Configure list of force-installed Web Apps

What it does

Setting the policy specifies a list of web apps that install silently, without user interaction, and which users can't uninstall or turn off. Each list item of the policy is an object with a mandatory member: url (the URL of the web app to install) and 6 optional members: - default_launch_container (for how the web app opens—a new tab is the default) - create_desktop_shortcut (True if you want to create Linux and Microsoft® Windows® desktop shortcuts). - fallback_app_name (Starting with Brave version 90, allows you to override the app name if it is not a Progressive Web App (PWA), or the app name that is temporarily installed if it is a PWA but authentication is required before the installation can be completed. If both custom_name and fallback_app_name are provided, the latter will be ignored.) - custom_name (Starting with Google Chrome OS version 99, and version 112 on all other desktop operating systems, allows you to permanently override the app name for all web apps and PWAs.) - custom_icon (Starting with Google Chrome OS version 99, and version 112 on all other desktop operating systems, allows you to override the app icon of installed apps. The icons have to be square, maximal 1 MB in size, and in one of the following formats: jpeg, png, gif, webp, ico. The hash value has to be the SHA256 hash of the icon file. The url should be accessible without authentication to ensure the icon can be used upon app installation.) - install_as_shortcut (Starting with Brave version 107). If enabled the given url will be installed as a shortcut, as if done via the "Create Shortcut..." option in the desktop browser GUI. Note that when installed as a shortcut it won't be updated if the manifest in url changes. If disabled or unset, the web app at the given url will be installed normally. See PinnedLauncherApps for pinning apps to the Google Chrome OS shelf. See https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/?policy=WebAppInstallForceList for more information about schema and formatting. Example value: [ { "create_desktop_shortcut": true, "default_launch_container": "window", "url": "https://www.google.com/maps" }, { "default_launch_container": "tab", "url": "https://docs.google.com" }, { "default_launch_container": "window", "fallback_app_name": "Editor", "url": "https://docs.google.com/editor" }, { "custom_name": "My important document", "default_launch_container": "window", "install_as_shortcut": true, "url": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/ds187akjqih89" }, { "custom_icon": { "hash": "c28f469c450e9ab2b86ea47038d2b324c6ad3b1e9a4bd8960da13214afd0ca38", "url": "https://mydomain.example.com/sunny_icon.png" }, "url": "https://weather.example.com" } ]

What it writes

Hive

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER

Registry key

Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave

Options

Configure and deploy

Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave]
"WebAppInstallForceList"=""

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure list of force-installed Web Apps
# Name: WebAppInstallForceList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'WebAppInstallForceList' -PropertyType 'String' -Value ''

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_brave/WebAppInstallForceList

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()

function Test-RegistryValueExists {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}

function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    $valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
        return $false
    }

    $actual = $valueObject.$Name
    switch ($Kind) {
        'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
        'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
        'MultiString' {
            $actualArray = @($actual)
            $expectedArray = @($Expected)
            if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
                if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        'Binary' {
            $actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
            $expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
            if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
                if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
    }
}

# Policy: Configure list of force-installed Web Apps
# Name: WebAppInstallForceList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'WebAppInstallForceList' -Kind 'String' -Expected ''
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave\WebAppInstallForceList') | Out-Null
}

if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Output 'Compliant'
    exit 0
}

$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure list of force-installed Web Apps
# Name: WebAppInstallForceList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: brave.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave' -Name 'WebAppInstallForceList' -PropertyType 'String' -Value ''

History 31 retained releases

1. 1.92.1342 Jul 2026
   • Description … See PinnedLauncherApps for pinning apps to the Google Chrome OS shelf. See https://c[removed: loud.google.com/docs/chrome-enterpris][added: hromeenterprise.googl]e/policies/?policy=WebAppInstallForceList for more information about schema and formatting. Example value: [ { "create_desktop_shortcut": …
     Whole description, marked

     Setting the policy specifies a list of web apps that install silently, without user interaction, and which users can't uninstall or turn off. Each list item of the policy is an object with a mandatory member: url (the URL of the web app to install) and 6 optional members: - default_launch_container (for how the web app opens—a new tab is the default) - create_desktop_shortcut (True if you want to create Linux and Microsoft® Windows® desktop shortcuts). - fallback_app_name (Starting with Brave version 90, allows you to override the app name if it is not a Progressive Web App (PWA), or the app name that is temporarily installed if it is a PWA but authentication is required before the installation can be completed. If both custom_name and fallback_app_name are provided, the latter will be ignored.) - custom_name (Starting with Google Chrome OS version 99, and version 112 on all other desktop operating systems, allows you to permanently override the app name for all web apps and PWAs.) - custom_icon (Starting with Google Chrome OS version 99, and version 112 on all other desktop operating systems, allows you to override the app icon of installed apps. The icons have to be square, maximal 1 MB in size, and in one of the following formats: jpeg, png, gif, webp, ico. The hash value has to be the SHA256 hash of the icon file. The url should be accessible without authentication to ensure the icon can be used upon app installation.) - install_as_shortcut (Starting with Brave version 107). If enabled the given url will be installed as a shortcut, as if done via the "Create Shortcut..." option in the desktop browser GUI. Note that when installed as a shortcut it won't be updated if the manifest in url changes. If disabled or unset, the web app at the given url will be installed normally. See PinnedLauncherApps for pinning apps to the Google Chrome OS shelf. See https://c[removed: loud.google.com/docs/chrome-enterpris][added: hromeenterprise.googl]e/policies/?policy=WebAppInstallForceList for more information about schema and formatting. Example value: [ { "create_desktop_shortcut": true, "default_launch_container": "window", "url": "https://www.google.com/maps" }, { "default_launch_container": "tab", "url": "https://docs.google.com" }, { "default_launch_container": "window", "fallback_app_name": "Editor", "url": "https://docs.google.com/editor" }, { "custom_name": "My important document", "default_launch_container": "window", "install_as_shortcut": true, "url": "https://docs.google.com/document/d/ds187akjqih89" }, { "custom_icon": { "hash": "c28f469c450e9ab2b86ea47038d2b324c6ad3b1e9a4bd8960da13214afd0ca38", "url": "https://mydomain.example.com/sunny_icon.png" }, "url": "https://weather.example.com" } ]

2. 1.88.13214 Mar 2026
   • Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.

29 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name

WebAppInstallForceList

Namespace

BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave

Template file

brave.admx

Release

Brave Browser 1.93.137 · file set 11b43ac4a4ada3ca…

<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.WebAppInstallForceList)" explainText="$(string.WebAppInstallForceList_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\BraveSoftware\Brave" name="WebAppInstallForceList" presentation="$(presentation.WebAppInstallForceList)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:brave" />
      <supportedOn ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:SUPPORTED_WIN7" />
      <elements>
        <text id="WebAppInstallForceList" maxLength="1000000" valueName="WebAppInstallForceList" />
      </elements>
    </policy>

<presentation id="WebAppInstallForceList" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><textBox refId="WebAppInstallForceList"><label>URLs for Web Apps to be silently installed.</label></textBox></presentation>

BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Cat_Brave
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Brave)" name="Cat_Brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:brave
<category displayName="$(string.brave)" name="brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave" />
    </category>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:Cat_Brave
<category displayName="$(string.Cat_Brave)" name="Cat_Brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave">Brave Software</string></strings>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:category:brave
<category displayName="$(string.brave)" name="brave" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:Cat_Brave" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:brave">Brave</string></strings>
BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="BraveSoftware.Policies.Brave:SUPPORTED_WIN7">Microsoft Windows 7 or later</string></strings>