The minimum_version_required setting in Chrome's ExtensionSettings policy disables any extension, including force-installed ones, whose version is older than the number you set. It is a tool for security fixes: when a vulnerable release is known, you can keep it from running while the update arrives.
What it does
Google's documentation says Chrome disables extensions whose version is older than the specified minimum, and that this applies to force-installed ones too. The version format matches the extension manifest, so you write it the same way, for example 2.4.1.
It does not install the new version. It stops the old one from running. Chrome still has to receive the update from the store or your update server, and for most extensions that happens on its own schedule.
When it helps
- A vendor publishes a fix for a vulnerability in their extension and tells you which version contains it.
- You learn that a specific release was malicious or compromised, and a later clean release exists.
- You manage extensions you build for your own staff and want to retire an old version across the fleet.
When it is not enough
- If the extension is compromised in every version currently published, raising the minimum does not help. Use the
removedinstallation mode instead, which uninstalls it. See the installation modes. - If the developer is slow, the extension is simply disabled until a fixed version appears. Decide whether staff can tolerate that.
A process around it
- Maintain an inventory of approved extensions with the version each one is on.
- Subscribe to the vendors' release notes or security announcements. If they have no channel for security notices, that is a finding in its own right.
- When a fix is announced, set the minimum, test on a pilot group and then widen it.
- Record the change, with the reason and date, in your change log. Change history is also useful evidence for audits.
- Once the fix is broadly deployed, leave the setting in place so nobody can drift back to the old release.
For extension authors
Tell your users which version fixes what. Give them a plain way to learn about security releases. An admin with a version number and a short description can act in minutes. An admin with a vague note cannot. Release changes stay on the same channel as earlier versions, and Google's publishing guide says a new upload must increase the version number.
Common mistakes
Setting a minimum version that does not exist yet disables the extension for everyone with no fix available. Confirm the fixed version is published, and that it reached your update source, before you raise the number. Also test with one device first, since a typo in the version string can have wide effects.
Quick check
Does minimum_version_required update the extension?
No. It disables versions older than the minimum. The update still has to reach the browser.
Does it apply to force-installed extensions?
Yes. Google's documentation says it covers force-installed ones too.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
