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 |
---|---|
Tells users to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their device running Chrome OS to get the latest update. Choose one of the options:
Unset: On the toolbar, the More icon |
|
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). Note: Relaunches are aimed to take place between 2am and 4am in the users time zone. If the relaunch isn’t set to take place between 2am and 4am in the users time zone, the relaunch countdown is automatically increased to ensure that it does. |
|
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
Can apply for signed-in users on any device or enrolled browsers on Windows, Mac, or Linux. For details, see Understand when settings apply.
-
Sign in to your Google Admin console.
Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).
-
From the Admin console Home page, go to Devices
Chrome.
- Click Settings
Users & browsers.
- To apply the setting to everyone, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
- Scroll to Chrome updates.
- For Relaunch notification, choose an option:
- No relaunch notification—Chrome indicates to users that a relaunch is needed via subtle changes to its menu. No notification is shown.
- Show notification recommending relaunch—Users see a recurring message that they should relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device. 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 they need to relaunch Chrome Browser or restart their Chrome device within a certain amount of time.
- (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. - (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. - Click Save.
- (Optional) If you manage Chrome devices, automatically restart devices when updates are applied:
- At the top, click Device settings.
- Scroll to Device update settings
Auto-update settings.
- For Auto reboot after updates, select Allow auto-reboots.
- Click Save.
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):
- Go to Policies
Administrative Templates
Google
Google Chrome.
- 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. - 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
- (Optional) To set the notification period:
- Turn on Set the time period for update notifications.
Leaving this policy Not Configured uses the Unset behavior described above. - Click Set the time period for update notifications.
- Enter the number of milliseconds for the notification period and click Apply.
- Turn on Set the time period for update notifications.
- (Optional) (Only for Chrome devices managed using Microsoft® Active Directory®) To specify when users see the first notification to restart their Chrome device:
- Turn on Set the time of the first user relaunch notification.
Leaving this policy Not Configured uses the Unset behavior described above. - Click Set the time of the first user relaunch notification.
- Enter the number of milliseconds before the end of the notification period when users should see the first notification.
- Click Apply.
- Turn on Set the time of the first user relaunch notification.
- Deploy the update to your users.
- 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.
- 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
- Tell users they need to relaunch Chrome Browser and restart Chrome devices within the next 5 days (432,000,000 ms)
<key>RelaunchNotification</key>
<dict>
<integer>2</integer>
</dict>
<key>RelaunchNotificationPeriod</key>
<dict>
<integer>432000000</integer>
</dict>
- Go to your /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed folder.
- Create or update a JSON file.
- Set RelaunchNotification to 1 (relaunch recommended) or 2 (relaunch required).
- Set RelaunchNotificationPeriod to the number of milliseconds for the notification period.
- 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
- Tell users they need to relaunch Chrome Browser and restart Chrome devices within the next 5 days (432,000,000 ms)
{
"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.
- On a managed device, go to chrome://policy.
- Click Reload policies.
- Check the Show policies with no value set box.
- For RelaunchNotification, RelaunchNotificationPeriod, and RelaunchHeadsUpPeriod make sure Status is set to OK and the policy values match what you set in the policy.