Sale: Get Helperbird Pro for $15
Helperbird Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

How to Use Helperbird in Locked Mode and Lockdown Browsers on Chromebooks

Learn how to make Helperbird work during locked mode quizzes, lockdown browsers, and assessment testing on Chromebooks. Set up student accommodations for IEP and 504 plans during tests.

·

Many schools need students to have accessibility tools available during locked quizzes and lockdown browser assessments. This guide explains how to set up Helperbird so students with IEP or 504 accommodations can use their accessibility features during testing on managed Chromebooks.

Overview

When a school uses locked mode in Google Forms or a lockdown browser for assessments, most Chrome extensions are disabled. However, accessibility extensions like Helperbird are allowed to run if they are force-installed by the school admin through the Google Admin Console.

This means students can still use features like text-to-speech, reading rulers, dyslexia fonts, and color overlays during a locked quiz, as long as Helperbird is set up correctly.

Google Forms Locked Mode

Google Forms has a built-in locked mode feature for quizzes on managed Chromebooks. When a teacher turns on locked mode:

  • The quiz takes over the full screen and students cannot navigate away.
  • Most extensions and keyboard shortcuts are disabled.
  • The Chromebook shelf (taskbar) is hidden.
  • Accessibility extensions that are force-installed are allowed to keep running.

Google specifically allows accessibility tools to work in locked mode to support students with accommodations. Other tools like Read&Write and Snap&Read work this way too, and Helperbird is no different.

Important: Locked mode only works on managed Chromebooks. It does not work on personal devices, iPads, Macs, or Windows PCs.

Lockdown Browsers

Some schools use third-party lockdown browsers for assessments, such as Respondus LockDown Browser or Securly. These work differently from Google Forms locked mode.

Lockdown browsers typically:

  • Launch their own browser window or kiosk-style app.
  • Block all other applications and extensions.
  • May or may not allow accessibility extensions depending on the specific product and configuration.

If your school uses a lockdown browser, check with the lockdown browser provider to confirm whether force-installed accessibility extensions like Helperbird are supported. In many cases, the answer is yes for force-installed extensions, but it depends on the specific product.

For the most reliable setup with Helperbird, we recommend using Google Forms locked mode for quizzes and assessments where possible, since accessibility extension support is built in.

How to Set Up Helperbird

For Helperbird to work in locked mode or lockdown browsers, it must be force-installed through the Google Admin Console. Here is how:

Step 1: Open Google Admin Console

Go to admin.google.com and sign in with your admin account.

Step 2: Navigate to Apps & Extensions

Go to Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions. Select the organizational unit (OU) where your students are.

Step 3: Add Helperbird

Click the + button to add a new app or extension. Search for Helperbird or enter the Chrome extension ID: ahmapmilbkfamljbpgphfndeemhnajme

Step 4: Set to Force Install

Under Installation policy, select Force install or Force install + pin to ChromeOS taskbar. Click Save.

This ensures Helperbird is automatically installed on every managed Chromebook in that OU and will stay active during locked mode.

Step 5: Set the Subscription Key

Push your Helperbird subscription key through a JSON policy so students are automatically logged into Helperbird Pro. Follow our guide: How to Set Helperbird JSON Policy in Google Admin

For a full walkthrough on deploying Helperbird, see: How to Deploy Helperbird to Your School

Assigning Accommodations Per Student

Not every student needs the same Helperbird features during testing. You can assign specific accommodations to specific students or groups by using Child Organizational Units in Google Admin.

How it works:

  1. Create a Child OU for each accommodation group (for example, "Reading Support", "ELL Support", "Writing Support"). See: How to Set Up a Child Organizational Unit for Helperbird

  2. Move students into the correct OU based on their IEP or 504 plan.

  3. Set a JSON policy per OU that enables or disables specific Helperbird features. See: How to Disable Helperbird Features Using JSON Policy

  4. Force-install Helperbird on each OU with the subscription key.

When a student logs into their Chromebook, Helperbird will automatically have the right features available based on which OU they belong to.

