Windows - Software - Remove and Re-Install Google Chrome

What the Chrome reinstall Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ performs a clean-slate reinstall of Google Chrome on Windows endpoints. The Worklet stops chrome.exe, GoogleUpdate.exe, and the Google Crash Handler processes, halts and disables the gupdate, gupdatem, and GoogleChromeElevationService services, and removes the Google Update scheduled tasks (\GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA and \GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore) before any uninstall logic runs. This sequence prevents the file-in-use and service-busy errors that block manual repair attempts.

The Worklet then enumerates the Chrome uninstall entries in HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall and HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. MSI installs are removed with msiexec.exe /x <ProductCode> /qn /norestart. EXE installs are removed by invoking the recorded UninstallString with --uninstall, --multi-install, --system-level, and --force-uninstall flags. After the registered uninstaller returns, the Worklet deletes any leftover Chrome folders under %ProgramFiles%\Google, %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Google, and %ProgramData%\Google, and clears Chrome registry roots, policy keys, and stale uninstall entries from HKLM, HKCU, and Wow6432Node.

This is a full nuke. The Worklet enumerates every user folder under C:\Users (excluding Default, Public, Default User, and All Users) and removes AppData\Local\Google\Chrome and AppData\Roaming\Google\Chrome for each user. Bookmarks, saved passwords, browsing history, extensions, signed-in account state, and Chrome Enterprise policies under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome are wiped along with the install. Once removal completes, the Worklet downloads the latest Chrome MSI from the Automox content cache for the endpoint's CPU architecture (x86, x64, or ARM64) and installs it silently with msiexec.exe /i /qn /norestart.

Why reinstall Chrome instead of pushing a normal update

A corrupted Chrome install does not respond to the normal patching cadence. Chrome's auto-updater silently fails when the MSI registration is broken, the Google Update services are disabled, or the install directory has been partially deleted by a previous cleanup script. Help desk tickets in this state show up as "Chrome will not open," "Chrome stuck on an old version," or "Chrome crashes on launch" – the kinds of tickets that an admin would normally handle by remoting into the endpoint and reinstalling by hand. This Worklet replaces that manual visit with a scripted teardown and MSI install that the Automox agent runs unattended.

FixNow makes this Worklet a one-click response to a help desk ticket. When a user reports a broken Chrome, a technician can trigger the repair on that specific endpoint from the Automox console the moment the ticket lands. Scoped policy runs handle the wider population: every endpoint in scope with Chrome installed is reset to a clean, current build, which is useful for fleets where prior cleanup scripts, abandoned policies, or partial uninstalls have left Chrome in an inconsistent state across hundreds of endpoints.

Plan for the user impact. The Worklet closes Chrome, deletes per-user profile data, and removes Chrome Enterprise policy keys. End users will sign back into Chrome after the reinstall, redownload extensions tied to their Google account, and lose any data that was only stored in the local profile (open tabs, locally saved passwords, local browsing history, and unsynced bookmarks). Run the Worklet during a maintenance window when the user impact is acceptable, or scope it to endpoints flagged by support as already broken.

How Chrome reinstall and repair works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet detects whether Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit. On 64-bit endpoints, it opens the native 64-bit registry view via [Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey]::OpenBaseKey to bypass Wow6432Node redirection, enumerates HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, and also enumerates HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for 32-bit installs. On 32-bit endpoints, it enumerates HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. Any uninstall entry whose DisplayName matches Google Chrome flags the endpoint for remediation (exit 2). Endpoints with no Chrome present exit 0 and are skipped.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet stops Chrome and Google Update services, kills chrome.exe and GoogleUpdate.exe processes, and removes the GoogleUpdateTaskMachineUA and GoogleUpdateTaskMachineCore scheduled tasks. It uninstalls every Chrome entry it finds in the HKLM and Wow6432Node uninstall hives using msiexec /x for MSI installs and the captured UninstallString for EXE installs. It deletes leftover Chrome folders under %ProgramFiles%, %ProgramFiles(x86)%, and %ProgramData%; clears Chrome and Chrome policy registry roots from HKLM, HKCU, and Wow6432Node; and removes AppData\Local\Google\Chrome and AppData\Roaming\Google\Chrome for every user under C:\Users. The Worklet then downloads the latest Chrome MSI for the endpoint's CPU architecture from the Automox content cache (api.automox.com/api/cache) into %ProgramData%\amagent\WorkletCache\<workletID>, runs msiexec.exe /i "<installer>.msi" /l*v "<log>" /qn /norestart, and verifies success by locating chrome.exe under %ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\. Exit codes 0, 3010, and 1641 are treated as success. Any other code is logged and the Worklet exits non-zero.

Chrome reinstall prerequisites

• Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016 and later (workstation or server) with the Automox agent installed and PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7 available

• Administrative context for the Automox agent (the default install meets this) so the Worklet can call msiexec, stop services, and modify HKLM uninstall keys

• Outbound HTTPS reach to api.automox.com so the remediation script can download the architecture-matched Chrome MSI from the Automox content cache

• At least 500 MB free on the system drive and in %ProgramData%\amagent\WorkletCache to stage the MSI and write the new Application\<version>\ directory during install

• Acceptance of the user impact: the Worklet closes Chrome, deletes per-user Chrome profile data for every local user, and removes Chrome Enterprise policy keys under HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome. Schedule outside active Chrome use and confirm that Group Policy or Chrome Browser Cloud Management will reapply enterprise policies on the next refresh

• FixNow-enabled console access if you want to trigger this Worklet on a single endpoint in response to a help desk ticket; otherwise attach it to a scoped policy that targets endpoints with Chrome installed

Expected Chrome state after reinstall

After remediation completes, chrome.exe is present under %ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\<version>\ (or the 32-bit path on 32-bit Windows) and launches normally. HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall contains one active Chrome uninstall key with no orphan entries left over from the previous install. The Google Update services and scheduled tasks are reinstalled by the new Chrome MSI, so auto-updates resume on Chrome's normal schedule. Per-user profile directories under AppData\Local\Google\Chrome and AppData\Roaming\Google\Chrome are absent at this point; Chrome will recreate them on first launch when each user signs in again.

Validate the reinstall by running Get-Package -Name 'Google Chrome' from an elevated PowerShell prompt and confirming the Version field matches the latest stable build on the Chrome releases page. Launch chrome://version in the browser to confirm the executable path resolves under %ProgramFiles%\Google\Chrome\Application\. The Automox activity log records msiexec exit codes for both the uninstall and the install; 0, 3010, or 1641 on both calls is a clean reinstall. A rerun of the evaluation against the same endpoint will detect the freshly installed Chrome and flag it again, so attach this Worklet to a one-time policy or run it via FixNow rather than a recurring schedule.