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How To Use the Chrome Offline Installer

Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers available today. It offers fast performance, frequent security updates, synchronization across devices, and much more.

However, the standard Chrome installer requires an internet connection during setup. This can cause issues when trying to install Chrome on multiple offline machines.

Fortunately, Google provides standalone offline installers for Chrome that contain everything needed for installation without an internet connection. Here is a step-by-step guide on using Chrome’s offline installer.

Downloading the Offline Installer

To get started, you will need access to a computer with an internet connection to download the offline installer.

On Windows:

  • Go to this Chrome Enterprise download page.
  • Under “Windows”, click “Download” on the “Bundle” option.
  • Save the downloaded file such as googlechromestandaloneenterprise64.zip.

On Mac:

  • Go to the same Chrome Enterprise page as above.
  • Under “Mac”, click “Download” on the DMG option.
  • Save the downloaded googlechrome.dmg file.

On Linux:

  • Go to the regular Chrome download page.
  • Click “Linux” and then “Download”.
  • Save the .deb or .rpm file based on your Linux distribution.

Transferring the Offline Installer

Next, transfer the downloaded offline installer file to the target offline computer via external media like a USB drive.

For example, copy googlechromestandaloneenterprise64.zip from the online machine to a USB drive, eject it safely, plug it into the offline machine, and then copy the file over.

Installing Chrome

With the offline installer available locally, you can now install Chrome while offline.

On Windows:

  • Navigate to googlechromestandaloneenterprise64.zip and extract it.
  • Inside is a Chrome-bin folder. Open it and double-click ChromeStandaloneSetup64.exe.
  • Follow the setup wizard prompts to install Chrome.

On Mac:

  • Open googlechrome.dmg.
  • Drag and drop the Chrome icon into your Applications folder.
  • Launch Chrome from the Applications folder.

On Linux:

  • Open a Terminal and cd into the directory containing the .deb or .rpm file.
  • Run sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb or sudo rpm -ivh google-chrome-stable_current_x86_64.rpm.
  • Launch Chrome.

And that’s it! Chrome should now be installed and ready for offline use.

Updating Chrome Offline

Since Chrome auto-updates require an internet connection, updating offline instances takes a bit more work.

When an update is available:

  1. On an online machine, download the latest offline installer.
  2. Transfer it to the offline computer.
  3. Uninstall the existing Chrome version.
  4. Install the new offline version.

While more hands-on, this will keep your offline Chrome installs secure with the latest updates.

Troubleshooting Chrome Offline Installs

Here are some common issues and fixes when installing Chrome offline:

Installer not working:

  • Ensure Chrome is fully uninstalled before re-installing. All old registry keys or files can cause conflicts.
  • Temporarily disable antivirus software, which may block installations.
  • Try downloading the installer again, as the file may have been corrupted.

Missing features:

  • Offline Chrome lacks auto-updates and some cloud-dependent services. But the core browser functionality works.
  • For Linux, download the full Chromium binary instead for more features.

Installation error:

  • If you get errors like “Failed to start” or error codes, try extracting the standalone installer first or running the executable as administrator.

Chrome not launching:

  • Make sure your device meets Chrome’s system requirements like OS version and hardware specs.

Can’t transfer installer:

If you run into issues moving files to the offline machine, verify the external media is working properly. Flash drives can sometimes fail. Opt for DVDs instead for large file sizes.

Conclusion

Installing the Chrome offline installer allows you to easily setup Chrome on multiple offline computers.

While the offline method requires more initial effort, it pays off through simplified installation and ability to keep machines secure through periodic offline updates.

With the above steps, you should have no issues getting Chrome installed for offline use and keeping it updated.

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