Most Chrome users, as a rule, never run into problems when updating, because the browser is set to automatically update by default.
This is true for Chrome on Android, iPhone, and iPad, and for Chrome on the Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X desktop operating systems, and for Chrome on Google Chromebooks.
However, sometimes you may encounter update problems. If you notice that it doesn’t work automatically, or if you want to update the Google Chrome browser because you know that there is an update available, then the guide below will be useful for you.
In addition to the recommendations for updating Chrome, we’ll also tell you how to quickly and easily “refresh” some important browser components, such as extensions, as well as Flash and Java plugins.
How Google Chrome is updated
The Google Chrome web browser was the first to feature automatic updates. It was a bit of a revolution, because before that the user had to update the web browser.
This usually led to the fact that only the most vigilant and technically savvy users had modern web browsers. Now, in most cases, almost always, unless you specifically turned off this option, Chrome checks for updates every couple of hours and installs them.
But it may happen that auto-update does not work. If this happens, the cause may be the following:
- Your computer’s firewall prevents Chrome from checking for updates.
- Your system administrator has blocked automatic application updates .
- You (or someone else) turned off auto-update in the program.
Resolving these issues is beyond the scope of this article. In addition, all of these situations are very rare. However, if this happens, you can update the browser manually.
Two ways to update Google Chrome
The first way is to manually start the update from the program settings.
1. Open the Google Chrome browser.
2. Enter chrome: // help in the address bar of the browser. Two things will be done:
- The page displays the current version of Chrome.
- The browser will send a request to Google’s servers to see if Google Chrome can be updated.
3. Click on the Google Chrome settings button in the upper right corner of the screen. Select "Help" from the drop-down menu, and then select "About Google Chrome." The window that appears automatically checks for updates and shows the current version of Chrome.
4. If an update is available, you will be able to install it. Click Update Google Chrome. If you do not see this button, then you have the latest version of the program.
5. Wait for the installation of the new version of Google Chrome to complete. The update process takes only a couple of minutes.
6. Restart Google Chrome. You can do this by clicking the restart button that appears after the Chrome update completes, or just close and reopen Chrome. The browser saves open tabs and windows and automatically opens them when you restart. If you do not want to restart the browser immediately, click "Not Now." The next time you start the browser, the update will be applied.
7. Now the version of your browser should be up to date. You can verify this by going to the About Google Chrome page and finding the message “Google Chrome up to date” on the left side of the page.
The second way is to manually download Google Chrome from the Google site and install it on your device.
On the site you can download two types of installers: a standalone installer and a web installer. The offline installer already includes all the necessary files for installing Chrome. The web installer will download the installation data from the Internet.
Download and run the selected installer on your system and wait for it to complete. During installation, Chrome will be updated to the new version. You won’t lose your user data, such as bookmarks, browser extensions, or browsing history.
In the newest versions, Chrome notifies the user that updates are available. To do this, it changes the color of the main menu icon. Depending on the color (green, orange or red) they show how long the update has been available (2, 4 or 7 days).
When you open the menu, you will see the "Update Google Chrome" button. Click on the button and then restart the browser to complete the process.
Extension Updates
Extensions are an integral part of any modern browser. After the version of Google Chrome has been updated, it will not be out of place to update the extensions if new versions are available for them.
To do this, do the following:
- Open the chrome: // extensions page either by right-clicking on the desired extension and selecting "Manage extensions", or by entering this address in the URL bar.
- On the page, select the "Developer Mode" checkbox on the right.
- After that, click on the "Update Extensions" button.
Please note that you may have to reload all the tabs on which you want to use the new version of the extensions.
Adobe Flash Player Plugin Update
Another step you should take regularly to keep your browser up to date is to update Adobe Flash Player in Google Chrome. This plugin is responsible for displaying videos, browser games, as well as many elements of web pages.
The task of updating Flash Player in Google Chrome is very simple. To do this, follow these steps:
- Type chrome: // components in the address bar of your browser . A page with a list of browser components opens.
- Find Adobe Flash Player in the list.
- Click on the "Check for Updates" button on a gray background, and the browser will update the plugin itself.
The process of downloading and installing the plugin takes literally a second. This distinguishes Chrome from some other browsers, for which the plug-in must be downloaded from the official Adobe website and reinstalled in the operating system.
Java plugin update
Another task that would be useful to fully update Google Chrome is to install the latest version of Java. This is especially true for lovers of browser games and users who are concerned about information security issues.
To upgrade Java, follow these steps:
- Go to https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp and download the Windows Installer Offline.
- Close Chrome and any other open web browsers (be sure to do this before launching the installer, especially if you have multiple browser windows open).
- Run the Java installer that you downloaded in step 1, and follow the instructions from the installer.
- Launch Chrome again and check the Java version by going to https://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp.
Conclusion
The basic update procedures for Google Chrome are now complete and your browser is ready for everyday use. Once again, under normal conditions, Chrome will automatically update, and you do not need to force it manually. Chrome extensions are also usually "pulled up" after the new version of the browser. For Flash and Java, the responsibility for updating plugins is still the responsibility of the user. Do not forget about this in time to protect your browser from vulnerabilities and ensure the correct functioning of website content.