Overriding Chrome settings
The Chrome Web Store no longer accepts Manifest V2 extensions. Please use Manifest V3 when building new extensions. You will find a section on upgrading in the navigation tree at the left, including the Manifest V2 support timeline.
Settings overrides are a way for extensions to override selected Chrome settings. The API is available on Windows in all current versions of Chrome and is available on Mac in Chrome 56 and later.
Home page, search provider, and startup pages
Here is an example how home page, search provider and startup pages can be modified in the extension manifest. Web sites used in the settings API must be verified (via Webmaster Tools) as being associated with that item in the Chrome Web Store. Note that if you verify ownership for a domain (for example, http://example.com) you can use any subdomain or page (for example, http://app.example.com or http://example.com/page.html) within your extension.
{
"name": "My extension",
...
"chrome_settings_overrides": {
"homepage": "http://www.homepage.com",
"search_provider": {
"name": "name.__MSG_url_domain__",
"keyword": "keyword.__MSG_url_domain__",
"search_url": "http://www.foo.__MSG_url_domain__/s?q={searchTerms}",
"favicon_url": "http://www.foo.__MSG_url_domain__/favicon.ico",
"suggest_url": "http://www.foo.__MSG_url_domain__/suggest?q={searchTerms}",
"instant_url": "http://www.foo.__MSG_url_domain__/instant?q={searchTerms}",
"image_url": "http://www.foo.__MSG_url_domain__/image?q={searchTerms}",
"search_url_post_params": "search_lang=__MSG_url_domain__",
"suggest_url_post_params": "suggest_lang=__MSG_url_domain__",
"instant_url_post_params": "instant_lang=__MSG_url_domain__",
"image_url_post_params": "image_lang=__MSG_url_domain__",
"alternate_urls": [
"http://www.moo.__MSG_url_domain__/s?q={searchTerms}",
"http://www.noo.__MSG_url_domain__/s?q={searchTerms}"
],
"encoding": "UTF-8",
"is_default": true
},
"startup_pages": ["http://www.startup.com"]
},
"default_locale": "de",
...
}
Customizing values
Values in the manifest can be customized in the following ways:
All values of the
search_provider
,homepage
andstartup_pages
properties can be localized using the chrome.i18n API.For external extensions, the
search_provider
,homepage
andstartup_pages
URL values can be parametrized using a registry key. A new registry entry should be created next to the "update_url" key (see instructions here). The value name is "install_parameter", the value data is an arbitrary string:{
"update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx",
"install_parameter": "Value"
}All occurrences of the substring "__PARAM__" in the manifest URLs will be substituted with the "install_parameter" value. If "install_parameter" is absent, occurrences of "__PARAM__" are removed. Note that "__PARAM__" cannot be part of the hostname. It needs to occur after the first '/' in the URL.
Reference
An extension can override one or more of the following properties in the manifest:
homepage
(string) - optionalNew value for the homepage.
search_provider
(object) - optionalA search engine
Type Attribute Description string (optional) name Name of the search engine displayed to user. This may only be omitted if prepopulated_id is set.
string (optional) keyword Omnibox keyword for the search engine. This may only be omitted if prepopulated_id is set.
string (optional) favicon_url An icon URL for the search engine. This may only be omitted if prepopulated_id is set.
string search_url An search URL used by the search engine.
string (optional) encoding Encoding of the search term. This may only be omitted if prepopulated_id is set.
string (optional) suggest_url If omitted, this engine does not support suggestions.
string (optional) image_url If omitted, this engine does not support image search.
string (optional) search_url_post_params The string of post parameters to search_url
string (optional) suggest_url_post_params The string of post parameters to suggest_url
string (optional) image_url_post_params The string of post parameters to image_url
array of string (optional) alternate_urls A list of URL patterns that can be used, in addition to |search_url|.
integer (optional) prepopulated_id An ID of the built-in search engine in Chrome.
boolean is_default Specifies if the search provider should be default.
startup_pages
(array of string) - optionalAn array of length one containing a URL to be used as the startup page.