Notify users to restart to apply pending updates

Applies to managed Chrome Browsers and Chrome devices.

As a Chrome Enterprise administrator, you can set policies to tell users that they need to restart their device running Chrome OS or relaunch Chrome Browser to apply pending updates.

Step 1: Review policies

You can set one or more of the following policies:

Policy Description and settings

RelaunchNotification

Tells users to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their device running Chrome OS to get the latest update. Choose one of the options:

  • Relaunch recommended—Users can close the notification and keep using the old version of Chrome Browser or Chrome OS until they choose to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device.
  • Relaunch required—Users can close the notification but will see a recurring message that Chrome Browser will automatically relaunch or their Chrome device will restart after a certain time. Use the RelaunchNotificationPeriod policy to set the relaunch time (details below).

Unset: On the toolbar, the More icon More changes to indicate that an update is available but users aren't forced to relaunch.

RelaunchNotificationPeriod

Sets the time period, in milliseconds (ms), that a user is repeatedly notified to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device to apply an update.

Unset: The default time period is 604,800,000 ms (7 days).

RelaunchHeadsUpPeriod

Only supported on Chrome devices

Sets the time period, in milliseconds (ms), between when a user is first notified to restart their Chrome device to apply an update and the end of the time period specified by the RelaunchNotificationPeriod policy.

Note: For simplicity, you can configure this policy in the Admin console using the Initial quiet period setting.

Unset: The default time period is 259,200,000 ms (3 days).

Step 2: Set the policies

Admin console

Can apply for signed-in users on any device or enrolled browsers on Windows, Mac, or Linux. For details, see Understand when settings apply.

  1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

    Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

  2. From the Admin console Home page, go to Devicesand thenChrome.
  3. Click User & browser settings.
  4. To apply the setting to everyone, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
  5. Scroll to Chrome updates.
  6. For Relaunch notification, choose an option:
    • No relaunch notification—No notification is shown.
    • Show notification recommending relaunch—Users can close the notification and keep using the old version of Chrome Browser or Chrome OS until they choose to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device.
    • Force relaunch after a period—Users can close the notification but will see a recurring message that Chrome Browser will automatically relaunch or their Chrome device will restart after a certain time.
  7. (Optional) Set the time period, between 1and 168 hours, over which users are repeatedly notified to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device.
    Note: To use the system default, which is 168 hours (7 days), leave the field unset.
  8. (Optional) (Only for Chrome devices) Set the initial quiet period, over which users aren’t notified to restart their devices to apply updates. Make sure that the Initial quiet period is less than the Time period.
    Note: To use the system default, which shows notifications for the last 3 days of the time period that you specify, leave the field unset.
  9. Click Save.
  10. (Optional) If you manage Chrome devices, automatically restart devices when updates are applied:
    1. At the top, click Device settings.
    2. Scroll to Device update settingsand thenAuto-update settings.
    3. For Auto reboot after updates, select Allow auto-reboots.
    4. Click Save.
Windows

Applies to Windows users who sign in to a managed account on Chrome Browser.

Using Group Policy

In the Group Policy Management Editor (Computer or User Configuration folder):

  1. Go to Policiesand thenAdministrative Templates and thenGoogleand then Google Chrome. 
  2. Turn on Notify a user that a browser relaunch or device restart is recommended or required.
    Tip: If you don’t see this policy, download the latest policy template.
    Leaving this policy Not Configured uses the Unset behavior described above.
  3. Set an option:
    • Show a recurring prompt to the user indicating that a relaunch is required
    • Show a recurring prompt to the user indicating that a relaunch is recommended
  4. (Optional) To set the notification period:
    1. Turn on Set the time period for update notifications.
      Leaving this policy Not Configured uses the Unset behavior described above.
    2. Click Set the time period for update notifications.
    3. Enter the number of milliseconds for the notification period and click Apply.
  5. (Optional) (Only for Chrome devices managed using Microsoft® Active Directory®) To specify when users see the first notification to restart their Chrome device:
    1. Turn on Set the time of the first user relaunch notification. 
      Leaving this policy Not Configured uses the Unset behavior described above.
    2. Click Set the time of the first user relaunch notification. 
    3. Enter the number of milliseconds before the end of the notification period when users should see the first notification.
    4. Click Apply.
  6. Deploy the update to your users.

Mac

Applies to Mac users who sign in to a managed account on Chrome Browser.
 In your Chrome policy configuration profile (.plist file):
  1. Add or update the following keys: 
    • Set the <RelaunchNotification> key to <integer>value</integer>, where value is 1 (relaunch recommended) or 2 (relaunch required).
    • Set the <RelaunchNotificationPeriod> key to <integer>value</integer>, where value is the number of milliseconds for the notification period.
  2. Deploy the change to your users. 

The example shows how to:

  • Repeatedly notify users to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device to get the latest update
  • Automatically relaunch Chrome Browser and restart Chrome devices after 5 days (432,000,000 ms),  if users have not already done so
<key>RelaunchNotification</key>
<dict>
   <integer>2</integer>
</dict>
<key>RelaunchNotificationPeriod</key>
<dict>
   <integer>432000000</integer>
</dict>

Linux

Applies to Linux users who sign in to a managed account on Chrome Browser.
Using your preferred JSON file editor:
  1. Go to your /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed folder.
  2. Create or update a JSON file.
  3. Set RelaunchNotification to 1 (relaunch recommended) or 2 (relaunch required).
  4. Set RelaunchNotificationPeriod to the number of milliseconds for the notification period.
  5. Deploy the update to your users.

The example shows how to:

  • Repeatedly notify users to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device to get the latest update
  • Automatically relaunch Chrome Browser and restart Chrome devices after 5 days (432,000,000 ms),  if users haven’t already done so

{
  "RelaunchNotification": 2
}
{
   "RelaunchNotificationPeriod": 432000000 
}

 Step 3: Verify policies on user devices

After you apply any Chrome policies, users need to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their device for the settings to take effect. Then, check users’ devices to make sure the policy is correct.

  1. On a managed device, go to chrome://policy.
  2. Click Reload policies.
  3. Check the Show policies with no value set box.
  4. For RelaunchNotification, RelaunchNotificationPeriod, and RelaunchHeadsUpPeriod make sure Status is set to OK and the policy values match what you set in the policy.
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