Google › Google Chrome
Browsing Data Lifetime Settings
Supported on Microsoft Windows 7 or later
What it does
Configures browsing data lifetime settings for Google Chrome. This policy allows admins to configure (per data-type) when data is deleted by the browser. This is useful for customers that work with sensitive customer data. Warning: Setting this policy can impact and permanently remove local personal data. It is recommended to test your settings before deploying to prevent accidental deletion of personal data. The available data types are 'browsing_history', 'download_history', 'cookies_and_other_site_data', 'cached_images_and_files', 'password_signin', 'autofill', 'site_settings' and 'hosted_app_data'. 'download_history' and 'hosted_app_data' are not supported on Android. The browser will automatically remove data of selected types that is older than 'time_to_live_in_hours'. The minimum value that can be set is 1 hour. The deletion of expired data will happen 15 seconds after the browser starts then every 30 minutes while the browser is running. The user will stay signed into their Google account when deleting cookies. Until Chrome 114, this policy required the SyncDisabled policy to be set to true. Starting Chrome 115, setting this policy will disable sync for the respective data types if neither `Chrome Sync` is disabled by setting the SyncDisabled policy nor BrowserSignin is disabled. See https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/?policy=BrowsingDataLifetime for more information about schema and formatting. Example value: [ { "data_types": [ "browsing_history" ], "time_to_live_in_hours": 24 }, { "data_types": [ "password_signin", "autofill" ], "time_to_live_in_hours": 12 } ]
What it writes
- Hive
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Registry key
Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
Options
| Option | Type | Registry value | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browsing Data Lifetime Settings | Text | BrowsingDataLifetime |
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]
"BrowsingDataLifetime"=""
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: Browsing Data Lifetime Settings
# Name: BrowsingDataLifetime
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowsingDataLifetime' -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: BrowsingDataLifetime
ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_chrome/BrowsingDataLifetimeIntune 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: Browsing Data Lifetime Settings
# Name: BrowsingDataLifetime
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowsingDataLifetime' -Kind 'String' -Expected ''
if (-not $isMatch) {
$reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\BrowsingDataLifetime') | Out-Null
}
if ($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 $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}
}
# Policy: Browsing Data Lifetime Settings
# Name: BrowsingDataLifetime
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: chrome.admx
Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome' -Name 'BrowsingDataLifetime' -PropertyType 'String' -Value ''
History 1 retained release
- 155.0.8059.8519 Oct 2026
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.
Template
- Internal name
BrowsingDataLifetime- Namespace
Google.Policies.Chrome- Template file
chrome.admx- Release
- Google Chrome 155.0.8059.85 · file set
1f03ffd12695d620…
Definition, editor controls and support
Definition
<policy class="Both" displayName="$(string.BrowsingDataLifetime)" explainText="$(string.BrowsingDataLifetime_Explain)" key="Software\Policies\Google\Chrome" name="BrowsingDataLifetime" presentation="$(presentation.BrowsingDataLifetime)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
<parentCategory ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:googlechrome" />
<supportedOn ref="Google.Policies.Chrome:SUPPORTED_WIN7" />
<elements>
<text id="BrowsingDataLifetime" maxLength="1000000" valueName="BrowsingDataLifetime" />
</elements>
</policy>Editor controls
<presentation id="BrowsingDataLifetime" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions"><textBox refId="BrowsingDataLifetime"><label>Browsing Data Lifetime Settings</label></textBox></presentation>Supported platforms and 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="$(string.google)" name="Cat_Google" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Google.Policies.Chrome:category:googlechrome
<category displayName="$(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>