutes)

This is the core of BlurTab. Navigate to any webpage with sensitive content you want to protect — your email inbox, a cloud dashboard, your CRM — and follow these steps:

1. Click the BlurTab icon in your toolbar to open the extension popup.
2. Click "Select Element to Blur" (or use the keyboard shortcut). Your cursor will change to a crosshair.
3. Click on the sensitive element — an email address, a sidebar with customer names, an API key field, whatever you want hidden. BlurTab will immediately apply a gaussian blur to that element.
4. The rule is saved automatically. Next time you visit this page, the same element will be blurred without any action on your part.

Step 4: Enable Auto Meeting Mode (30 seconds)

BlurTab can detect when you join a video call on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams, and automatically activate enhanced privacy protection. Here's how to enable it:

1. Click the BlurTab icon and go to Settings.
2. Find the "Auto Meeting Mode" toggle and turn it on.
3. That's it. BlurTab will now detect when you join a meeting and apply your blur rules automatically.

When Auto Meeting Mode is active, you'll see a small indicator in your toolbar. When the meeting ends, BlurTab returns to its normal state.

Step 5: Enable the Smart PII Scanner (30 seconds)

The PII Scanner is your safety net. It automatically detects and blurs common sensitive data patterns across any webpage, even ones where you haven't set up explicit blur rules.

To enable it: go to Settings → PII Scanner → Enable. You can also customize which patterns to detect if you want to enable some and disable others.

Step 6: Enable the Search History Shield (30 seconds)

Your browser's address bar is a privacy liability. When you click it during a screen share, autocomplete suggestions reveal your browsing history, recent searches, and visited URLs. The Search History Shield suppresses these suggestions when you're in a meeting or whenever you choose.

Enable it from Settings → Search History Shield → Enable.

Recommended Websites to Set Up Blur Rules

To get the most out of BlurTab, we recommend setting up blur rules on these commonly-used services. Spend an extra 2-3 minutes now to save yourself from a potential incident later:

You're Done!

That's it. In under 5 minutes, you've set up:

• ✅ Persistent blur rules for your most sensitive websites
• ✅ Automatic meeting detection for hands-free protection
• ✅ Smart PII scanning as a safety net across all websites
• ✅ Search history protection for your address bar

From this point forward, BlurTab runs silently in the background. You don't need to think about it, configure it daily, or remember to turn anything on before a meeting. Your privacy is protected automatically.

Have questions or need help with setup? Reach out to us at support@blurtab.com — we typically respond within 24 hours.

Install BlurTab now and start protecting your screen shares today.