Chrome updates itself in the background -- and has done so since it debuted nearly nine years ago -- which is why it's been one of the world's most popular browsers for more than a year now. (If you haven't actually installed Chrome yet, you can download it for free from Google here.)
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Since its debut, it has gradually convinced first individuals and then enterprises that it is the best replacement for Microsoft's once-leading Internet Explorer.
Despite its popularity, Google's browser has not been without its critics. Among the sticking points has been Chrome's automatic updating mechanism, which some decried for force-feeding unwanted changes, or for delivering those changes at speeds too quickly for customers to absorb.
We've dug into Chrome's updates, from their frequency and schedule to how to manage them as an individual or as an IT professional. Here's what we found.
Automatic updates, or manual trigger
Because Chrome does updates automatically, most users need do nothing but relaunch the browser once in a while to stay current.
The browser periodically checks for updates; Google's own documentation, which is often left long out of date on the firm's site, says in one place it does so every 23 hours and 20 minutes. When Chrome does detect an available update, it downloads the new code and preps it for installation, although that latter step doesn't begin until the user starts or restarts the browser.
But not every copy of Chrome receives an update as soon as Google issues one. Instead, the company spreads out the distribution over days, or sometimes even weeks.
To manually trigger an update -- to get the security fixes pronto when news of active attacks circulate, say -- users simply select 'About Google Chrome' from the Help menu under the vertical ellipsis at the upper right. The ensuing page either reports 'Google Chrome is up to date' or displays the updating process before presenting a 'Relaunch' button.
How to know when Google will next update Chrome
Google issues a new version of Chrome approximately every six weeks, although so far this year the average time between releases has been 47 days, or closer to seven weeks.
The company does not keep to a set schedule -- as does, for example, Mozilla with its Firefox -- nor does Google do much to trumpet each release. Officially, Google recommends that users frequent this blog to track just-issued updates, including the security-only fixes that pop up at irregular intervals between each polished edition's arrival.
Unofficially, users can view Chrome's estimated release schedule here, to get an idea of when the next version will be distributed. 'These dates are subject to change without advance notice and provided here only for rough planning purposes,' Google's Chromium team states there.
Chrome 59 should update to Chrome 60 shortly, during the week of July 23-29. Future updates in 2017 should appear the weeks of Sept. 3-9, Oct. 15-21, and Dec. 3-9.
For the individual: How to disrupt Chrome updates
Although there have been numerous Internet-posted instruction sets that purport to show individuals how to shut down Chrome's automatic updates, those efforts are mostly misguided, and in some cases, ultimately futile.
They're misguided because the goal of all auto-updating is a sterling one: More secure browsing and a lessened chance of malware hijacking the application and planting itself on a PC. Removing the responsibility for updates, particularly security updates, from the user has been a decades-long theme in software for a good reason, as it results in a higher percentage of up-to-date devices. (This spring's WannaCry attacks starkly illustrated the differences between quickly-patched and unpatched Windows systems.)
They're futile because Chrome's updating mechanism cannot be permanently switched off without the business infrastructure of Active Directory. 'To prevent abuse of this policy, if a device is not joined to an Active Directory domain, and if this policy has been set to 0 or to a value greater than 77 hours, this setting will not be honored and replaced by 77 hours after August 2014,' a Chrome support document reads, referring to a group policy that allows enterprise IT staffers to disable the feature.
In plainer English, that means attempts to turn off auto updates, including by setting a Windows Registry key -- a cornerstone of many of the techniques available on the web -- will fail as the time between update checks reverts to 77 hours, or about 3.2 days.
Individuals can disrupt automatic updates on Windows PCs, however, by nixing the executable the browser relies on for its connection to Google's servers. The simplest way is to locate the file GoogleUpdate.exe -- it should be in the folder C:Program Files (x86)GoogleUpdate -- and rename it. Any new name will do, say, GoogleUpdate_disabled.exe.
After restarting Chrome, any attempt, whether automatic on the part of the browser or manual by the user, will fail.
To later update Chrome, the executable's name must be restored to GoogleUpdate.exe.
For IT: How to manage Chrome updates
Centrally-managed copies of Chrome do not update from a central location or console controlled by IT (as do, for example, Windows and its Internet Explorer (IE) and Edge browsers in most organizations). Instead, they are, like Chrome run by individuals, updated at Google's inclination and timetable.
But Chrome does support a number of Windows group policies that can be managed -- as are, probably, hosts of others -- by IT. They include policies for shutting down the automatic updates and for lengthening the time between update checks.
Google provides the necessary tools as part of an 'enterprise bundle' it rolled out in late May. Those tools include templates for applying group policies to Chrome -- in both .adm and the newer .admx formats -- that administrators may use to manage individual system's Chrome browsers, or the entire company's fleet.
Among the policies are those that let admins disable all updates, barring automatic and manual updates from occurring; and override the default time between update checks, shortening them to as little as an hour or extending them to as much as 30 days.
Because Chrome management relies on group policies, Active Directory is required.
Where to obtain .msi packages for Chrome
After turning off Google's updates, IT must distribute its own -- on its schedule -- using a .msi installation package. That package can be deployed with the organization's standard deployment tools, including Microsoft's own SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager).
The .msi installation packages for the current version of Chrome for Windows are available from Google's website.
More information about Chrome updates
The Chrome Deployment Guide will be of great help to enterprise admins responsible for managing the browser. The guide can be downloaded from Google's site.
