Typically Chrome users install extensions by visiting an extension's listing in the Chrome Web Store and installing the extension directly from that page. In some cases, though, other installation flows may be more appropriate. For example:
- An extension is associated with some other software, and the extension should be installed whenever the user installs that other software.
- A network administrator wants to install the same extensions throughout their organization.
For the previous cases, Google Chrome supports the following extension installation methods:
- Using a preferences JSON file (for macOS X and Linux only)
- Using the Windows registry (for Windows only)
Both ways support installing an extension hosted at an update_URL. On Windows and macOS, the
update_URL must point to the Chrome Web Store. When an extension is installed using these methods,
Windows and macOS users will have to enable the extension using the following confirmation dialog: