Group Policies

There are few group policies that can affect the installation of the Robility extension or even stop the bots to automate the tasks on websites after installation. These policies are often configured by organizations to manage and control which extensions can be installed on their users’ browsers. Below are the specific scenarios where the installation of the Robility extension may be blocked or restricted:

1. ExtensionBlockInstallList Policy: Organizations can configure this policy to block the installation of any extensions on Chrome browsers. When set to True, users cannot install extensions. You can check whether this policy is enabled at “chrome://policy”.  

2. ExtensionForceInstallList: Administrators can configure a list of force-installed extensions using group policy, which overrides user control. If Robility Automation extensions are not included in this list, they will be blocked from being installed. You can check whether this policy at “chrome://policy”.  

3. Extensions Blocked via Device Management: In a managed environment, an administrator may use device management settings to prevent users from adding any extensions or limit them to a pre-approved set of extensions. Follow the below steps to check, 

a. Click on the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
b. Scroll down and check if there is a message “Managed by your organization” at the bottom of the menu.

4. User Permissions and Privileges: Restrictions on user might prevent users from installing extensions. Users without admin rights may be blocked from installing any extensions.

a. On Windows, if a user does not have admin rights, they may be unable to install extensions or make system changes.
b. Organizations may configure Group Policy on Windows to prevent certain users from installing extensions.

5. NativeMessagingBlockList: This policy controls which browser extensions can communicate with external applications on a user’s computer. If set to “*”, it blocks all such connections, preventing Robility WebAutomation from working.

To enable automation, IT administrators must allow:

a. Robility Chrome Native App (for Chrome)
b. Robility Edge Native App (for Edge)

6. Chrome Web Store Blocking: If an organization blocks access to the Chrome Web Store or restricts the use of certain URLs or domains, users won’t be able to download and install the Robility extension directly from the store.

7. Security Software or Firewall Settings: Some security software or network firewalls may block installation of extensions from certain sources, including the Chrome Web Store, which could prevent the installation of Robility’s browser extension.

Manual Installation of Extension

To resolve the above-mentioned scenarios, contact your organization’s IT administrator to request access. Until then, administrators can manually install the extension using the browser’s “Load Unpacked” option, allowing temporary installation from a local folder. However, this does not apply to NativeMessaging Host issues. Click here to learn more.

This method is not recommended for long-term solution. Follow the below steps to install an unpacked extension:

Steps to Load Unpacked Extensions in Chrome:

1. Open your Chrome browser and type chrome://extensions/ into the address bar, then press Enter.
2. This will take you to the Extensions management page where you can see all the installed extensions.
3. In the Extensions page, look to the top-right corner, where you’ll see a toggle for Developer mode.
4. Switch this toggle to the “On” position. 
5. Once Developer mode is enabled, you’ll see new buttons appear on the page: Load unpacked, Pack extension and Update.
6. Click on the Load unpacked button, which will open a file picker window to select the folder containing the extension files that you want to install.
7. In the file picker window, navigate to the folder where the unpacked extension is located. The folder should contain the manifest.json file, which is the core file of the extension, along with any other necessary files (such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, etc.).
8. Once the folder is selected, the extension will be installed and immediately visible on the Extensions page (chrome://extensions/).

Important Considerations

1. Manual installation via the “Load Unpacked” option should only be used when explicitly allowed by your organization. If you are unsure about your organization’s policies, it’s always best to check with the IT department or the team responsible for managing browser configurations.

2. No Automatic Updates: Unlike extensions installed from the Chrome Web Store, unpacked extensions will not automatically update. You will need to manually update the files in the folder and reload the extension each time an update is made.