How to Update Google Chrome

How to Update Google Chrome

Making sure that your Google Chrome browser is up to date is essential for your computer's security. You will also miss out on a lot of new features and usability improvements if you don't update. Chrome typically keeps itself up to date, but if you need to manually update Chrome, it will only take a minute or two.

Method1

Windows

1

Look at the Menu (☰) button. This is located in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window. If the bars are green, orange, or red, then an update is available.

2

Click the Menu button. This will open a list of Chrome menu options.

3

Select About Google Chrome. This is located towards the bottom, between Settingsand Help. A new tab will open in your Chrome window.

·         If you have a pending update that has been waiting for several days, you may see an "Update Google Chrome" option appear in this menu.

4

Wait for the update to install. Opening this page will automatically attempt to update Chrome. After the update is finished installing, click the Relaunch button to restart Chrome as the new version.

Troubleshooting

1.Chrome says "Updates are disabled by the administrator". This is caused by an error in your registry, and can be quickly fixed.

·         Press ⊞ Win+R and type regedit.

·         Use the folder tree on the left to navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update\

·         Double-click the "Update Default" item.

·         Change the "Value data" field to "1".

·         Restart Google Chrome.

Method2

OS X

1

Look at the Menu button. This is located in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window, and looks like three horizontal bars. If the bars are green, orange, or red, then an update is available.

2

Click the Menu button. This will open a list of Chrome menu options.

3

Select About Google Chrome. This is located towards the bottom, between Settingsand Help. A new tab will open in your Chrome window.

·         If you have a pending update that has been waiting for several days, you may see an Update Google Chrome option appear in this menu.

4

Wait for the update to install. Opening this page will automatically attempt to update Chrome. After the update is finished installing, click the Relaunch button to restart Chrome as the new version.

Troubleshooting

1

Check your error message. There are a few different ways that Chrome can fail during the update process on OS X. The most common error messages are "Update server not available" messages. This message often has a number attached to it, usually "10", "11", or "12".

2

Fix an error "10" or "11". This error is caused by Mac's updating software, Keystone, failing. To fix it you will need to enter commands in the Terminal.

·         Close Chrome.

·         Open the Terminal. This is located in the Utilities subfolder in your Applications folder.

·         Enter the following command:~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftware
Update.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftware
UpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py --uninstall

·         Enter the following command: sudo /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftware
Update.bundle/Contents/Resources/GoogleSoftware
UpdateAgent.app/Contents/Resources/install.py --uninstall

·         Download the "Google Software Update" installer. This can be found on the Google Chrome help page entitled "Can't update Google Chrome on a Mac". The file is a DMG package.

·         Open the downloaded DMG file. Run the installer inside.

·         Restart Chrome.

3

Fix an error "12". This is another Keystone problem. It can usually be fixed by clearing the Keystone cache. If these steps don't work, follow the previous steps for fixing a "10" or "11".

·         Click Go → Go to Folder → ~/Library/Caches in your Finder menu

·         Find and delete "com.google.Keystone"

·         Find and delete "com.google.UpdateEngine"

·         Relaunch Chrome and attempt to update.

Method3

Mobile (Android and iOS)

1

Open your app store. Open the App Store on your iOS device or the Google Play Store on your Android Device.

2

Navigate to your Update section. In the iOS App Store, click the Updates button at the bottom of the screen. On the Google Play Store, tap the Menu button, then tap My Apps.

3

Find Chrome on the list. If an update is available, Chrome will appear on your Update list (iOS) or the Update section of your My Apps list (Android).

4

Manually start the update. Your store app will typically keep the apps updated automatically, but you can manually start the update by selecting Chrome and tapping Install or Update. You may have to accept permissions if the update changed them.

5

Relaunch Chrome. Once the update has finished downloading and installing, relaunch Chrome to start using the new version.

Method4

Reinstalling Chrome if Updates Don't Work

1

Click the Chrome Menu (☰) button. Select Settings and ensure that you are logged in with your Google account.

·         If you are having difficulties installing an update, your installation may have become corrupt. The easiest way to fix this problem is to uninstall and reinstall Chrome. If your Google account was synced to Chrome, you won't lose any of your settings.^[2]

·         Reinstalling Chrome will install the latest version available.

2

Close any open Chrome windows.

3

Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.

·         If you are using OS X, click and drag the Google Chrome icon from your Applications folder into your Trash.

4

Click "Programs and Features" or "Uninstall a program".

5

Select Google Chrome from the list and click .Uninstall.

6

Visit the Chrome website. Enter google.com/chrome/browser/ into your browser and click the "Download Chrome" button. Follow the prompts to reinstall Chrome.