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Google Chrome Homepage

  • March 2, 2017
  • 22 replies
  • 151 views
M
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Hello.

I've been tasked with forcing a homepage to stick within Google Chrome. I've seen many discussions, and many paths to try to manage this task. Unfortunately for me, none of them have worked. Many of these paths have taken me to places I'm not familiar with, so there has been a lot of learning needed.

This is what I've tried:
Managed Preferences : (MCX?) - https://www.k12techsystems.com/2014/11/using-managed-preferences-mcx-to-block-or-uninstall-chrome-extensions/
https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/12520/chrome-managed-preferences

Changing Google Chrome Manifest - http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-templates

Chrome Policy - http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3 I'm actually not sure how this is implemented.

Configuration Profiles - These don't seem to apply to Chrome.

This page looked like it would be the most helpful, but nothing I tried worked. https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/9868/chrome-homepage

The most promising thing I've done is use a Snapshot using Composer, but it isn't a method I'd prefer, and I'm hoping to be able to lock the end user from changing the settings.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Mark

    22 replies

    S
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    • StoneMagnet
    • Contributor
    • March 2, 2017

    @mhinsz A macOS Configuration Profile that contains a Custom Settings payload works well for us.

    The settings for that payload are:

    Preference Domain for the payload is com.google.Chrome

    Ccontents of the Property List File is {RestoreOnStartup=4, HomepageLocation=http://your.homepage.address.com, IncognitoModeAvailability=1, RestoreOnStartupURLs=[http://your.homepage.address.com], HomepageIsNewTabPage=false, DefaultBrowserSettingEnabled=false, ShowHomeButton=true}

    M
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    • mhinsz
    • Author
    • Contributor
    • March 2, 2017

    This must be where I've made the mistake. I'm not sure about the formatting of the .plist I upload. Would you be able to display how the file looks before it is uploaded?

    Thanks @StoneMagnet

    daz_wallace
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    • daz_wallace
    • Contributor
    • March 2, 2017

    Hi @mhinsz I've got some blog posts that might help you out:

    How to stop first run messages in Google Chrome
    Chrome first run messages revisited – with added profiles

    Hopefully that'll help you out : )

    Darren

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    • StoneMagnet
    • Contributor
    • March 2, 2017

    @mhinsz Here's the source for the com.google.Chrome.plist:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>DefaultBrowserSettingEnabled</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageIsNewTabPage</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageLocation</key>
    <string>http://your.home.page.com</string>
    <key>RestoreOnStartupURLs</key>
    <array>
        <string>http://your.home.page.com</string>
    </array>
    <key>RestoreOnStartup</key>
    <integer>4</integer>
    <key>ShowHomeButton</key>
    <true/>
    <key>IncognitoModeAvailability</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>
    D
    M
    sbiondio4
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    • mhinsz
    • Author
    • Contributor
    • March 2, 2017

    Got it!

    Many Thanks. I was missing the indent between <array> <string>http://your.home.page.com</string>

    M
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    • Mikep62
    • New Contributor
    • November 2, 2017

    Thanks to @StoneMagnet from me too! Yes this has made a really easy job of setting a default homepage for Google Chrome, the source is perfect. Older scripts/methods i.e. MCX I tried seemed to have stopped working. This works on GC 62.0.3202.75 and OSX 10.12.6 via a Custom Settings Payload

    J
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    • jamfnc
    • Contributor
    • November 13, 2017

    Thanks to Stonemagnet. It is working great on 10.13......

    N
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    • nojorge
    • New Contributor
    • December 11, 2017

    Thank you for posting this information - this worked very well for me in setting a Chrome homepage for our users.

    Where is this plist file stored? When I go to userlibrarypreferencescom.google.Chrome.plist, the file doesn't contain the settings entered in JAMF, even though they seem to have taken affect.

    Also, can this .plist file be modified further to prevent the startup messages and tabs that people see when first opening Chrome? I thought I might configure Chrome the way I want on a machine, and then look at the .plist file in order to determine how to push out settings to that effect. But the file in userlibrarypreferencescom.google.Chrome.plist doesn't contain anything other than a couple lines of text referencing Keychain.

    C
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    • cdinsight
    • New Contributor
    • May 30, 2018

    Hi everyone,

    This worked on the latest build of Chrome. Variable available at:
    http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#HomepageLocation

    Plist settings:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
    <plist version="1.0">
    <dict> <key>HomepageIsNewTabPage</key> <false/> <key>HomepageLocation</key> <string>inside.insight.com</string> <key>RestoreOnStartup</key> <integer>4</integer> <key>RestoreOnStartupURLs</key> <array> <string>inside.insight.com</string> </array> <key>ShowHomeButton</key> <true/>
    </dict>
    </plist>

    S
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    @StoneMagnet Does this still work
    Can you please help me with the steps to setup this

    N
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    • NYBGIT
    • Contributor
    • May 15, 2019

    @SeetendraPanda https://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3 - policies that can be set in plist for chrome.
    https://cloud.google.com/chrome-enterprise/browser/download/ - Download Plist from Windows bundle

    S
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    Hi @kroberts1 Thanks a lot for your help.
    I will check these link and get back you in case i need help

    mhasman
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    • mhasman
    • Valued Contributor
    • November 25, 2019

    What key is responsible for Passwords - Auto Sigh-in, please?

