You can automatically install (force-install) specific Chrome apps and extensions for users in your organization. Users then see these apps and extensions when using Chrome on managed devices or accounts.
Most Chrome apps and extensions are in the Chrome Web store. You can also force-install third-party apps and extensions. Users can’t remove items that are force-installed. The items also bypass any blocked apps and extensions.
Before you begin
- To make settings for a specific group of users or enrolled Chrome browsers, put the user accounts or browsers in a group or organizational unit. Only user accounts, not browsers, can be added to groups. For details, see Groups and Add an organizational unit.
- To apply settings for Chrome browser users on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, turn on Chrome browser management for the organizational unit that they belong to. See Turn on Chrome browser management.
- There is a limit of 500 for the total number of apps times the number of groups.
Force install apps and extensions
Can apply for signed-in users on any device or enrolled browsers on Windows, Mac, or Linux. For details, see Understand when settings apply.
These steps assume you're familiar with configuring Chrome settings in your Admin console.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
Devices
Chrome
If you signed up for Chrome Browser Cloud Management, go to Menu
Chrome browser
- At the top, click the type of app or extension you want to automatically install:
- Users & browsers—For users who sign in with a managed Google Account on any device, and for enrolled browsers.
- Managed guest sessions—For users who sign in to a managed guest session on a managed ChromeOS device.
- On the left, choose who you want to automatically install the app for:
- Users & browsers—To apply the setting to all users and browsers, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit or group.
- Managed guest sessions—To apply the setting to all users, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
- Find and click the app or extension that you want to automatically install.
- In the panel that opens on the right, under Installation policy, choose Force install or Force install + pin to ChromeOS taskbar.
- Click Save. Or, you might click Override for an organizational unit.
To later restore the inherited value, click Inherit (or Unset for a group).
Verify extensions are pinned to browser taskbar
When you pin extensions to users’ browser taskbars, the Admin console builds a set of configuration text that is then set in a JSON string for the ExtensionSettings policy. From time to time, extensions are not properly pinned to browser taskbars because the JSON string is invalid.
We recommend that first you apply settings to a small number of users or browsers in a test organizational unit. Then, after you verify that extension policies are being applied correctly, you can fully deploy them.
- On a managed device, go to chrome://policy.
- Click Reload policies.
- Check the Show policies with no value set box.
- For the ExtensionSetting policy, make sure that Status is set to OK.
- For the ExtensionSetting policy, click Show more. In the Value field, use your preferred tool to make sure that there are no errors in the JSON code.
Customize name and icon (ChromeOS only)
For devices running ChromeOS version 100 or later.
Can apply for signed-in users on any device or enrolled browsers on Windows, Mac, or Linux. For details, see Understand when settings apply.
These steps assume you're familiar with configuring Chrome settings in your Admin console.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
In the Admin console, go to Menu
If you signed up for Chrome Browser Cloud Management, go to Menu
- At the top, click the type of web app you want to customize:
- Users & browsers—For users who sign in with a managed Google Account on any device, and for enrolled browsers.
- Managed guest sessions—For users who sign in to a managed guest session on a managed ChromeOS device.
- On the left, choose who you want to customize the web app for:
- Users & browsers—To apply the setting to all users and browsers, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit or group.
- Managed guest sessions—To apply the setting to all users, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
- Find and click the web app that you want to customize.
Note: You can only customize the appearance of URLs that you force install. - In the panel that opens on the right, under Appearance, select Customize name and icon (ChromeOS only).
- For Custom name, enter the name that you want to use.
- For Custom icon:
- Click Upload.
- Select the PNG, JPG, or JPEG file that you want.
- Click Open.
- Click Save.
Additional considerations
- Force-installing an app or extension gives it permission to access information on the device it's installed on. For example, an app might access a user's bookmarks or use their location. It can also access a device’s Directory API ID through an extension API.
- Force-installed apps can use the Chrome enterprise.platformKey API without requesting permission.
- The app ID or URL that you used to force-install an app never changes. Because app publishers determine the app icons and display names, they can change them at any time. If a publisher changes the app icon or name, those changes are immediately updated for force-installed apps on users' devices.
Related topics
- App and extension policies in the Admin console
- Force-install apps using on-premise tools on: Windows | Mac | Linux
- Chrome enterprise.platformKey API
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