Most of your writing happens in a browser tab: the email you keep rephrasing, the Slack message you do not want to sound short, the doc that needs one more pass. An AI writing assistant that lives right there, next to what you are writing, saves you the copy-paste trip to another site every time you get stuck. Lensia is a Chrome extension that does exactly that. Its main surface is a sidebar chat that opens beside the page, so you can draft, rewrite, shorten, and adjust the tone in a back-and-forth without ever leaving the tab. Install Lensia free and keep it open the next time the words are not coming.
The sidebar chat is where the writing happens
Open the sidebar and a chat docks next to the page you are working in. Because it holds a whole conversation, it fits how writing actually goes: you rarely nail it on the first try.
- Paste a rough draft and ask it to tighten the wording, then say "warmer" or "more direct" until the tone is right.
- Ask for three subject lines and pick the one that lands.
- Drop in a messy paragraph and ask it to cut it in half without losing the point.
It keeps your history and bookmarks, so a phrasing you liked last week is still there, and a model picker lets you switch to a stronger model when a message really matters. For a full tour of how it works, read how Lensia works.
Rewrite what is already on the page
When the text you want to fix is already on screen, you do not need to retype it. Press Ctrl+Shift+X, drag a box around the paragraph, and ask for a cleaner version on the spot. Flip on Ask Mode to type your own instruction instead ("make this sound less stiff") and, if it helps, attach an image. It is the fastest way to fix a sentence without breaking your flow.
Make it sound like you
Generic AI writing reads like generic AI writing. Custom instructions (Basic and up) let you save how you actually write: your usual tone, the words you lean on, how formal you want to be. After that, drafts come back sounding closer to you instead of a stranger, whether you are answering an email or posting an update.
Beyond writing
The same assistant handles the rest of what you do in the browser. It can summarize a long article before you commit to reading it (see summarizing articles and web pages with AI), pull facts together while you research, or explain something confusing on the page. If you want the wider rundown of what it replaces, read about the best AI Chrome extension and the AI assistant for your browser.
What you get for free, and what a plan adds
Sign in with Google and you are in; there is nothing else to set up. Free covers the sidebar chat, the capture panel, Ask Mode, the everyday models, and the Lensia Max router that picks a model for you. Basic adds custom instructions, reasoning for tougher drafts, web search and fetch URL so the AI can pull in real information, and the advanced models. Pro adds the highest usage and an agent mode that can chain steps for you. You can activate a plan whenever you want more headroom.
Start writing with less friction
The point of a browser AI assistant is that it is already there when you need it. Install Lensia from the Chrome Web Store, sign in with Google, and open the sidebar the next time you are staring at a blank reply. It is also a strong pick for coursework, which you can read about in the best AI tool for college students guide.
Install Lensia today and stop leaving the page to fix your writing.