Install and Run Google Chrome Extensions – How to Avoid It

In general, there are users who are satisfied with using Chrome as Google offers it, and others who like to customize its appearance and functionality to the maximum. For this, extensions are used, they are small utilities that we can install in our browser and that are in charge of fulfilling specific functions that make us have a better user experience. The variety and quantity of extensions are enormous. With them we can improve and increase our productivity, add games, improve online security, among other options. And best of all, most of them are free.

However, there are situations where we do not want extensions to be installed in Chrome. For example, by measures related to parental control over our children. It may also happen that there are counterproductive extensions against our company, or that a system administrator needs to prevent the intervention and modification of other users. This, among other reasons, makes it very useful to have full control to block the installation of extensions in Chrome . Interestingly, the Google web browser does not natively have any way to block extensions to prevent their installation and execution, but there are some tricks that we are going to see below to be able to do so.

Configure Google Chrome using Windows 10 Group Policy Editor

Group policies are in charge of helping an administrator to configure our browser based on our conditions. We can use Group Policy to configure Google Chrome. The first thing to do is get the latest templates and documentation for Chrome in a ZIP file from this link . Once downloaded, we extract its content into a folder.

Now we have to add the template to the group policy of our PC. To do this we execute the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r” and activate the Run command. We write “gpedit.msc” and press “Enter” to open the “Group Policy Editor”. Next, click on “Computer Configuration” and “Administrative Templates”. We right-click on “Administrative Templates” and select “Add or remove templates in the context menu”.

A new window will open where we must select Add and navigate to the location where we extracted the templates and downloaded Google documentation. From the group of files we must follow the path:

windows / adm / es-ES

Here we must select the file “chrome.adm” and click on open and close the Add or remove templates window.

Next, we must access the following location to find all the entries in the Chrome Group Policy Editor.

Configuración del equipo / Plantillas administrativas / Plantillas administrativas clásicas (ADM) / Google

From now on we can use the Windows Group Policy Editor to be able to configure Chrome and prevent extensions from being installed.

Prevent users from installing extensions in Chrome

To prevent users from being able to install extensions in Chrome, we have two options available, either through group policy or using the Windows 10 Registry.

Using the Group Policy editor

The first thing we must do is access the Local Group Policy Editor, for which we must press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r”, and the Run command will appear on the screen. Here we must write the command “gpedit.msc” and press “Enter”.

Once we have accessed the Local Group Policy Editor we must navigate to the following path:

Configuración del equipo / Plantillas administrativas / Plantillas administrativas clásicas (ADM) / Google / Chrome / Extensiones

Here we will find the option “Configuration of extensions installation blocked lists” on the right side of the screen. Click on it and click on “Edit policy settings”.

A new window will appear with the name of “Configure the list of blocked extensions installation”. In it we must mark the option “Enable”, in order to confirm the option we want to do. Next, we must click on the Show button that we find at the bottom.

In the new window that appears we enter “*” as Value. Finally, click on Accept to save the change made. And again we click OK to close the windows.

Once this is done, all our existing extensions will be deactivated and no user will be able to install new extensions.

Using the Registry

We can also use the Windows Registry Editor to prevent users from installing extensions in Chrome. To do this, we execute the keyboard shortcut Windows + r to launch the Run command. Here we write “regedit” and press “Enter”. Once the Registry Editor is open, we must navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Policies / Google / Chrome

Next, we right-click on Chrome, select “New” and “Key”, naming it ” ExtensionInstallBlocklist” .

Now we right-click on ” ExtensionInstallBlocklist”, click on “New”, then on “String value” and assign it the name “1”.

Finally, we double click on “1” and enter “*” (asteric) as “Value information”, finally clicking on “OK”. This will block the installation of any extension in Google Chrome.

Controlling folder permissions in Windows 10

To prevent other users from installing extensions in Chrome we can also use a trick using the Windows 10 File Explorer. To do this, the first thing to do is open a new page in Google Chrome and write the following address:

Chrome://versión/

Now we will see a new page where we must locate the point that indicates “Profile path”. Here we will see a route, which we must copy in full.

Next, we open the “File Explorer” and paste the path that we have copied, to access it. Once we have opened the path in Explorer, we must locate the folder named “Extensions”.

