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Script to restart Google Chrome on Windows devices

Google Chrome is an essential part of all our work lives. But the zillion tabs we keep open for days on end can harm the device, making it slower, less efficient and prone to security threats, which is why IT admins need to restart Chrome on their managed devices from time to time. A restart could also be necessary in case of a Chrome update or as part of a troubleshoot. With the help of Hexnode UEM’s Execute Custom Script action, IT admins can deploy the script given below to restart Google Chrome remotely on Windows devices.

Disclaimer:

The sample scripts provided below are adapted from third-party open-source sites.

PowerShell script to restart Google Chrome:

$script = @"
Get-Process -Name "chrome" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -WorkingDirectory "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application"
"@


try{
    #determining the current logged in user
    $currentLoggedInuser=""
    $signedInUsers=get-wmiobject win32_process | where-object {$_.processname -eq "explorer.exe"} | Foreach ({$_.getowner().user})
    foreach($user in $signedInUsers)
    {
        $isactive = C:\windows\system32\qwinsta.exe $user
        if($isactive -like "*  Active*")
        {
            $currentLoggedInuser = $user
            break
        }
    }
    if($currentLoggedInuser -eq "")
    {
        Write-Host "cannot find any logged in user, so skipping script execution`nTo execute this script, atleast one user must be logged-in to the device"
    }
    else
    {
            Write-Host "scheduling task for user: ",$currentLoggedInuser
            Write-Host "provided script:`n", $script
            Set-Content -Path C:\Hexnode\Logs\Script.ps1 -Value $script
            #unregistering UninstallDesktopAppTask task from task scheduler (if we have already registered using script execution)
            try
            {
                $a=Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName "RestartChromeApp" -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction:Ignore
            }
            catch
            {
                Write-Host "error while unregistering sheduletask-->",$_.Exception.Message
            }
            #scheduling task
            $actions = (New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'powershell.exe' -Argument "-ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -WindowStyle Hidden -NoLogo -File C:\Hexnode\Logs\Script.ps1")
            $principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId $currentLoggedInuser -RunLevel Highest
            $settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -WakeToRun -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries -DontStopOnIdleEnd -Hidden -AllowStartIfOnBatteries -Priority 0 -StartWhenAvailable
            $task = New-ScheduledTask -Action $actions -Principal $principal -Settings $settings
            $reg= Register-ScheduledTask 'RestartChromeApp' -InputObject $task
            Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName "RestartChromeApp" -Verbose
    }
}
catch
{
    Write-Host "Exception inside running script-->",$_.Exception.Message
}

$script = @"

Get-Process -Name "chrome" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force

Start-Sleep -Seconds 5

Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" -WorkingDirectory "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application"

try{

#determining the current logged in user

$currentLoggedInuser=""

$signedInUsers=get-wmiobject win32_process | where-object {$_.processname -eq "explorer.exe"} | Foreach ({$_.getowner().user})

foreach($user in $signedInUsers)

{

$isactive = C:\windows\system32\qwinsta.exe $user

if($isactive -like "* Active*")

{

$currentLoggedInuser = $user

break

}

if($currentLoggedInuser -eq "")

{

Write-Host "cannot find any logged in user, so skipping script execution`nTo execute this script, atleast one user must be logged-in to the device"

}

else

{

Write-Host "scheduling task for user: ",$currentLoggedInuser

Write-Host "provided script:`n", $script

Set-Content -Path C:\Hexnode\Logs\Script.ps1 -Value $script

#unregistering UninstallDesktopAppTask task from task scheduler (if we have already registered using script execution)

try

{

$a=Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName "RestartChromeApp" -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction:Ignore

}

catch

{

Write-Host "error while unregistering sheduletask-->",$_.Exception.Message

}

#scheduling task

$actions = (New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute 'powershell.exe' -Argument "-ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -WindowStyle Hidden -NoLogo -File C:\Hexnode\Logs\Script.ps1")

$principal = New-ScheduledTaskPrincipal -UserId $currentLoggedInuser -RunLevel Highest

$settings = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet -WakeToRun -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries -DontStopOnIdleEnd -Hidden -AllowStartIfOnBatteries -Priority 0 -StartWhenAvailable

$task = New-ScheduledTask -Action $actions -Principal $principal -Settings $settings

$reg= Register-ScheduledTask 'RestartChromeApp' -InputObject $task

Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName "RestartChromeApp" -Verbose

}

catch

{

Write-Host "Exception inside running script-->",$_.Exception.Message

}

The script uses Task Scheduler to automate the restart. The file path following –FilePath and –WorkingDirectory has to be modified according to the location of the app on the devices.

Notes:

It is recommended to manually validate the script execution on a system before executing the action in bulk.
Hexnode will not be responsible for any damage/loss to the system on the behavior of the script.

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