Google Chrome - Roaming User Data (Bookmarks etc)

[Davida1992]

Hi all, I hope I am posting this in the correct place..

 

We are currently prepping for Windows 10 and we are nearly ready to start deploying to our first bunch of staff. We have previously had complaints that Google chrome does not roam with the users from PC to PC. It seems to store all data in AppData/Local.

 

I have read multiple things online, but nothing much seems to make any read sense and I am having issues getting it to roam correctly. Has anyone managed to successfully achieve roaming data with Google Chrome? Bookmarks are the most important as we already lock down addons, home pages etc etc.

 

We are using folder redirection if that helps with anything.

 

Thanks

[Patrick]

Hi,

 

there's a GPO for that. Settings as follows:

 

 

We use local profiles so we just point chrome to a directory and allow it to create a profile for each member of staff. It then picks this profile up when logged onto any machine.

Edited June 5, 2018 by Patrick

[Rob_D]

We're testing the Chrome Roaming stuff here. So far it seems to work fine. Just need to check it doesn't get too big before we push it out to all the staff.

[Davida1992]

Hi,

 

there's a GPO for that. Settings as follows:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]49207[/ATTACH]

 

We use local profiles so we just point chrome to a directory and allow it to create a profile for each member of staff. It then picks this profile up when logged onto any machine.

 

I am sure we tried this in the past but could never get it working. We have multiple shares with staff/student home areas, so is there anyway to specify this? For example %homearea%\Chrome?

 

I tried something similar to the above, I cannot remember the exact syntax but it didnt seem to work

[jtotheb]

I am sure we tried this in the past but could never get it working. We have multiple shares with staff/student home areas, so is there anyway to specify this? For example %homearea%\Chrome?

 

${documents}\Google\Chrome

 

or just ${documents}\Chrome if you fancied.

Edited June 5, 2018 by jtotheb

[Rob_D]

All the varables you can use are listed here: https://www.chromium.org/administrators/policy-list-3/user-data-directory-variables

 

It looks like ${documents} would do what you want.

[AJWhite1970]

We do this and it works fine BUT....

 

Chrome does not play nice if the same user is logged in twice and both sessions have Chrome open. Only the first PC will open Chrome, the second can't as the profile files are locked. My users have got used to it.

 

Or I've really screwed something up somewhere

 

One of the two

[jtotheb]

We do this and it works fine BUT....

 

Chrome does not play nice if the same user is logged in twice and both sessions have Chrome open. Only the first PC will open Chrome, the second can't as the profile files are locked. My users have got used to it.

 

It also tends to bork if there are different versions of Chrome across the network and you use an older version after using a newer one.

[Rob_D]

We do this and it works fine BUT....

Chrome does not play nice if the same user is logged in twice and both sessions have Chrome open. Only the first PC will open Chrome, the second can't as the profile files are locked. My users have got used to it.

Or I've really screwed something up somewhere

One of the two

Is that using the profile roaming settings or, just redirecting the chrome profile to a share?

[AJWhite1970]

Is that using the profile roaming settings or, just redirecting the chrome profile to a share?

 

Redirecting the chrome profile to the users homedrive

 

"c:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --disable-logging --disable-ipv6 --proxy-pac-url="http://10.4.4.23/proxy.pac" --user-data-dir="r:\Chrome\User Data"

[TechMonkey]

I haven't got the exact settings, I will dig them up tomorrow, but I saw recently Google created a way to sync the profile to allow multiple logins. It was something like a setting to set where the profile was set and then a setting to set up roaming copies.

 

Ah, found the Edugeek thread about it.

