Installing Google Chrome on Windows 10 is a relatively smooth and hassle-free task. Download and run the Chrome installer; you should have the scanner up and running in a few minutes. However, the fact that Chrome requires an online connection during installation can annoy a lot of people with intermittent internet.
Fortunately, just like with any traditional desktop app, it’s perfectly possible to download and install Chrome completely offline. And you don’t have to go out of your way to do it. Lets start.
Why Should You Install Chrome Offline?
By default, Google only provides you with a “stub” installer to install Chrome. This installer (roughly about two megabytes) does not contain the actual files needed to run Chrome. Instead, it downloads the files during the installation process and then installs them immediately.
However, if you have a fairly erratic internet connection, Chrome’s stub installer may encounter download problems and take a significant amount of time to complete. Worse still, the installation may even fail in some cases.
Connection issues aside, you may also want to install Chrome on multiple computers. In this case it is impractical to repeatedly use the stub loader to load the browser, especially if there are bandwidth restrictions to consider. This also applies if you intend to use Chrome in temporary desktop environments such as Windows Sandbox.
The solution is the standalone (offline) Chrome installer. With the offline installer at your disposal, you can easily install Chrome without downloading anything during the installation procedure.
You can also copy the standalone Chrome installer to removable media and install the browser on as many computers as you want without downloading the installation files each time. You don’t even need an active internet connection to install Chrome.
How to Download Chrome Offline Installer
Instead of searching for Chrome’s standalone installer, you can get it from the official Google website; you need to go to the correct download page.
If you only have one user account on your computer (or if you only want to install Chrome for a single user), visit Chrome’s standalone installer download page using the button below. The page looks the same as the regular Chrome download page, but don’t worry.
Check the box next to ‘Help make Google Chrome better…’ if you want to allow Chrome to send usage statistics to Google. Next, click Download Chrome.
Your browser should start downloading the offline Chrome installer immediately. It should hold about 60-70MB.
If you have multiple users on your computer and you want to install Chrome on all of them, you must download a different Chrome standalone installer. Use the button below to go to the corresponding download page.
How to Install Google Chrome Offline
After downloading the Chrome standalone installer, run it from your browser’s download manager. Alternatively, visit your computer’s Downloads folder and then run the downloaded file.
As with the stub loader, the installation process is fully automatic. The offline installer installs Chrome on your computer’s primary partition; you cannot change this.
Note: If the Chrome standalone installer cannot be displayed, right-click the downloaded file and then click Run as Administrator.
You may see the ‘Download’ status displayed momentarily during installation, but the installer is not downloading anything. The browser should open automatically right after installation.
Then you can choose to use the automatically generated local profile to browse the web immediately. Or you can sign in with a Google Account and start enjoying Chrome Sync. Using a Google Account with Chrome also provides seamless access to a variety of productivity web apps and services such as Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive.
Keep Chrome Updated
By choosing to install Chrome offline, you avoid many of the downsides of using the default stub installer. Installing the browser is much faster and you also save bandwidth if you plan to install Chrome multiple times.
That said, it’s essential to keep Chrome up-to-date to prevent known bugs and vulnerabilities from causing problems in the future. By default, Chrome automatically updates itself when it detects newer versions.
However, you can force update Chrome by opening the Chrome menu and clicking Help and then About Google Chrome. Then Chrome scans, downloads and installs the latest updates without any interaction.
If you want to reinstall Chrome later, it’s best to download the standalone installer from scratch. Google updates the stable version of Chrome every two weeks. So making a fresh copy should ensure you have the latest browser version installed. It also helps you bypass the hassle of updating Chrome right after installation.
Next: Now that you have finished installing Chrome offline, how about using the browser in dark mode? Here are six excellent extensions that can help you do just that.
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