Group Policy | Deploy Chrome Extensions

With Google Chrome becoming more popular with people in business, there may come a time when you want to deploy a Google Chrome extension to a large amount of users without them individually going to the Chrome Webstore. To do this follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Chrome Webstore and add the extension to your Chrome
   
2. Go in the Extension Manager from the options menu (Three dots > More Tools > Extensions)
3. You need to retrieve the extension ID and the Update URL to ensure a smooth installation. To get this information your need to enable Developer Mode
   
4. Once enabled your see a couple of extra pieces of information when looking at the newly added extension. Take a note of the ID as your need this later. Copy and paste it into notepad
   
5. Now your need to get the Update URL. As extensions are per user installation. There saves in the following location:

   C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\UserData\Default\Extensions

6. Navigate to this location and find the extension ID that matches to one noted earlier
   
7. Double click and the Manifest.json file inside this folder. Once located open it up with a text editor and locate the line for the Update URL
   
8. Copy and paste the Update_url into the text editor with the extension ID
9. Group Policy deploys Chrome Extensions by reading a single string. This string is a combination of the extension ID and the update URL separated by a ;
   ankblejcdieljecjfagjeoelaedaoaka;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx
   Extension ID ; Update URL
10. Now you have the required string we can amend the gpo. Open up Group Policy Management and navigate to the following location:
    

    User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Google\Google Chrome\Extensions

11. Edit the setting and paste in the string created earlier
    
12. Allow a few minutes for the domain controllers to replicate and log on as a test user to which the policy is applying to
13. Open Chrome and check to see if the extension has been added
    
    

Please note: If the policy is removed and/or the setting is amended then the extension will also be removed. The system will automatically approved any permissions the app needs during installation. As we provided an update URL then any future permissions the extension needs will also be approved automatically.