How to Update Google Chrome

Chrome downloads updates on its own, but they do not take effect until the browser restarts, and a browser that has been open for days can fall behind. Checking takes under a minute.

Look for the Update button first

If an update is already downloaded and waiting, a colored Update button appears at the top right of the window, where the three-dot menu normally sits. It is green, orange, or red depending on how long the update has been waiting. Click it and confirm the relaunch. Chrome closes, installs, and reopens with your tabs restored. If there is no such button, continue to the next step.

Open About Google Chrome

Click the three-dot menu at the top right, then Help, then About Google Chrome. Or paste this into the address bar:

chrome://settings/help

Let Chrome check and download

The About page shows your current version number and immediately checks for a newer one. If one exists, it downloads in the background and shows progress on the same page. Leave the page open until it finishes. If the page says Chrome is up to date, there is nothing more to do.

Click Relaunch

When the download is done, a Relaunch button appears. Click it. Chrome restarts and reopens your regular windows and tabs. Incognito windows are not restored, so finish anything in them first. After the restart, the About page reads Chrome is up to date with the new version number.

Updates in the background. On Windows and macOS, Chrome checks for updates by itself and installs them the next time you quit and reopen. The steps above only matter when you want the update now, or when Chrome has been running for a long time without a restart.

On a phone. Chrome for Android updates through the Play Store and Chrome for iPhone through the App Store. Open the store, find Google Chrome, and tap Update if the button is there. The mobile app has no About page update button.