[Rob_D]

Redirecting the chrome profile to the users homedrive

"c:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --disable-logging --disable-ipv6 --proxy-pac-url="http://10.4.4.23/proxy.pac" --user-data-dir="r:\Chrome\User Data"

 

Yeah, we tried that before and it was rather problematic. The newer "Roaming Profile" settings seem much more reliable. (so far anyway)

https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7349337?hl=en

[KK20]

Just a note to the above. Setting the USERDATA folder needs a location that cannot be simultaneously editted if you are logging onto multiple locations (so dont use a network folder or redirected documents), it is also sensitve to versions i.e. if you open a "newer" profile on older chrome (say if a PC hasnt updated for whatever reason) then expect the userdata to bork. Using the ROAMING PROFILE seems to only take effect the during logging in and the file does not seem to lock (so can be stored in redirected documents). Older versions do not seem to bork the roaming profile.

 

Im guessing that the roaming option simply merges the data with "whatever" is already available (if anything). Obviously "last person loggin out" will write to the file. ${documents} didnt seem to like our "redirected" documents. I used the full path with ${user_name} instead - this worked.

Edited August 6, 2018 by KK20

[free780]

The best way would be to use software see gsuite accounts. But takes a lot of work.

[enjay]

Our users log in to Chrome, which syncs bookmarks etc. They need to do this for each PC they use, but generally staff only use at most three or four PCs so it isn't a huge hassle.

[free780]

I meant sync bookmarks with gsuite accounts. Phones and autocorrect.

[UnknownStuntman]

Has anyone managed to redirect user data to anywhere other than a network share?

Have this working going to a folder in users documents but getting complaints that they can now only open one instance of Chrome per logon, i have told them just to close Chrome or logoff when leaving an office to go to classroom but am meeting resistance from some forgetful users.

As such i have tried to redirect to a folder within their local "roaming" profile so the computer instance will be on the local drive but when logging off will be synced to their profile (I know could lose some setting being logged on in two places but anything for a quiet life)

This is taking effect but when opening chrome is erroring saying it can't read or write to its data directory. looked at all permissions but still no luck.

If not will just have to get them better trained, or go back to no saved bookmarks etc.

Edited September 17, 2018 by UnknownStuntman

[mavhc]

Just enabling roaming profiles without specifying a path should work according to https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7349337?hl=en

[Arthur]

Has anyone managed to redirect user data to anywhere other than a network share?

I also do what @mavhc mentioned above, but have UE-V sync Chrome's local roaming user data folder to the network since we use local Windows profiles (as opposed to mandatory or roaming).

 

Google Chrome
Google-Chrome
1

	IT


	
		chrome.exe
	


	
		
			APPDATA
		
		Google\Chrome\User Data
	

Edited September 17, 2018 by Arthur

[UnknownStuntman]

WHY!!!!!

Enabling roaming profiles has never worked before, now working perfectly!

Had originally tried that but wasn't working so that's why was using the redirect to begin with.

I blame Microsoft, If Edge was any good we wouldn't be using Chrome in the first place.

 

Thanks for that.

[AJWhite1970]

Could you put up what Chrome GPO settings you are using? Been having real issues with roaming Chrome since v68 and it’s starting to drive me nuts....

 

Ta

[enjay]

Is it not better to train users to log in to Chrome? That way, they can have all their bookmarks and saved passwords at home, too.

[Rob_D]

Is it not better to train users to log in to Chrome? That way, they can have all their bookmarks and saved passwords at home, too.

Only if you have google accounts set up for all your users.

Also, the profile still has to go somewhere.

[mavhc]

Is it not better to train users to log in to Chrome? That way, they can have all their bookmarks and saved passwords at home, too.

 

And then the virus on their home computer can steal them

[enjay]

Only if you have google accounts set up for all your users.

Also, the profile still has to go somewhere.

 

We do - we have Google Apps.

 

The profile saves onto the local machine, but that's fine because it is in sync with Google so doesn't matter than it might get trashed from the local machine.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

And then the virus on their home computer can steal them

 

Surely that virus could steal them anyway, whether the staff member types the password or whether Chrome auto-fills it...

 

And given the relative threat levels, I'd prefer to risk a virus getting their saved passwords than a student getting their planner with all their passwords written down in. Personally, I think the bigger threat to staff accounts in a school is internal not foreign.

Edited September 18, 2018 by enjay