Stop managing or delete Chrome browsers

Applies to managed Chrome browsers on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

If you have Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, or Linux devices that are no longer being used in your organization, you might decide to repurpose and distribute them for personal use. Or, some users might purchase a second-hand Windows or macOS device, where Chrome browser was previously managed by an administrator in a school, company, or other group. 

If devices are not properly reset, an administrator might still manage Chrome browser. Before you repurpose a device, stop managing or delete the Chrome browser.

Stop managing Chrome browser

Check if Chrome browser is managed

On a Windows or macOS device:

1. Open Chrome browser .
2. At the top right, select More .
3. Check the bottom of the menu. If you see Managed by your organization, your browser is managed. If you don’t, your browser isn’t managed.

Windows

To remove Chrome browser management policies from a Windows device, you need to clear the Chrome registry settings and then restart Chrome browser. For details on clearing the registry, see Microsoft’s documentation.

1. Delete the registry keys:
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome
   • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google\Chrome
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Update
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Enrollment
2. Delete the value named CloudManagementEnrollmentToken from the registry key:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\ClientState\{430FD4D0-B729-4F61-AA34-91526481799D}
3. Delete the directory where Google Update writes cached cloud policies:
   • %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google\Policies

Even after the user cleans up the registry, some third-party software products might reset registry settings. Be sure to remove third-party software products and malware that might set Chrome registry values. For details about how to remove programs, see Microsoft’s documentation for Windows 7 and Windows 10.

If you complete these steps and Chrome browser still appears to be managed, you should contact a professional computer repair shop. In rare instances, you might need to reinstall Windows due to persistent malware.

macOS

On a macOS device:

1. From the Apple menu, select System Preferences.
2. Click Profiles.
3. Select the profiles that you want to remove.
4. Click – (minus).
5. Click Remove to confirm that you want to remove the profile.

You also need to remove suspicious apps—ones that you don’t remember downloading or don’t sound like a genuine program.

1. Open Finder.
2. On the left, click Applications.
3. Find and remove suspicious apps.

You might also need to clear user defaults. From a terminal, run this command:

defaults delete com.google.Chrome

You might also need to remove files used for configuring Chrome. You might have created these files manually or they might have been created using a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) or mobile management tool.

• If you created the files manually, delete:
  • /Library/Preferences/com.google.Chrome.plist
  • /Library/Managed Preferences/com.google.Chrome.plist
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome Cloud Enrollment/*
• If the files were created with a UEM or mobile management tool, configure the tool to delete the relevant policies.

Linux

On a Linux device, remove files from /etc/opt/chrome/policies.

Delete Chrome browsers from the Admin console

Manually delete Chrome browsers in the Managed Browser list:

1. Sign in to your Google Admin console.

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

2. In the Admin console, go to Menu  DevicesChromeManaged browsers.
3. From the Managed Browser list, select one or more browsers.
4. Click Delete selected browsers .

Delete your organization’s Google Account

You cannot remove your free Chrome Browser Cloud Management (CBCM) subscription using the Google Admin console. You can delete any Chrome browsers that don’t need to be managed in CBCM. See Delete Chrome browsers from the Admin console.

If you only have a free CBCM subscription and none of your users and browsers need the service anymore, you can delete your organization's Google Account.

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