How to Silently Install and Activate Chrome Extension on Windows Devices Using Active Directory (2/2)

Getting Started

Configuring Registry Items

Using Administrative Templates

Setting the Registry Using a Script

Getting Started

Please complete the registry settings for silent activation beforehand.
[Silent Activation] AD → Windows Chrome / Edge

There are various ways to configure the registry. If you already have a method in place to force (automatically) install any browser extensions, please use that same method.
Installing a device management tool agent (e.g., SKYSEA Client View) may add entries to the registry, but using administrative templates might overwrite those registry entries.
Please check the current status of the following registry paths beforehand:
HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist 
HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist 
HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallForcelist 
HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallForcelist 

The typical configuration methods are described below.

• If you know which extensions are configured: Configuring Registry Items
• If you already have configurations using administrative templates: Using Administrative Templates
• If you do not know which extensions are configured: Setting the Registry Using a Script

Configuring Registry Items

1. Right-click "Group Policy Objects" and select "New".
   
   
2. Enter a name and click "OK".
   
   
3. Right-click the saved Group Policy and select "Edit".
   
   
4. The "Group Policy Management Editor" window will open.
   Go to "Computer Configuration" > "Preferences" > "Windows Settings" > "Registry", right-click, and select "New" > "Registry Item".
   
   
5. Configure the settings in the "New Registry Properties" window as follows. Once configured, click "OK".
   
   Action: Update
   Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   Key Path: SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist 
   Value name: Any single-byte number (a number that does not conflict with other extensions)
   Value type: REG_SZ
   Value data: moaklgcgokbgplldonjkoochhlefkbjf;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx
   
   
6. Link the Group Policy to the domain or OU. (The target is the computer object)
   Right-click the target domain or OU and select "Link an Existing GPO...".
   
   
7. Select the created Group Policy and click "OK".

Using Administrative Templates

Setting the Registry Using a Script

1. Save the following script as a .ps1 file with a name of your choice (if saving with Notepad, UTF-8 with BOM is recommended).
   *This script configures settings for both Chrome and Edge browsers.
   *Edit as necessary.
   This script will only leave a log file in the specified path if an error occurs.

   <#
   .SYNOPSIS
       Browser Extension Force Install Configuration Script
   
   .DESCRIPTION
       Adds entries to the ExtensionInstallForcelist for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
       Supports execution with SYSTEM privileges, such as SKYSEA or AD startup scripts.
   
   .NOTES
       Describe the extension information you want to register in $ExtensionList in the settings area.
   #>
   
   #Requires -Version 5.1
   #Requires -RunAsAdministrator
   
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   # [Settings Area] Extensions to install and log settings
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   
   # Log file path
   $LogFilePath = "C:\Windows\Temp\BrowserExtensionInstall.log"
   
   # List of target browsers and extension settings
   # Format: "ExtensionID;UpdateURL"
   # *Please replace the ID and URL according to your usage.
   $TargetExtensions = @(
       @{
           Name    = "Google Chrome"
           RegPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist"
           # Example below: Josys ID
           Value   = "moaklgcgokbgplldonjkoochhlefkbjf;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"
       },
       @{
           Name    = "Microsoft Edge"
           RegPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallForcelist"
           # Example below: Josys ID
           Value   = "hjifncajikcdkhlofdjjlhcjoennmdfc;https://edge.microsoft.com/extensionwebstorebase/v1/crx"
       }
   )
   
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   # Initialization
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   $script:HasError = $false
   
   try {
       Start-Transcript -Path $LogFilePath -Append -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
   } catch {
       # Continue execution even if log start fails
   }
   
   Write-Host "--- Process Started: $(Get-Date) ---"
   Write-Host "Execution User: $env:USERNAME"
   
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   # Function Definition
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   function Set-BrowserExtension {
       param (
           [string]$BrowserName,
           [string]$RegistryPath,
           [string]$ExtensionData
       )
   
       Write-Host "`nChecking settings for [$BrowserName]..."
   
       try {
           # 1. Check and create path
           if (-not (Test-Path $RegistryPath)) {
               Write-Host "  [INFO] Registry key does not exist, creating: $RegistryPath"
               New-Item -Path $RegistryPath -Force -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null
           }
   
           # 2. Get existing values
           $existingProps = Get-ItemProperty -Path $RegistryPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
           $numericNames = @()
           $isDuplicate = $false
   
           if ($existingProps) {
               # Duplicate check (compare by value content)
               foreach ($prop in $existingProps.PSObject.Properties) {
                   if ($prop.Value -eq $ExtensionData) {
                       $isDuplicate = $true
                       Write-Host "  [SKIP] Already registered (Entry: $($prop.Name))"
                       break
                   }
               }
   
               # Get existing sequential numbers (extract numeric names only)
               $numericNames = $existingProps.PSObject.Properties.Name | Where-Object { $_ -match "^\d+$" } | ForEach-Object { [int]$_ } | Sort-Object
           }
   
           # 3. New registration
           if (-not $isDuplicate) {
               # Calculate Max Value + 1
               $nextNum = 1
               if ($numericNames.Count -gt 0) {
                   $nextNum = $numericNames[-1] + 1
               }
               $newValueName = $nextNum.ToString()
   
               Write-Host "  [ADD] Executing new registration: Name='$newValueName'"
               New-ItemProperty -Path $RegistryPath -Name $newValueName -Value $ExtensionData -PropertyType String -Force -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null
               Write-Host "  [SUCCESS] Registration completed"
           }
   
       } catch {
           Write-Error "  [ERROR] An error occurred while processing $BrowserName: $($_.Exception.Message)"
           $script:HasError = $true
       }
   }
   
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   # Main Process
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   
   foreach ($target in $TargetExtensions) {
       Set-BrowserExtension -BrowserName $target.Name -RegistryPath $target.RegPath -ExtensionData $target.Value
   }
   
   Write-Host "`n--- Process Ended: $(Get-Date) ---"
   Stop-Transcript
   
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   # Post-processing (Log deletion check and ExitCode)
   # -----------------------------------------------------------
   
   if ($script:HasError) {
       # If there is an error: Keep the log and return exit code 1 (Failure)
       Write-Warning "An error occurred during processing. Please check the log: $LogFilePath"
       exit 1
   } else {
       # If there is no error: Delete the log and return exit code 0 (Success)
       Remove-Item -Path $LogFilePath -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
       exit 0
   }
   

2. Configure the Group Policy so that the saved .ps1 file is executed as a startup script or similar.