Things That Suck

Google Chrome

Initial posting: 2016-07-29

Google Chrome

Most modern Windows installers are friendly in that they don't install shortcuts on the desktop and taskbar by default. In fact, most installers today ask you if you want these items installed for those who do want them visible. I prefer a nice clean desktop, which i typically reserve only for temporary items that I can afford to throw away.

However, there is one particularly evil installer that not only adds a shortcut to the desktop without permission, but even if you delete it from the Desktop, which traditional installers usually place in the common desktop folder C:\Users\Public\Desktop, this Google Chrome shortcut will appear for all new accounts on the system.

Can you believe there is no easy way to avoid this? One article that I found tells you that you need to locate a super-secret master preferences file and change a "do_not_create_desktop_shortcut" entry to "true", but by the time you can get to that file, you've already installed Chrome and had to delete the shortcut from the desktop anyway, so come on, Google, just add a checkbox to the installer asking if we want these shortcuts.