One of the most robust and yet least understood areas of the Google Admin console is the Chrome settings. When we conduct Audits for K-12 schools, we often see ignored or misunderstood settings. The number of Chrome settings seems to be growing all the time, so let’s take a moment to talk about some of the key features.
In this article you'll learn about:
Chrome Updates - relaunch notification/force relaunch
Chrome Updates - relaunch notification/force relaunch
Devices > Chrome > Settings ~ Users & Browsers ~ Chrome updates ~ Relaunch notification
First on our list is the continuous challenge IT departments have with Chrome OS updates. Keeping Chromebooks up to date has required tech directors to implement update Fridays and string together Chrome settings to get Chromebooks to update. Even that doesn't always guarantee 100% of updates. Fortunately, there is a setting that can get you closer to that goal. The Relaunch notification setting allows you to force a relaunch when an update downloads. Relaunching a Chromebook after an update downloads is a crucial step in the update process and something schools could not control in the past. If an update downloads but the device never restarts, then the update doesn't go into effect. This scenario caused so many headaches for Admins over the years, but not anymore.
There are three options available for the Relaunch notification setting which can be set by OU:
- No relaunch notification
- Show notification recommending relaunch: This notifies users to update their devices, which is a gentle reminder.
- Force relaunch after a period: This is a more direct and controlled approach
This setting can be confusing regarding how it approaches a forced update, so let’s clarify the process. The Show notification and Force relaunch options have additional fields: Time period (hours) default is 196 hours, Initial quiet period default is 96 hours, Relaunch window start time, and relaunch window duration.
The time period is how long you give the user to restart their device. Once that time expires, the system steps in and takes action. This does not mean that if you set it to three hours that at the end of the three-hour period it will automatically restart. The actual forced restart time is around 2:00 – 4:00 AM when we tested this setting with our own Chromebooks. This is great because it won’t be a distraction or an inconvenience when the updates occur.
Blocked printer types
Devices > Chrome > Settings ~ Users & Browsers ~ Printing ~ Blocked printer types
Next up is a setting that you configure to stop unwanted printer types from being accessed by your users. There are printers called Zeroconf-based printers that broadcast themselves on local networks. Therefore, users can see and add these printers without having the printer assigned to them. Self-adding printers is a problem for some schools as students figure out how to manually add these printers and print to these printers unrestricted. If you want to restrict these printer types, click the checkbox to block this printer type.
You could also lock down other printer types to restrict printing altogether and allow for saving files on local drives only. The options are here all under the Blocked printer types setting. Check all necessary checkboxes.
Download location
Devices > Chrome > Settings ~ Users & Browsers ~ User Experience ~ Download Location
The last setting to discuss is Download location. Download location allows you to control where users can save their downloaded files. You can force users to use Google Drive or prompt users to decide where they should save downloaded files.
Options include:
- Set local Downloads folder as default, but allow user to change
- Set Google Drive as default, but allow user to change
- Force Google Drive
It is important that users who may not use the same device every day can access their files if they are saved to Google Drive. So, if you set it to Force Google Drive, you will ensure that users always save their files to a place that is easy enough to access.
We can’t describe every Chrome setting in this article, but if you or someone on your team would like to learn more about the vital Chrome settings, we have the course for you. Our CDW Amplified Admin Chrome Specialist course (with prerequisites of Amplified Admin Level 1 and 2) dives deeper into the Chrome settings for users and devices. It’s a great way to level your knowledge with your team and become an expert on Chrome setting configurations and device management.
| Document Version | Date | Description of Change |
| 1.0 | 2/23/2024 | Removed tag with underlines, added correct tag, removed former employee author |
| 1.1 | 3/18/2024 | Updated course name to include CDW with Amplified |
| 1.2 | 7/11/2024 | Text update, image replacement, reverified. |