Right-click on it and select the “Properties” option from the context menu. In the next window, we click on the “Security” tab. Within the Security tab, we look at the “Group or user names” section and click on the “Edit” button.

In the next window, click on the “Add” button, since we must add all the users who use the application so that we can restrict their use.

Now, in the new window that appears, we look at the bottom in the box that says “Write the names of objects that we want to select”. Here we write “All” and click on “OK”.

We return to the previous screen where we must deny the writing for the user “All”. We apply the changes and click OK.

Through this process we have managed to deny writing to the Google Chrome extensions folder to all users , both local and domain, whether they have administrator privileges or not. In this way we prevent any user from installing extensions in our Chrome browser.

Allow specific extensions to be activated in Chrome

So far we have seen how we can prevent a user from being able to install any application in Chrome. But, it may be the case that we want to allow users to install only new extensions. For this we can enable it again using both the group policy or the Windows 10 Registry Editor

Use Local Group Policy Editor

To access the Local Group Policy Editor we must press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r”, and the “Execute” command will appear on the screen. Here we must write the command “gpedit.msc” and press Enter.

Once we have accessed the Local Group Policy Editor we must navigate to the following path:

Configuración del equipo / Plantillas administrativas / Plantillas administrativas clásicas (ADM) / Google / Chrome / Extensiones

Here, on the right side of the screen, we find the option “Configure the list of allowed installation extensions”. Click on it and then on “Edit policy settings”.

Now a new window appears that we must “Enable” and then click on the “Show” button at the bottom of the screen.

A new window will appear again. In it we must write the ID of the extension that we want to allow to be installed. For this we go to the Chrome web Store, we look for the application that we want to install, for example, “Writer” whose extension is

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/writer-extension-clipper/ikfjgjdcechliibmcjnaoabbfjabbaoc?hl=es

This means that the extension ID is:

ikfjgjdcechliibmcjnaoabbfjabbaoc

Next, we must copy that ID of the extension to paste it in the “Value” box. In this way, we will allow the Writer extension to be installed in Chrome. This is something that we must repeat with each extension that we want to allow its installation.

Registry Editor Users

If we want to use the Windows 10 Registry Editor to avoid to block all Chrome extensions, we can also use it to use a specific type of extension. To do this, we execute the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r” to launch the “Run” command. Here we write “regedit” and press Enter. Once the Registry Editor is open, we must navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Policies / Google / Chrome

Next, we right-click on Chrome, then New and Key and name it ” ExtensionInstallAllowlist”.

Now, we right-click on “ExtensionInstallAllowlist”, select “New” and “String value”, to which we will assign the name “1”.

Finally, we double click on 1 and enter the ID of the extension as value information.

Allow a specific type of extension to be installed in Chrome

It is also possible to configure Chrome so that we can only install a specific type of extension, for this, as before, we can configure it from the Local Group Policy Editor or from the Windows 10 Registry Editor.

From the Local Group Policy Editor

Again we access the Local Group Policy Editor using the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r” so that the “Execute” command appears on the screen. Here we must write the command “gpedit.msc” and press Enter.

Once we have accessed the Local Group Policy Editor we must navigate to the following path:

Configuración del equipo / Plantillas administrativas / Plantillas administrativas clásicas (ADM) / Google / Chrome / Extensiones

Now we will have to locate the option “Configure types of extensions or applications allowed” and then click on “Edit policy settings”.

On the next screen we must press the “Enable” button and click the “Show” button.

Next, we must insert a value such as “extension”, “theme”, “user_script”, “hosted_app”, “legacy_packaged_app” and “Platform_app”.

From the Registry Editor

In the case that we prefer to use the Registry Editor, we execute the keyboard shortcut “Windows + r” to launch the “Execute” command. Here we write “regedit” and press Enter. Once the Registry Editor is open, we must navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Policies / Google / Chrome

Here, we must create a new key in Chrome that is called ” ExtensionAllowedTypes ” .

Later we click on “ExtensionAllowedTypes” and select “New” and “String value”, assigning it the name of “1”.

Finally, we double click on “1” and configure it with the value data of “extension,” theme “,” user_script “,” hosted_app “,” legacy_packaged_app “and” Platform_app “, as we choose.