Google › Google Chrome › Legacy Browser Support
Websites to open in alternative browser
Supported on Microsoft Windows 7 or later
What it does
Setting the policy controls the list of websites to open in an alternative browser. Each item is treated as a rule for something to open in an alternative browser. Google Chrome uses those rules when choosing if a URL should open in an alternative browser. When the Internet Explorer® add-in is on, Internet Explorer® switches back to Google Chrome when the rules don't match. If rules contradict each other, Google Chrome uses the most specific rule. Leaving the policy unset adds no websites to the list. Note: Elements can also be added to this list through the BrowserSwitcherUseIeSitelist and BrowserSwitcherExternalSitelistUrl policies. Example value: ie.com !open-in-chrome.ie.com foobar.com/ie-only/
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites to open in alternative browser | List of values | Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList |
Any |
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\BrowserSwitcherUrlList]
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: Websites to open in alternative browser
# Name: BrowserSwitcherUrlList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Clear-RegistryKeyValues -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList'
- 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: BrowserSwitcherUrlListDesc
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_chrome/BrowserSwitcherUrlListIntune 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: Websites to open in alternative browser
# Name: BrowserSwitcherUrlList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
$keyPath = 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList'
if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $keyPath) {
$propertyNames = (Get-Item -LiteralPath $keyPath).Property
if ($propertyNames.Count -gt 0) {
$reasons.Add('Key should be empty: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList') | Out-Null
}
}
if ($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 $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Websites to open in alternative browser
# Name: BrowserSwitcherUrlList
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Clear-RegistryKeyValues -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList'
History 1 retained release
- 155.0.8059.8519 Oct 2026
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
Template
- Internal name
BrowserSwitcherUrlList- Namespace
Google.Policies.Chrome- Template file
chrome.admx- Release
- Google Chrome 155.0.8059.85 · file set
1f03ffd12695d620…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.BrowserSwitcherUrlList)" explainText="$(string.BrowserSwitcherUrlList_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Google\Chrome" name="BrowserSwitcherUrlList" presentation="$(presentation.BrowserSwitcherUrlList)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:BrowserSwitcher" />
<supportedOn ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:SUPPORTED_WIN7" />
<elements>
<list id="BrowserSwitcherUrlListDesc" key="Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowserSwitcherUrlList" valuePrefix="" />
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="BrowserSwitcherUrlList" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><listBox refId="BrowserSwitcherUrlListDesc">Websites to open in alternative browser</listBox></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>