Abloomify Chrome Extension Deployment Guide

June 16, 2026

Walter Write

11 min read

Abloomify Chrome extension force-installed across a managed browser fleet, showing a browser-policy console pushing the extension to managed browser windows with locked-on and force-installed badges
This guide walks you through deploying the Abloomify Chrome extension to your managed browsers. We cover two methods: the recommended approach, which uses a downloadable Chrome configuration profile that force-installs the extension through your MDM, and a manual approach using the Google Admin console (Chrome Enterprise policy) where you enter the extension ID and update URL by hand. Both methods install silently for your end users and lock the extension on.

Complements the device agent

The Chrome extension is a companion to the Abloomify device agent, not a replacement. The device agent reports high-level app and technology-usage metrics at the OS level. The extension extends that picture inside the browser, reporting which web apps and tools are in active use. Like the agent, it captures high-level technology-usage signals only. It never reads page content, form fields, or what you type.

Contents

What the extension does (and does not do)

Before you push anything to your fleet, it helps to know exactly what the extension collects. Abloomify is privacy-first by design, and the extension holds the same line as the device agent.
The extension does NOT:
  • Read page content or the text of the pages you visit. It does not scrape article text, document bodies, or message threads.
  • Capture form fields, passwords, or anything you type into a page. There is no keylogging and no input capture in the browser.
  • Take screenshots or record browser tabs. The extension never captures the rendered page.
The extension does collect high-level, technology-usage signals:
  • Which web apps and tools are actively in use, so usage of browser-based software shows up alongside native app usage.
  • High-level activity signals such as active tab changes and time-in-use, used as an intensity-of-use measure.
  • Basic context needed to attribute usage to the right user and device.
Infographic comparing the two ways to deploy the Abloomify Chrome extension: a recommended managed profile pushed through your MDM on the left, and a manual Google Admin console force-install by extension ID and update URL on the right.
The result is a single, privacy-first view: the device agent measures how native technology is used, and the extension measures how browser-based technology is used. Neither one reads your content. For the full data boundary across the platform, see the central Abloomify device agent guide.

Before you begin

You will need the following:
  • A paid Abloomify subscription with admin access to the Abloomify console.
  • The Abloomify Chrome profile (.mobileconfig), downloaded from the Abloomify console, if you use the recommended MDM method.
  • For the manual method, administrator access to your Google Admin console (Chrome Enterprise) or another enterprise browser-management tool that supports extension policies.
  • Google Chrome managed on your fleet, either through your MDM (for the profile method) or enrolled in Chrome Enterprise (for the Admin console method).
Note: Your update URL is specific to your company. Get your exact values, the extension ID and your company update URL, from the Abloomify console under Configs → Integrations → Device Agents, in the Chrome extension card ("Manual setup values"). The downloadable Chrome profile already contains them, so the recommended method needs no manual entry.

The values you will need

Whichever method you choose, the deployment comes down to the same two facts: the extension ID and your company-specific update URL. The Abloomify Chrome profile sets a small, specific set of Chrome managed policies. If you deploy manually, you enter these by hand; if you push the profile, your MDM applies them for you.
Where to get your values: in the Abloomify console, go to Configs → Integrations → Device Agents and open the Chrome extension card. "Manual setup values" shows your extension ID, your company update URL (YOUR_UPDATE_URL below), and the install source (YOUR_INSTALL_SOURCE). Copy them from there, or just download the Chrome profile, which already contains them.
Policy fieldValue
Extension IDghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad
Update URLYOUR_UPDATE_URL
Installation modeforce_installed
Minimum version required1.2.6
Override update URLEnabled (the extension updates from the Abloomify URL above, not the Chrome Web Store)
Install sourcesYOUR_INSTALL_SOURCE
The profile expresses these through standard Chrome managed-policy keys:
  • ExtensionInstallForcelist entry: ghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad;YOUR_UPDATE_URL (the extension ID and update URL joined by a semicolon, which is exactly the format the Google Admin console expects for a self-hosted force-install).
  • ExtensionInstallSources: YOUR_INSTALL_SOURCE, which allows the extension to be served from the Abloomify-hosted source.
  • ExtensionSettings for ghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad: installation_mode set to force_installed, update_url set to the Abloomify URL, override_update_url enabled, and minimum_version_required set to 1.2.6.
Note: Because override_update_url is enabled, Chrome fetches the extension and its updates from the Abloomify-hosted update.xml, not from the Chrome Web Store. This is normal for a privately distributed enterprise extension.
This is the same model Abloomify uses for the macOS device agent: Abloomify provides a signed .mobileconfig, and you push it through your MDM as a custom configuration profile. The profile carries a com.google.Chrome payload that force-installs the extension, so you do not type any policy values by hand.
  1. In the Abloomify console, download the Abloomify Chrome profile (.mobileconfig).
  2. Upload it to your MDM as a custom configuration profile (the same workflow you use for the device-agent profile). Scope it to devices, not users.
  3. Save and let the profile propagate as devices check in.
That is the entire deployment. The profile sets ExtensionInstallForcelist, ExtensionInstallSources, and ExtensionSettings exactly as listed above, so Chrome force-installs the Abloomify extension on every scoped device and locks it on. Users cannot remove it from chrome://extensions.
This profile is delivered the same way as the device-agent profiles, so the per-MDM steps map cleanly to the guides you may already be following. If you push the device-agent profile through Jamf Pro, Microsoft Intune, or Rippling, upload this Chrome profile through the same custom-profile workflow in your MDM and scope it to the same devices.
Note: The Chrome profile is independent of the device-agent profile. You can deploy both. The Chrome profile manages the browser extension; the device-agent profile manages the native macOS agent and its permissions. They do not overlap, and deploying one does not affect the other.

