How to Enable the Helperbird Floating Button

This guide explains how to enable the Helperbird floating button using managed JSON policy. The floating button is a small, round Helperbird icon that appears in the bottom-left corner of every page. When a student clicks it, Helperbird opens in the side panel.

This feature is designed for environments where the browser toolbar is hidden, such as kiosk mode or locked mode on Chromebooks, and students need a visible way to access Helperbird during exams or assessments.

What Is the Floating Button?

The floating button is a small circular button with the Helperbird owl logo that appears in the bottom-left corner of every web page. It sits on top of page content and is always visible.

• One click opens Helperbird. When a student clicks the button, Helperbird opens in the browser side panel. The button turns purple to show that Helperbird is active.
• It works without the toolbar. In kiosk mode and locked mode, the browser toolbar and extension icons are often hidden. The floating button gives students a way to open Helperbird without needing the toolbar.
• It is controlled by your admin policy. The floating button only appears when you enable it through managed JSON policy. It is off by default and will never show up for regular users unless an admin turns it on.
• It does not interfere with the page. The button floats above the page content and does not block text or interactive elements. It is hidden when printing.

When to Use It

The floating button is useful in these situations:

• Kiosk mode Chromebooks — When a Chromebook is in kiosk mode, the browser toolbar is hidden. Students with IEP accommodations or 504 plans need a way to open Helperbird during exams.
• Locked mode quizzes — When a teacher turns on locked mode in Google Forms, the Chromebook shelf is hidden. The floating button gives students access to Helperbird features.
• Shared exam devices — When multiple students use the same device and you do not know which student will use which Chromebook, the floating button ensures every student can access Helperbird.
• Any setup where the toolbar is hidden — If your organization configures Chrome to hide the extensions toolbar, the floating button provides an alternative entry point.

If your users can see the Helperbird icon in the browser toolbar, you do not need the floating button. It is only necessary when the toolbar is not visible.

How to Enable It

Step 1: Make Sure Admin Control Is On

The floating button requires isAdminControl to be set to true. If you have already set up admin control for your organization, you are ready to add the floating button.

Step 2: Add the Floating Button to Your JSON Policy

In the Google Admin Console, open the JSON policy for Helperbird (under Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions, select your OU, click on Helperbird, and find the Policy for extensions field).

Add floatingButton to your existing policy:

{
  "subKey": {
    "Value": "YOUR-SUBSCRIPTION-KEY-HERE"
  },
  "isAdminControl": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "floatingButton": {
    "Value": true
  }
}

Replace YOUR-SUBSCRIPTION-KEY-HERE with your actual Helperbird subscription key.

Step 3: Save and Sync

Click Save. The policy will sync to devices automatically. To force an immediate sync, reboot the Chromebook or go to chrome://policy and click Reload policies.

That is all you need. The floating button will now appear in the bottom-left corner on every page for users in that organizational unit.

Step 4: Change the Button Position (Optional)

By default the floating button appears in the bottom-left corner. To move it to the bottom-right, add floatingButtonPosition to your policy:

{
  "subKey": {
    "Value": "YOUR-SUBSCRIPTION-KEY-HERE"
  },
  "isAdminControl": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "floatingButton": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "floatingButtonPosition": {
    "Value": "right"
  }
}

Accepted values are "left" and "right". If omitted, it defaults to "left".

How It Works

When the floating button is enabled:

1. Helperbird checks the managed policy on every page load.
2. If both isAdminControl and floatingButton are set to true, a small round button with the Helperbird owl logo is injected into the bottom-left corner of the page.
3. When the student clicks the button, Helperbird sends a message to the background service worker to open the side panel.
4. The side panel opens with the full Helperbird interface. The button turns purple to indicate Helperbird is active.
5. The student can use Helperbird features (text-to-speech, dyslexia fonts, reading rulers, etc.) from the side panel.

The button uses Chrome's sidePanel.open() API, which requires a user click to work. This is why the button exists — it provides the user gesture that Chrome needs to open the side panel.

Combining with Other Settings

You can combine the floating button with other managed policy settings. Here is an example that enables the floating button, disables certain features for exams, and excludes specific websites:

{
  "subKey": {
    "Value": "YOUR-SUBSCRIPTION-KEY-HERE"
  },
  "isAdminControl": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "floatingButton": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "disableFeatures": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "disabledFeatures": {
    "Value": [
      "EditorReader",
      "VoiceTypingOptions",
      "ScreenshotOptions"
    ]
  },
  "excludedDomains": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "excludedDomainsList": {
    "Value": [
      "testplatform.com"
    ]
  }
}

The floating button will still appear on excluded domains. Even if Helperbird features are disabled on a website through the excludedDomainsList, the floating button remains visible so students can always open Helperbird.

Troubleshooting

The floating button is not appearing

• Make sure both isAdminControl and floatingButton are set to true in your JSON policy. The button will not show if either one is false or missing.
• Check that the policy is set under the correct tab in Google Admin. For regular user sessions, use Users & browsers. For kiosk sessions, use Kiosks.
• Confirm the Chromebook is in the correct organizational unit.
• Reboot the Chromebook to force a policy sync, or go to chrome://policy and click Reload policies.
• Use our JSON Policy Validator to check your policy for errors.

The button appears but nothing happens when clicked

• The floating button opens Helperbird in the side panel. The chrome.sidePanel API is available in Chrome 114 and later. Make sure your Chromebooks are running an up-to-date version of ChromeOS.
• Check the browser console for errors. Open DevTools (if available) and look for messages starting with 🦉 Helperbird.

The button is in the way of page content

• The button is positioned in the bottom-left corner with a fixed offset. It floats above page content and should not block text. The floating button stays visible even on excluded domains so students always have a way to open Helperbird.

The button shows on websites where I do not want it

• The floating button is designed to always be available when enabled, including on excluded domains. If you need to completely hide Helperbird on certain devices, consider placing those devices in a separate organizational unit without the floatingButton policy.

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

• How to Use the Floating Helperbird Button (User Guide)
• How to Deploy Helperbird in ChromeOS Kiosk Mode
• How to Use Helperbird in Locked Mode on Chromebooks
• How to Deploy Helperbird to Your School
• How to Disable Helperbird Features Using JSON Policy
• How to Disable Helperbird on Specific Websites Using JSON Policy
• How to Set Up a Child Organizational Unit for Helperbird
• Setting Chrome Storage Managed Keys for Helperbird