Set app and extension policies

For administrators who manage Chrome policies from the Google Admin console.

As a Chrome Enterprise admin, you can use your Admin console to apply app and extension policies across several apps at a time. For example, you might specify all the apps that you want to force install for users or pin on users' Chrome taskbars.

Before you begin

To make settings for a specific group of users or enrolled Chrome Browsers, put the user accounts or browsers in an organizational unit.
To apply settings for Chrome Browser users on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers, turn on Chrome management for the organizational unit that they belong to. See Turn on Chrome Browser management.

Open all | Close all

Set app 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.

Set an app or extension policy (main steps)

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 DevicesChrome.
Click Apps & extensionsUsers & Browsers.
To apply the setting to all users and enrolled browsers, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit.
On the right, click Settings.
Set the app and extension policies that you want to change. See Learn about each setting below.
Click Save.

Learn about each setting

Android applications on Chrome devices

By default, users in this organizational unit are not allowed to install Google Play and Android apps on devices. To give users access to the approved apps in the Google Play store on their Chrome devices, select Allow.

Allowed types of apps and extensions

Allows you to block users from installing certain types of apps by unchecking the type of allowed app.

Types of app:

App and extension install sources

Allows you to specify which URLs are allowed to install extensions, apps, and themes. For example, if a URL where you have a .crx file matches the list, a Chrome installation prompt will appear if the user clicks the URL. Put one URL pattern on each line. For examples, see the Chrome developer site.

This policy has no effect on Android apps running on Chrome OS. To set policies for Android apps on Chrome devices that support them, see Use Android apps on Chrome devices

Allow insecure extension packaging

Not supported on Chrome version 78 or later

Allows you to choose whether you want to allow or not allow insecure extension packaging.

External extensions

Allows you to block external extensions from being installed. An external extension is any extension that is not installed from the Chrome Web Store.

Permissions and URLs

You can use this setting in 2 ways:

Block installing types of extensions

Prevent users from running extensions that request certain permissions that your organizational unit doesn’t allow.

For details, see Block apps and extensions based on permissions.

Prevent apps from altering webpages

Control whether apps or extensions in general can alter webpages that you specify.

For details, see Prevent Chrome extensions from altering webpages.

Runtime blocked hosts—URLs to pages that you want to prevent apps from altering.
Runtime allowed hosts—URLs to pages that you want to allow apps to alter. Access is allowed even if the pages are also defined in Blocked URLs.

Chrome Web Store app icon

Specifies whether users can see the Chrome Web Store app in the launcher on Chrome devices and on new tab pages.

Chrome Web Store homepage

You can change the Chrome Web Store homepage to a custom homepage for your users when they're signed in. You can also recommend apps and extensions for your domain in a custom collection named after your domain in the Chrome Web Store.

Chrome Web Store permissions

To let users to publish private apps that are restricted to your domain on the Chrome Web Store, choose Allow users to publish private apps that are restricted to your domain on Chrome Web Store. Then, an option appears that lets you allow or prevent users from publishing private hosted apps if the domain name of the app’s launch_web_url or app_url is not owned by your organization.

Android reporting for users and devices

Allows you to monitor the success and failure of the installations to users and devices on your network by using the reporting tool found in the Admin console.

For setup information, see Monitor forced Android app installs.

Note: The report only shows information for managed users using managed Chrome devices that support managed Google Play.