Method 2: Add it manually in the Google Admin console

If you manage Chrome through the Google Admin console (Chrome Enterprise) and prefer to add the extension by hand instead of pushing a profile, you can force-install it as a self-hosted extension. You will use the exact extension ID and update URL from the table above.
  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console at admin.google.com with an administrator account.
  2. Go to Devices > Chrome > Apps & extensions > Users & browsers.
  3. Select the organizational unit you want to target. To cover everyone, leave the top-level OU selected.
  4. Click the + (Add) button in the bottom-right corner and choose Add Chrome app or extension by ID.
  5. Enter the extension ID: ghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad.
  6. Because Abloomify hosts the extension privately (not on the Chrome Web Store), change the source from the Web Store to From a custom URL, and enter the update URL: YOUR_UPDATE_URL.
  7. After the extension is added, set its Installation policy to Force install. This matches the profile's installation_mode: force_installed and prevents users from removing it.
  8. Click Save.
That covers the same ground as the profile: a force-installed extension served from the Abloomify update URL. If your console exposes an Install sources or allowed install sources setting, add YOUR_INSTALL_SOURCE to permit the self-hosted source. This mirrors the profile's ExtensionInstallSources value.
Important: Enter the extension ID and update URL exactly as shown, with no trailing spaces. A single mistyped character in the 32-character ID or the update URL will cause the install to fail silently, since Chrome will look for an extension that does not exist at that location.
Note: Chrome force-install policies apply to signed-in managed users (Users & browsers) as their browsers sync policy. Allow time for policy to propagate. You can speed up a test machine by visiting chrome://policy and clicking Reload policies.

Verify installation

After policy or the profile reaches a device, confirm the extension installed and is managed.
  1. On a target machine, open Chrome and go to chrome://extensions.
  2. Confirm the Abloomify extension is present and that it shows as Installed by your administrator (or Installed by enterprise policy). A managed extension cannot be toggled off or removed by the user, which is the expected, locked-on state.
  3. To confirm the policy is applied, open chrome://policy. You should see ExtensionInstallForcelist (and, if you set them, ExtensionInstallSources and ExtensionSettings) listed with the Abloomify extension ID and update URL as their values. Click Reload policies if the device has not yet picked them up.
  4. New browser-based technology-usage signals should begin appearing in the Abloomify console as devices report in.
Note: Force-installed extensions are intentionally locked on and cannot be disabled from chrome://extensions. This is by design. It keeps managed coverage consistent and does not change what the extension collects.

Troubleshooting

  • The extension does not install. Recheck the extension ID and update URL for typos. The ID is ghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad and must be exact. On the device, open chrome://policy and click Reload policies, then confirm ExtensionInstallForcelist shows the Abloomify entry.
  • Chrome reports it cannot fetch the extension. This usually means the update URL is wrong or the install source is not allowed. Confirm the update URL exactly matches the one in your downloaded profile, and add YOUR_INSTALL_SOURCE to your install sources if your console requires it.
  • The extension installs but a user can disable it. The installation policy is not set to force install. In the Admin console, set the extension's installation policy to Force install (this matches the profile's force_installed mode). A force-installed extension is locked on.
  • You see a minimum-version error. The profile pins minimum_version_required to 1.2.6. The Abloomify update URL serves a build at or above that version, so this should resolve on the next update check. Reload policies on the device to trigger it.
  • The device-agent data is fine but browser data is missing. The device agent and the Chrome extension are deployed separately. Confirm the Chrome profile or the Admin console force-install policy reached the device, in addition to the device-agent profile. Deploying the agent does not deploy the extension.

FAQ

Does the Abloomify Chrome extension read the pages I visit or what I type?

No. The extension does not read page content, does not capture form fields or anything you type into a page, and does not take screenshots of tabs. It reports high-level technology-usage signals, such as which web apps and tools are actively in use, the same privacy-first posture as the Abloomify device agent.

Should I use the profile or the Google Admin console?

Use the downloadable Chrome profile pushed through your MDM if you can. It is the recommended method because it carries the correct extension ID, update URL, and force-install settings for you, with nothing to type by hand. Use the Google Admin console method if you manage Chrome through Chrome Enterprise and prefer to add the extension manually, or if you do not push browser profiles through an MDM.

What is the Abloomify Chrome extension ID and update URL?

The extension ID is ghahjllpbnbbfogpjdnalhijjbfkllad (the same for every customer). Your update URL is specific to your company; find it in the Abloomify console under Configs → Integrations → Device Agents, in the Chrome extension card ("Manual setup values"), or simply download the Chrome profile, which already includes it.

Why does the extension update from an Abloomify URL instead of the Chrome Web Store?

The Abloomify extension is privately distributed for enterprise customers, so it is self-hosted rather than published on the Chrome Web Store. The profile enables override_update_url, which tells Chrome to fetch the extension and its updates from the Abloomify-hosted update.xml. This is standard for a privately distributed enterprise extension.

Can a user remove the extension?

No. Both methods force-install the extension, so it appears as installed by your administrator and cannot be toggled off or removed from chrome://extensions. Removal happens by changing the policy in your MDM or the Google Admin console, not by the end user.

Do I still need the device agent if I deploy the extension?

Yes, for full coverage. The device agent measures how native technology is used at the OS level, and the extension measures how browser-based technology is used. They are companions, deployed separately, and neither reads your content. See the Abloomify device agent guide and the per-MDM guides for Jamf, Intune, and Rippling.

Get help

Need a hand? Email support@abloomify.com and we will help you get the Chrome extension deployed. For the platform-agnostic overview and the canonical privacy reference, see the Abloomify device agent guide.
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Walter Write
Walter Write
Staff Writer

Tech industry analyst and content strategist specializing in AI, productivity management, and workplace innovation. Passionate about helping organizations leverage technology for better team performance.