Brand Chrome default browser (Windows 10)

Every bit an administrator, you may need to configure Chrome every bit the default browser on computers in your domain. You must consummate these steps to set Chrome every bit the default browser on domain-joined computers running Microsoft Windows 10 and above.

On Windows 10 and above

Step 1: Create a default application association XML file (sampled provided)

The default application association file is an XML file that associates a file type with an awarding. For case, if you associate .html or .htm files with the Chrome application, so by default Chrome is launched each fourth dimension the user opens a html or htm file.

For domain-joined computers, you create a unmarried shared XML file that automatically sets Chrome every bit the default browser application. You lot must identify this file in a shared folder, on your server, that all of the domain-joined computers can access.

Note: If Chrome is not installed on the target estimator, the file associations are non practical and users must choose an application when they open a link (http or https) or file (html or htm).

Download the default application association file

It is possible to have various Chrome channels installed side-past-side in Windows. Below are example xml files showing how to set a specific Chrome channel equally the default browser to open html, htm, http and https files or links.

Chrome Stable instance (chromedefault.xml):

<?xml version="ane.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
<Association Identifier=".htm" ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
<Association Identifier=".html" ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
<Clan Identifier="http" ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
<Clan Identifier="https" ProgId="ChromeHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome" />
</DefaultAssociations>

Chrome Beta example ( chromedefault.xml):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-eight"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
<Clan Identifier=".htm" ProgId="ChromeBHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Beta" />
<Clan Identifier=".html" ProgId="ChromeBHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Beta" />
<Clan Identifier="http" ProgId="ChromeBHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Beta" />
<Association Identifier="https" ProgId="ChromeBHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Beta" />
</DefaultAssociations>

Chrome Dev instance ( chromedefault.xml):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DefaultAssociations>
<Clan Identifier=".htm" ProgId="ChromeDHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Dev" />
<Association Identifier=".html" ProgId="ChromeDHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Dev" />
<Clan Identifier="http" ProgId="ChromeDHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Dev" />
<Association Identifier="https" ProgId="ChromeDHTML" ApplicationName="Google Chrome Dev" />
</DefaultAssociations>

Notation:The default association policy is set at each login. The user can change an association afterward they login, but the modify applies to that login session just. The association will exist reset to the policy at the adjacent login.

Stride 2: Create a Grouping Policy Object

The Group Policy Direction console lets y'all create and manage Grouping Policy Objects (GPO) for your domain. These GPOs command the policies that are practical to all your domain-linked computers. Afterwards you create the GPO, you lot use security filtering to apply information technology to the computers in your domain.

In the following instance, you lot create a GPO (Set Chrome as default browser) and apply it to computers in the chromeforwork.com domain.

  1. Open the Grouping Policy Management Console. Become to Showtime > All programs > Authoritative Tools > Group Policy Management.
  2. In the navigation pane, go to Group Policy Management > Domains.
  3. In the navigation pane, right-click on the chromeforwork.com domain, and click Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it hither...
  4. Type the name of the new GPO (in our case, the name is Set up Chrome as default browser) and click OK.

  5. In the navigation pane, go to Group Policy Direction > Domains > chromeforwork.com > Group Policy Objects and select Set Chrome every bit default browser.

  6. In the Security Filtering pane, click Add.
  7. In the Select User, Computer, or Group window, type the name of the object you want to add, click Check Names (to verify the name you entered), and click OK.

    You can blazon Domain Computers to add all workstations and servers joined to this domain (every bit in the example beneath) or you can specify a different group of computers.

  8. The GPO at present applies to all domain-linked computers.

Footstep iii: Set a default associations configuration file

To set the default associations configuration file for domain-linked computers, you edit the related GPO on your windows server.

  1. Open the Group Policy Direction Console.

    Go to Start > All programs > Administrative Tools > Grouping Policy Management.

  2. In the navigation pane, click Group Policy Management > Domains > chromeforwork.com.
  3. Click the Linked Grouping Policy Objects tab to view all GPOs for this domain.
  4. Right-click on the GPO y'all want to select, and click Edit to open the Group Policy Management Editor.

    In this instance, correct-click on Set up Chrome as default browser.

  5. In the Group Policy Management Editor, become to Estimator Configuration > Policies > Administrative Template > Windows Components > File Explorer, and double-click Set a default associations configuration file.

  6. In the Fix a default associations configuration file window, select the Enabled selection.

  7. In the Options box, enter the location of your default application association XML file.

    This is the XML file that assembly file types (such as .htm, .html, http, and https) with the Chrome application. This can exist the Google provided sample XML file or 1 you created yourself.

Note: The file can't be a local file on the server. Information technology must be at a location that is accessible to every computer in the domain.

Step 4: Verify your configuration

On your target computers (that is, the Active Directory domain-joined computers running Windows x), you can verify that the GPO you created has been practical, and that the reckoner is using Chrome equally the default browser.

The GPO is applied automatically when the policy is refreshed by the Windows Client, or y'all can run the GPUpdate.exe /strength command to strength a manual refresh at any fourth dimension.

Annotation: After the policy is downloaded and applied, the estimator must exist rebooted in guild for the policy to take outcome.

  1. On a Windows Client, go to Windows > System32. Correct-click rsop.msc and select run as administrator.
  2. Cosign with ambassador credentials and click Yeah.
  3. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer to ostend that Set a default associations configuration file is available.

  4. Open the Set a default associations configuration file to ostend that the setting is enabled and that the XML file location is correct.

  5. When Chrome is set as the default browser, then all files with htm and html extensions use the Chrome icon.

Related topics

More details from Microsoft TechNet:

  • Generate default application associations files
  • Use a group policy to set the default browser

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