Yes. Redirect, the Chrome extension at heyredirect.com, is a focus tool that redirects distracting sites you choose to your own goals dashboard. It is made by Monish Meher (Meher Technologies, Nuremberg, Germany), needs no account, has no analytics, and stores your rules, goals and stats only in your browser; its one outside request loads site icons from Google's favicon service. It asks for broad site access because it has to redirect any site you add, not to read or collect your pages. It is not a URL redirect service, not a browser hijacker, and has nothing to do with "redirect virus" malware. Install it only from the Chrome Web Store listing with the ID lojlgliidjjfinggkoklpekcnjbnpjen, and if pages you never asked for keep opening, that is unwanted software to remove through Chrome's reset and cleanup steps, not Redirect.
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Last updated September 2026.
If you are about to install an extension called "Redirect", or you found it already in your browser, asking whether it is safe is exactly the right instinct. The word "redirect" also shows up in the names of malware, sketchy URL services and unrelated tools, so the confusion is understandable. This page explains what Redirect is, who makes it, what each permission lets it do, and what to do if something else is redirecting your browser.
What Redirect is, and what it is not#
Redirect is a focus extension for Chrome and Chromium browsers (Arc, Brave, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi). You add rules for sites that distract you, like YouTube or Reddit. When you open one of those sites, Redirect sends you to your Focus dashboard, which shows up to three goals you wrote plus your stats, or to a URL you picked. If you want in anyway, you complete a small task you chose, such as a 60 second wait or a typing challenge, and get a timed pause.
It only ever redirects sites that you added as rules. It is not:
- A URL redirect or link shortening service. It does not host links or forward traffic for anyone.
- A browser hijacker. It does not change your homepage, your search engine or your new tab page, and it does not inject ads.
- Related to "redirect virus" malware. That term describes unwanted software that sends you to pages you never asked for. Redirect has no connection to it.
Other extensions and websites with "redirect" in their name, or with domains that look similar to ours, are separate products from other makers. We do not vouch for them either way; they are simply not us. The only official site is heyredirect.com, and the only official install is the Chrome Web Store listing linked from it.
Who makes Redirect#
Redirect is built by Monish Meher, a solo founder and behavioral product engineer based in Nuremberg, Germany, who operates as the sole proprietorship Meher Technologies. He also builds Rewire, a dopamine detox app for iPhone. You can read more, and find his public profiles, on the about page.
Every permission, in plain words#
When you install Redirect, Chrome lists what it is allowed to do. The broad one, access to all sites, can look alarming, so here is each permission and why it is there. This matches our privacy policy.
| Permission | What it lets Redirect do | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| storage | Save your rules, pauses, goals, stats and settings inside your browser | Does not store anything on a Redirect server or sync it anywhere |
| tabs | Read the address of open tabs, so a blocked site is redirected, including tabs already open when a pause ends | Does not send your tab list or browsing history anywhere |
| alarms | Wake the extension when a pause or schedule ends, so redirects start on time | Does not run background jobs unrelated to your rules |
| webNavigation | Notice page changes inside single page apps like YouTube and Reddit, which change pages without reloading | Does not upload the pages you visit |
| declarativeNetRequest | Let Chrome itself redirect blocked sites before they load, using the rules you created | Does not redirect any site you did not add as a rule |
| Access to all sites | Redirect whichever sites you choose, and show the small floating timer on a site you paused | Does not collect page content, show ads, or change what sites display |
Why "all sites" rather than a short list? Because Redirect cannot know in advance which sites you will add, or which ones you will add next month. A blocker that only had access to YouTube could only ever block YouTube. Most website blockers ask for the same kind of access for the same reason.
Where your data goes#
Nowhere, apart from one small exception.
- Stored locally. Your rules, goals, redirect counts, pause history and any reasons you typed are saved with Chrome's local extension storage, on your device.
- No account. There is nothing to sign up for, so there is no profile about you anywhere.
- No analytics or tracking. The extension does not report what you do, and it does not sell or share data.
- One external request. To show site icons next to your rules, Redirect loads favicons from Google's public favicon service. That request includes the domain in your rule, for example youtube.com. Nothing else is sent.
You can export your rules to a file from the dashboard, and removing the extension deletes its stored data from your browser.
How to check you have the official extension#
A few quick checks take less than a minute:
1. Install only from the Chrome Web Store
Use the install link on heyredirect.com, which goes to the official listing: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/lojlgliidjjfinggkoklpekcnjbnpjen. Do not install Redirect from a download file, a pop-up, or a site that is not heyredirect.com.
2. Match the extension ID
Open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode in the top right corner, and find Redirect. The ID shown under it should be exactly lojlgliidjjfinggkoklpekcnjbnpjen. Any other ID means it is a different extension.
3. Check what it does
The real Redirect opens a Focus dashboard with your goals and rules, and only redirects sites you added. If an extension changed your search engine or opened pages on its own, it is not ours.
What to do if a "redirect" is hijacking your browser#
If your browser keeps opening pages you never asked for, your search engine changed by itself, or pop-ups will not stop, that is unwanted software, and it is not Redirect. Google's help page on how to remove unwanted ads, pop-ups and malware walks you through it. In short:
- Remove unknown extensions. Go to
chrome://extensionsand remove anything you do not recognize or did not install on purpose. - Remove unwanted programs. Google's guide has steps for Windows, Mac and Chromebook to find software that came bundled with something else.
- Reset Chrome settings. Open
chrome://settings/resetand choose Restore settings to their original defaults. Google notes that this resets your search engine, homepage, startup tabs and content settings and turns off extensions, while bookmarks and saved passwords stay. See Reset Chrome settings to default.
After that, if you want Redirect for its actual purpose, install it fresh from the official listing and add your first site. A common starting point is YouTube, with a path rule for Shorts if that is where the time goes. If you have ADHD and want gentle friction rather than a hard wall, our ADHD blocker comparison explains which pause types tend to stick. Our guide on how to block websites on Chrome covers the basics.
Sources
- Redirect, Chrome Web Store (official listing) (checked September 2026)
- Redirect privacy policy (checked September 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups and malware (checked September 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Reset Chrome settings to default (checked September 2026)
Close the tab. Open your goals.
Redirect sends distracting sites to the goals you wrote down, and makes every pause a choice.
Questions, answered
Is heyredirect.com legit?
Yes. heyredirect.com is the official site of Redirect, a focus Chrome extension made by Monish Meher, who operates as Meher Technologies in Nuremberg, Germany. The extension is installed from the Chrome Web Store with the ID lojlgliidjjfinggkoklpekcnjbnpjen.
Why does Redirect need access to all websites?
Because it has to redirect whichever sites you add, and show a small pause timer on a site you paused. It cannot know your list in advance. It does not collect page content, show ads, or send your browsing anywhere.
Is Redirect a virus or a browser hijacker?
No. Redirect only redirects sites you added as rules, sends them to your own goals dashboard or a URL you chose, and never changes your homepage or search engine. "Redirect virus" is a general name for unrelated malware.
Does Redirect collect my data?
No. Your rules, goals, stats and reasons stay in your browser's local storage, with no account and no analytics. The only outside request is to Google's favicon service, which receives the domains in your rules to show their icons.
How do I remove Redirect?
Open chrome://extensions, find Redirect and click Remove. That also deletes the data it stored in your browser. If you want to keep your rules, export them to a file from the dashboard first.