Pin Chrome to Windows 11 taskbar

For administrators who manage Chrome browser on Windows 11.

Pinning Chrome to the Windows 11 taskbar can make it easier for your users to find and use Chrome browser. These instructions guide you through creating an XML file and then deploying it using Group Policy Object (GPO) or Microsoft Intune.

1. Download the sample XML file

The XML file is in the Chrome Enterprise github folder.

Note: Any applications not listed are unpinned by default. So, if you already have a file with pinned applications, take this into account and modify your file to include the correct XML values.

Replace existing taskbar pins with Chrome

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

  <LayoutModificationTemplate

      xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"

      xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"

      xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"

      xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"

      Version="1">

   <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>

     <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>

       <taskbar:TaskbarPinList>

         <taskbar:DesktopApp DesktopApplicationID="Chrome" />

       </taskbar:TaskbarPinList>

     </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>

   </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>

  </LayoutModificationTemplate>

2. Deploy the XML file

This XML file can be deployed to devices using configuration service providers (CSP), provisioning packages (PPKG), or Group Policy (GPO). How you deploy the XML file depends on how your Windows 11 devices are managed.

Deploy the XML File via GPO

Place the XML file on a shared network drive that user accounts have read access to:
Configure a GPO:
1. Open the Group Policy Management Editor.
2. Go to User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu and Taskbar.
3. Open Start Layoutselect Enabledenter the universal naming convention (UNC) path of the XML fileclick OK.
  For example, enter \\YourServer\Share\TaskbarLayout.xml
4. Link this GPO to the appropriate organizational unit containing the users or devices you want to apply the taskbar layout to.

Deploy the XML File via Intune

Go to Microsoft Ignite documentation for information about how to deploy the XML File using Intune.

3. Users sign out and back in again

To see the new layout, users typically need to sign out of Windows 11 and then sign back in again. Users can still add or remove pins unless prohibited by other policy settings. Any pins provisioned via policy settings are restored upon the next policy refresh even if users unpin them.

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