Other references include the Chrome Help Center, the Chrome Help Forum and the Chrome for business and education Help Center.
Did you know?
Chrome subtly tells its user when an update is pending but has not yet been applied by coloring the vertical ellipsis icon in the upper right of the browser window.
Green: An update has been available for two days Orange: Update available for four days Red: Update has been available for seven or more days
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Google Chrome gives you many options for personalizing your Web browsing experience, such as productivity extensions and offline Gmail support. One customization feature it lacks, though, is a custom installation directory. By default, Chrome installs into your user account's AppData folder, and the installation routine doesn't let you change the directory. While technically, Chrome will always install to this default folder, you can alter that folder so Chrome will actually install its data to another location. This can be especially helpful if you have limited space on your C: drive and need to conserve what you have left.
Setup
1.Log in to an administrator account on your computer if you installed Google Chrome as part of the Google Pack. Standard accounts don't have the necessary access privileges to uninstall Chrome if the Google Pack was installed for all user accounts. If you installed Google Chrome only, administrative privileges shouldn't matter.
2.Download the Junction program by Mark Russinovich at Microsoft's TechNet website (see Resources). This program will allow you to create symbolic links in folders on your computer. Your computer treats these links like standard folders, but all data is actually directed to another location. This means that while Chrome does install to its default folder, all its data actually resides in another location.
3.Copy the Junction.exe file within the ZIP folder to the directory C:Windowssystem32. You can delete it after you finish installing Chrome if you want.
4.Uninstall Google Chrome if it's still on your computer. You cannot change an existing Chrome installation directory.
Symbolic Links
1.Locate the Chrome installation folder by clicking the 'Start' button and typing '%LocalAppData%Google' without quotation marks. ('%LocalAppData%' is an environmental variable that opens your user account's 'AppDataLocal' folder.')
3.Navigate in a new Windows Explorer window to the directory where you want to install Chrome, while still leaving the old Google installation directory window open. You can use any local directory you want, even one on a different hard drive.
4.
Create a new Chrome folder in this directory. You can use any folder name you want, but the simplest approach is to use 'Chrome.'
5.Open the Command Prompt. You can do this by clicking the 'Start' button and typing 'cmd' and then pressing 'Enter.' Here you can issue commands to the Junction.exe file you installed simply by typing 'junction' (with no quotation marks) followed by a space.
6.Type 'junction' and then a space; then, in quotation marks, type the original directory of the first installation folder. (You can type it in full or use the '%LocalAppData%' environmental variable.) Junction will create a symbolic link at that location. On the same line, type another space and then, also in quotation marks, type the new installation directory to the folder you created a few moments ago. For example, if you're creating a symbolic link to a folder named Google on your D: drive, this is what you would type (without the final period): junction '%LocalAppData%GoogleChrome' 'D:GoogleChrome'. If you used a different folder name than Chrome for the new installation directory, type that instead of 'Chrome' in the second directory. Now press 'Enter.' You'll see confirmation of the action Junction took in the Command Prompt, and if you look in the old installation directory, you'll see a new folder named Chrome.
7.Check to make sure the Chrome symbolic link works properly. You can double-click it in the original Google installation directory, and if you created the link correctly, you'll be taken to the new installation directory automatically. (You can see the directory near the top of the window.) If you made a mistake, look in the Command Prompt to see if an error code is listed there below the command you typed; then carefully type the entire 'Junction' command in the Command Prompt again, making sure the line is free of errors.
8.Type 'exit' (without quotation marks) and press 'Enter' in the Command Prompt to close it.
9.Download and install Chrome normally (see Resources). Because of the symbolic link you created, the data will install to the new directory you specified. You can check this by right-clicking on the original Google installation folder and selecting 'Properties.' The data size for the Google folder will not reflect the 'Chrome' program data (though it will reflect the program data for other Google products, if you have them installed).
Tips
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- If you ever decide you want to get rid of the symbolic links and install Chrome normally, you should uninstall Chrome and restart your computer. Then you can remove the symbolic link in the Command Prompt by typing this (without the final period): junction -d '%LocalAppData%GoogleChrome'. If you reinstall Chrome, it will install to its default directory.
- You can keep all of your custom extensions and bookmarks if you sign in to your Google account in Google Chrome. To sign in, click on the wrench icon in the top-right corner of the Chrome window and select 'Sign in to Chrome.' You'll then have an option to turn on synchronization. After you reinstall Chrome, you can sign into your Google account again, and the browser will sync itself to your previous customizations.
Warning
- If you create the new installation directory in a location that could be moved, renamed or deleted, such as an external hard drive, Chrome will not work if that directory becomes unavailable.
Resources (3)
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About the Author
A lover of technology in all forms, Matt Skaggs began writing professionally in 2010, specializing in Windows computers and Android devices. His writing has appeared on many websites providing a plethora of technology information and tutorials. In 2008 Skaggs graduated from Bob Jones University with a Bachelor of Arts in humanities.
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Skaggs, Matt. 'How to Change the Installation Path for Google Chrome.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-installation-path-google-chrome-42689.html. Accessed 21 August 2019.
Skaggs, Matt. (n.d.). How to Change the Installation Path for Google Chrome. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-installation-path-google-chrome-42689.html
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Skaggs, Matt. 'How to Change the Installation Path for Google Chrome' accessed August 21, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-installation-path-google-chrome-42689.html
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