Google › Google Chrome › Legacy Browser Support
URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser.
Supported on Microsoft Windows 7 or later
What it does
Setting the policy to a valid URL has Google Chrome download the site list from that URL and apply the rules as if they were set up with the BrowserSwitcherUrlList policy. Leaving it unset (or set to a invalid URL) means Google Chrome doesn't use the policy as a source of rules for switching browsers. Note: This policy points to an XML file in the same format as Internet Explorer®'s SiteList policy. This loads rules from an XML file, without sharing those rules with Internet Explorer®. Read more on Internet Explorer®'s SiteList policy ( https://docs.microsoft.com/internet-explorer/ie11-deploy-guide/what-is-enterprise-mode) Example value: http://example.com/sitelist.xml
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser. | Text | BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl |
Up to 1000000 characters |
Configure and deploy
Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.
Enabled · Computer · template defaults
Registry file (.reg)
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome]
"BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl"=""
PowerShell
$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: URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser.
# Name: BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl' -PropertyType 'String' -Value ''
- The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
- Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.
- The generated payload is incomplete because one or more ADMX element values were not supplied: BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_chrome/BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrlIntune remediation scripts
Detection
$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: URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser.
# Name: BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl' -Kind 'String' -Expected ''
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl') | Out-Null
}
if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1
Remediation
$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 $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser.
# Name: BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl' -PropertyType 'String' -Value ''
History 1 retained release
- 155.0.8059.8519 Oct 2026
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
Template
- Internal name
BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl- Namespace
Google.Policies.Chrome- Template file
chrome.admx- Release
- Google Chrome 155.0.8059.85 · file set
1f03ffd12695d620…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl)" explainText="$(string.BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Google\Chrome" name="BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl" presentation="$(presentation.BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:BrowserSwitcher" />
<supportedOn ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:SUPPORTED_WIN7" />
<elements>
<text id="BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl" maxLength="1000000" valueName="BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl" />
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><textBox refId="BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl"><label>URL of an XML file that contains URLs to load in an alternative browser.</label></textBox></presentation>Supported platforms and category
Google.Policies.Chrome:category:BrowserSwitcher
<category displayName="$(string.BrowserSwitcher_group)" name="BrowserSwitcher" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:googlechrome" />
</category>
Google.Policies.Chrome:category:googlechrome
<category displayName="$(string.googlechrome)" name="googlechrome" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies:Cat_Google" />
</category>
Google.Policies.Chrome:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Google.Policies:category:Cat_Google
<category displayName="$(string.google)" name="Cat_Google" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Google.Policies.Chrome:category:BrowserSwitcher
<category displayName="$(string.BrowserSwitcher_group)" name="BrowserSwitcher" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:googlechrome" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Google.Policies.Chrome:BrowserSwitcher_group">Legacy Browser Support</string></strings>
Google.Policies.Chrome:category:googlechrome
<category displayName="$(string.googlechrome)" name="googlechrome" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies:Cat_Google" />
</category>
<strings><string id="Google.Policies.Chrome:googlechrome">Google Chrome</string></strings>
Google.Policies.Chrome:definition:SUPPORTED_WIN7
<definition displayName="$(string.SUPPORTED_WIN7)" name="SUPPORTED_WIN7" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Google.Policies.Chrome:SUPPORTED_WIN7">Microsoft Windows 7 or later</string></strings>
Google.Policies:category:Cat_Google
<category displayName="$(string.google)" name="Cat_Google" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Google.Policies:google">Google</string></strings>