Configuring Chrome to Automatically Clear Browsing Data Using Managed App Configuration

In a managed enterprise environment, administrators need to ensure data privacy, security, and compliance with organizational policies. To achieve this, it's essential to control how long Chrome stores user data such as browsing history, cookies, and saved passwords on managed devices.

Android Enterprise (Google Chrome (Android) since version 96)

SOTI MobiControl 15.5 and later.

Agent 15.5 and later.

1. Open the App Policy Configuration Panel. In the SOTI MobiControl console. Go to App policies.

2. Add Google Chrome. Select + Add app and choose Google Chrome from the available app list.

3. Enable the Managed App Configuration option for Chrome.

4. Configure Browsing Data Lifetime Settings

• Search for the key in Chrome's Configuration: Browsing Data Lifetime Settings

• Add the following string in the configuration value:

  [ { "data_types": [ "browsing_history", "autofill", "cached_images_and_files", "cookies_and_other_site_data" ], "time_to_live_in_hours": 1 } ]

  Note: You may include additional data types such as:

• "browsing_history"

• "download_history"

• "cookies_and_other_site_data"

• "cached_images_and_files"

• "password_signin"

• "autofill"

• "site_settings"

• "hosted_app_data"

Important: The minimum time allowed is 1 hour.

5. Behavior of Data Deletion

• Chrome will automatically remove data older than the set time_to_live_in_hours.

• This deletion process occurs 15 seconds after the browser starts, and then every 30 minutes while it's running.

6. Apply the Policy

• Assign the policy to the required user group or device group.

• Once applied, Chrome will begin enforcing the data retention policy, automatically clearing history and other specified data types based on your configuration.

Open Chrome on the device.

Go to chrome://policy

• The applied configuration should be visible in the policy summary.

• If the JSON string is valid, no error messages will be displayed.