You can also set a JSON policy for a specific user group or even an individual student:

Example Accommodation Setups

Reading Support (IEP — Dyslexia)

Features to enable:

  • Text-to-speech
  • Dyslexia-friendly fonts (OpenDyslexic, Lexie Readable)
  • Reading ruler and line focus
  • Immersive reader
  • Color overlays

Features to consider disabling during assessments:

  • Word prediction
  • Dictation
  • Translation

ELL / Translation Support

Features to enable:

  • Page translation
  • Immersive reader (with built-in translation)
  • Picture dictionary
  • Text-to-speech (for pronunciation)

Writing Support (504 Plan)

Features to enable:

  • Word prediction
  • Dictation (speech-to-text)
  • Spell check
  • Text-to-speech (for proofreading)

Assessment / Testing Only

A minimal setup for standardized testing:

  • Text-to-speech only
  • Reading ruler
  • Color overlays
  • All other features disabled

Tips for Testing Day

  • Test the setup before testing day. Log into a student Chromebook and open a locked mode quiz to make sure Helperbird is working and the right features are available.
  • Remind students how to access Helperbird. Since the shelf is hidden in locked mode, students access Helperbird by clicking the Helperbird icon in the browser toolbar.
  • Have students set their preferences ahead of time. Helperbird remembers settings, so if a student sets up their preferred font or text-to-speech voice before the test, it will be ready to go.
  • Keep it simple. You do not need a separate OU for every student. Group students by accommodation type first and only get more specific if needed.
  • Use the Helperbird Google Docs add-on too. If students are taking assessments in Google Docs, the Helperbird Google Docs and Slides add-on gives them accessibility tools right inside the document.

Troubleshooting

Helperbird is not showing during locked mode:

  • Make sure Helperbird is force-installed through Google Admin, not manually installed.
  • Check that the student's Chromebook is in the correct organizational unit.
  • Make sure the Chromebook is managed by your school district.

Helperbird features are not working:

Only some features are showing:

  • Check the JSON policy for that OU. Some features may be disabled by the admin policy.
  • This might be intentional if you have set up accommodation-specific feature sets.

Validate Your Policy

Before deploying, use our JSON Policy Validator to check for errors, validate feature codes, and see exactly what each setting does.

Related Guides

More help articles

What People Are Saying

Join over 1,000,000 people who use Helperbird every day.

Read All Reviews

It is simply amazing, Helperbird helps you find out from everything from the Readermode feature, color changes and so much more. It has really changed my life!!

John Mc Carthy

John Mc Carthy

Helperbird user

This extension has been an absolute lifesaver. I have that fantastic combo of ADHD and Dyslexia while trying to go through college. I have difficulty keeping letters in order, seeing the gaps between words, and with ADHD on top, I lose focus A LOT. The immersive reader has been my new best friend. It drowns out the rest of the content on the page, changes the font to something I can read, and highlights the word as it reads to me. My eyes are forced to keep going in the right direction. I can slow down and pay attention to what I'm reading. I don't even have to go back and read the same paragraph 5 times to understand it! The screen overlay has been outstanding for eye strain and being able to distinguish between words and spaces. The custom font and spacing for research articles have been an enormous advantage! I can actually read the research papers now and not have this daunting 2 column fine print page to squint over.All around, this has been the best purchase I've ever had. I use this every day, with every assignment. I don't even struggle with story-based questions anymore. The immersive reader helps me read, listen, and understand the question all at once. I am still exploring what I can use this with and how it can make my academic career, and I keep getting impressed with every new way I find to use it. Seriously, try it out. You won't regret it at all. Even if you don't have dyslexia or ADHD, just try it out. You might find that it helps you understand the content you're trying to learn even better!

Mason Hunter

Mason Hunter

Helperbird user

Huge fan of the zoom feature. It trumps the native zoom in your browser since the zoom level you set actually stays with you no matter what page you go to, which is very helpful and meshes well with the other features the app offers.

Taylor Kirkpatrick

Taylor Kirkpatrick

Helperbird user

Let me tell you, I didn't know how badly I needed this until I got it. It was much like when I got glasses, I had just assumed that was how everyone saw the world...then it wasn't. Thank you Helperbird for the efforts you put forth in this lovely extension for everyone to use. The fact that you can use so much on the free just goes to show that this is something to help aid people not just some money grab. However with the pricing it still couldn't be a money grab. Thank you all again for the efforts you put forth so others can enjoy the internet more fully.

Matthew Burns

Matthew Burns

Health care worker

This tool helps so many of our students at school - not only those students who have dyslexia, but students and adults who have other learning differences (and those who don't!). It helps ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed in their learning!

Kim Norris

Kim Norris

Helperbird user

The update fixed opening issue of the app!! Tip: the Helperbird app, the width can be changed.

Firefox user

Firefox user

Helperbird user

Helperbird logo: Stylized owl with large yellow eyes and a beige face, against a green background.

Download Helperbird

Make browsing easier and more accessible with tools like Text to Speech, Immersive Reader, and more.

Get Helperbird

Available on all your favorite browsers and platforms

Browsers

Chrome Edge Firefox Safari

Apps & Add-ons

Google Docs Google Slides iPad iPhone

Browse Helperbird