# Extension Installation

# Ghidra Extensions

Ghidra Extensions (formerly 'contribs') are Ghidra software modules that are included with a Ghidra release but not installed by default. Ghidra Extensions can be installed and uninstalled by Ghidra at runtime, with the changes taking effect when Ghidra is restarted. This dialog can be opened by selecting the Extensions option on the project file menu.

## Dialog Components

### Extensions List

> The list of extensions is populated when the dialog is launched. To build the list, Ghidra looks in several locations:
> - Extension Installation Directories: Contains any extensions that have been installed. The directories are located at:
> - [user dir]/.ghidra/.ghidra_[version]/Extensions - Installed/uninstalled from this dialog
> - [installation dir]/Ghidra/Extensions/ - Installed/uninstalled from filesystem manually
> - Extensions Archive Directory: This is where all archive files (zips) are stored. It is located at [installation dir]/Extensions/Ghidra/

> Note: Extensions that have been installed directly into the Ghidra installation directory cannot be uninstalled from this dialog. They must be manually removed from the filesystem.

### Description Panel

> Displays metadata about the extension selected in the Extensions List. The information displayed is extracted from the extensions.properties file associated with the extension.

> #### extension.properties

> The existence of this file is what tells Ghidra that the folder or zip file is a Ghidra Extension. It is a simple property file that can contain the following 4 attributes:

> - name: Human-readable name of the extension. This is what will be displayed in the dialog.
> - desc: Brief description of the extension.
> - author: Creator of the extension.
> - createdOn: Date of extension creation, in the format mm/dd/yyyy

### Tools Panel

> - Allows the user to install a new extension. An extension can be any folder or zip file that contains an extensions.properties file. When one of these is selected, it will be copied to the extension installation folder and extracted (if it is a zip).
> - Reloads the Extensions List

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