    B
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    • BoscoATX
    • Contributor
    • December 3, 2019

    @mhasman http://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3#PasswordManagerEnabled

    mhasman
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    • mhasman
    • Valued Contributor
    • December 3, 2019

    @BoscoATX Thank you Arthur! Actually, "PasswordManagerEnabled" is responsable for "Offer to save passwords", and I have it managed and disabled by config profile - see on my screenshot on top of yellow

    F
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    • Forbes_
    • New Contributor
    • December 4, 2019

    Thanks @StoneMagnet, Helped us solve this as well!

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    • supersizeal
    • Contributor
    • January 27, 2020

    How do I build a new plist?

    S
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    • supersizeal
    • Contributor
    • January 27, 2020

    I tried using this URL for the homepage String,https://brookline.follettdestiny.com/cataloging/servlet/presentadvancedsearchredirectorform.do?site=103&context=saas59_2017854

    Using this URL doesn't let me upload the plist but if I were to just use www.google.com it uploads fine.
    Anyone have issues uploading a longer url?

    G
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    • GabePPS
    • Esteemed Contributor
    • January 27, 2020

    Do these managed configuration profiles allow the user to set a different homepage after the initial setup?

    Gabe Shackney
    Princeton Public Schools

    GabePrinceton Public Schools
    A
    etarasula
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    • etarasula
    • Contributor
    • July 22, 2022

    Do these managed configuration profiles allow the user to set a different homepage after the initial setup?

    Gabe Shackney
    Princeton Public Schools


    NO they do NOT. 

    I'd love to know how to set initial home page but allow users overwrite it if they choose to. Anyone? :)

    dlondon
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    • dlondon
    • Honored Contributor
    • July 25, 2022

    NO they do NOT. 

    I'd love to know how to set initial home page but allow users overwrite it if they choose to. Anyone? :)


    To make settings (before the user has ever used Chrome) you can run this script.  These settings are used as a template when the user first uses Chrome, so can be changed by the user.

     

    #!/bin/bash # CreateGoogleChromeMasterPreferences.bash # Output Chrome Master Preferences to /Library/Google/Google Chrome Master Preferences # jbarnes 4/6/2015 # https://community.jamf.com/t5/jamf-pro/configuring-google-chrome/td-p/43923 # Modified/Updated David London 2022-03-23 # Documentation is here https://www.chromium.org/administrators/configuring-other-preferences/ # but at this date the file is not called master_preferences but is called "Google Chrome Master Preferences" (at least on Mac) if [ ! -d "/Library/Google" ] then mkdir "/Library/Google" fi ( sudo cat <<'EOD' { "homepage": "https://your.homepage.here", "homepage_is_newtabpage": false, "browser": { "show_home_button": true }, "session": { "restore_on_startup": 4, "startup_urls": [ "https://your.homepage.here" ] }, "bookmark_bar": { "show_on_all_tabs": true }, "sync_promo": { "show_on_first_run_allowed": false }, "distribution": { "import_bookmarks_from_file": "bookmarks.html", "import_bookmarks": false, "import_history": false, "import_home_page": false, "import_search_engine": true, "ping_delay": 60, "suppress_first_run_bubble": true, "do_not_create_desktop_shortcut": true, "do_not_create_quick_launch_shortcut": true, "do_not_launch_chrome": true, "do_not_register_for_update_launch": true, "make_chrome_default": false, "make_chrome_default_for_user": false, "suppress_first_run_default_browser_prompt": true, "system_level": true, "verbose_logging": true }, "first_run_tabs": [ "https://your.homepage.here" ] } EOD ) > "/Library/Google/Google Chrome Master Preferences"

     

    B
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    gpalomo
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    • shanr
    • New Contributor
    • July 3, 2023

    @mhinsz Here's the source for the com.google.Chrome.plist:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>DefaultBrowserSettingEnabled</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageIsNewTabPage</key>
    <false/>
    <key>HomepageLocation</key>
    <string>http://your.home.page.com</string>
    <key>RestoreOnStartupURLs</key>
    <array>
        <string>http://your.home.page.com</string>
    </array>
    <key>RestoreOnStartup</key>
    <integer>4</integer>
    <key>ShowHomeButton</key>
    <true/>
    <key>IncognitoModeAvailability</key>
    <integer>1</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

    Hi @StoneMagnet 

    I'm very new to jamf. im getting below error when using the above scripts for setting homepage. appreciate your help.

    Script result: /Library/Application Support/JAMF/tmp/Browser HomePage for MAC: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `newline'
    /Library/Application Support/JAMF/tmp/Browser HomePage for MAC: line 1: `<xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8">'

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