How to Run Google Chrome as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Google Chrome is a free web browser renowned for its speed and flexibility.

To install Chrome as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp:

1. Download and install Chrome, if necessary.

2. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

3. Start AlwaysUp.

4. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

   

5. On the General tab:

   • In the Application field, enter the full path to the Chrome executable file, chrome.exe. If you installed Chrome in the default location, this will be:

     C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe

   • In the Start the application field, choose Automatically, but shortly after the computer boots. With this setting, AlwaysUp will launch Chrome a couple of minutes after boot — after all the machine's critical services are completely up and running.

   • In the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp. We used Chrome but feel free to specify virtually anything you like:

   

6. Move to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the Windows account where you installed and configured Chrome.

   This step is important; if omitted, Chrome will not find your profiles and other settings:

   

7. Switch to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This tells AlwaysUp that Chrome needs the TCP/IP networking stack to operate:

   

8. We're done configuring Chrome as a Windows Service so click the Save button to record your settings. In a couple of seconds, an application called Chrome will show up in the AlwaysUp window.

   The state will be "Stopped":

   

9. To start Chrome, choose Application > Start "Chrome". The state will change to "Running" and Chrome will start doing its thing in the background:

   

   At this point, Chrome will be running in the isolated Session 0 and won't be visible on your desktop. If you wish to see Chrome, select Application > Restart "Chrome" in this session to bring it onto your desktop:

   

10. Note: If running in the background in Session 0 is not acceptable and Chrome must always be visible on screen (for example, if you're running a Kiosk application), you should follow these instructions to run Chrome in a "regular" user session.

11. That's it! Next time your computer boots, Chrome will start up immediately, before anyone logs on.

    We encourage you to edit Chrome in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment.

    For example, you can:

    • send an email if Chrome crashes;
    • schedule a nightly restart, to keep Chrome "fresh" and free of memory leaks; and more

Chrome not working properly as a Windows Service?

• Consult the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter — our online tool that can help you resolve the most common problems encountered when running an application as a Windows Service.

• From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today to bring up an HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and Chrome. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains what each message means.

• Browse the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.

• Contact us and we will be happy to help!