Install Edge Chromium or Upgrade Old Edge to Chromium

What the Edge Chromium deployment Worklet does

This Automox Worklet™ automates deployment of Microsoft Edge Chromium on Windows endpoints. The Worklet detects whether Edge Chromium is already installed and, if not, downloads and installs the latest available version from Microsoft's enterprise update endpoint.

The legacy Edge browser reached end of life on March 9, 2021, making this Worklet critical for organizations modernizing their browser infrastructure. It supports both workstations and servers running Windows 10 v1909 or later, or Windows Server 2012 or later.

The Worklet offers flexible version control through configurable parameters. By default, it downloads the latest Stable version of Edge Chromium from the enterprise download channel. If your organization requires a specific version, you can set the $productVersion parameter to target that release.

Problems with legacy browser infrastructure

Legacy Edge reached end of life on March 9, 2021, leaving endpoints exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities. Organizations running outdated browsers face compliance failures, security audit findings, and increased risk from browser-based attacks that exploit known vulnerabilities.

Manual browser deployment consumes IT resources and creates inconsistent configurations across your endpoint fleet. Users experience compatibility issues with modern web applications, and support teams handle increased tickets related to browser problems.

Edge Chromium provides regular security updates from both Microsoft and the Chromium project, improved tracking prevention, and enhanced privacy controls. Automating deployment through this Worklet standardizes your browser environment and reduces manual installation efforts across your entire organization.

How Edge Chromium deployment works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet checks the Windows version and build number (Windows 10 v1909 or Server 2012+), verifies PowerShell 3.0 or higher is available on servers, and confirms Edge Chromium is not already installed by querying the registry at HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet establishes TLS connectivity to Microsoft's enterprise update endpoint (https://edgeupdates.microsoft.com/api/products), queries available Edge Chromium releases in the specified channel, downloads the appropriate 64-bit Windows MSI installer to %Windir%\Temp, executes the MSI with msiexec in quiet mode without restart, waits 60 seconds for installation completion, and verifies installation success by checking the registry again before cleanup

Edge Chromium deployment requirements

• Windows 10 version 1909 (build 18363) or later on workstations

• Windows Server 2012 or later on server endpoints

• PowerShell 3.0 or higher (built into modern Windows versions)

• Internet connectivity to https://edgeupdates.microsoft.com for downloading installer files

• TLS 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2 support on the endpoint for secure downloads

• Approximately 200 MB free disk space in %Windir%\Temp for MSI download and extraction

• Administrator or local system privileges to install software and modify registry

• Optional: Set $channel to 'Dev', 'Beta', or 'Stable' (default is Stable) to target release channels

• Optional: Set $productVersion parameter to lock a specific Edge Chromium version; leave empty for latest release

Edge Chromium deployment outcomes

After completion, Edge Chromium is installed and registered in the Windows uninstall registry. Users see Edge Chromium in the Start menu and can launch it immediately. The browser automatically configures itself with Microsoft and Windows settings on first launch.

The Worklet creates detailed installation logs documenting which version was downloaded, network requests made to Microsoft's update endpoint, and confirmation of successful installation. Legacy Edge, if present before remediation, remains untouched and can be removed separately. You manage browser policies and extensions through Group Policy or Intune independently from this deployment.

How to validate install edge chromium or upgrade old edge to chromium changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Windows endpoint and review evaluation output for install edge chromium or upgrade old edge to chromium.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as Get-ItemProperty, Where-Object, Get-CimInstance.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as Invoke-WebRequest, Where-Object, Out-Null, then rerun evaluation for compliance.

Expected state after install edge chromium or upgrade old edge to chromium changes

After remediation, endpoints reflect the target install edge chromium or upgrade old edge to chromium configuration and report compliant status in Automox.

You can confirm results by correlating activity logs with evaluation checks (Get-ItemProperty, Where-Object, Get-CimInstance) and remediation actions (Invoke-WebRequest, Where-Object, Out-Null).