Hard lock not turning green? How to fix it

You downloaded the hard lock file, clicked through the warnings, and the light next to Hard lock in Web Lock is still grey. The light turns green only when your browser itself says the setting is in place, so somewhere between the file and the browser, a step didn't go through. Here's how to find which one.

The short answer

• The browser is still running. It reads the new setting when it starts, and closing its windows doesn't always quit it. Restart the computer to be sure.
• The file was for another browser. A file made for Chrome does nothing in Brave or Edge. Pick your browser in Web Lock and download it again.
• A step was cancelled. On Windows, a No at any of the prompts means nothing was added. On a Mac, opening the file isn't enough: the profile still has to be installed in System Settings.
• You use Edge, with Web Lock from the Chrome Web Store. Edge on a home computer ignores this setting for extensions that aren't from its own store. See the Edge section below.

See what your browser sees

Your browser has a page that lists every policy it has picked up. Type its address in a new tab:

• Chrome: chrome://policy
• Edge: edge://policy
• Brave: brave://policy
• Firefox: about:policies

Look for ExtensionInstallForcelist (in Firefox, ExtensionSettings). In Chrome, Edge and Brave, click Reload policies at the top first. Then:

• It isn't there: the setting never reached this browser. Go through the section for your computer below.
• It's there with an error or warning: the browser read it and refused it. Click the row to see why. On Edge, the likely cause is the store problem described further down.
• It's there and looks fine: the browser just needs a proper restart.

Quit the browser properly

On Windows, Chrome can keep going in the background after its last window closes. You can see it as an icon by the clock. Its setting is in Chrome's Settings, under System: Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed. Edge has a similar setting, plus Startup boost, under System and performance. Brave works like Chrome.

On a Mac, the red button closes a window and leaves the app open. Use ⌘ Q.

If you're not sure, restart the computer. It takes a minute and rules this out completely.

Check the file matches your browser

Each browser keeps its policies in its own place, so the file has to be made for the browser you're using. Web Lock tries to work it out and fills in the two menus above the download button, but it can get it wrong, and Brave in particular can look like Chrome. If the menus show the wrong computer or browser, change them and download the file again.

The light also only speaks for the browser it's in. Setting up hard lock for Chrome doesn't make it green in Edge on the same computer. Each browser needs its own file.

Hard lock covers Chrome, Edge, Brave, Chromium and Firefox. Opera and Vivaldi read their policies differently, and hard lock doesn't work in them yet.

On Windows

Opening the file brings up a few questions before anything changes. Answering No or closing any of those boxes stops it, and nothing is added. The one that asks whether Registry Editor may make changes needs an admin password if you're not on the admin account, and without it the setup stops there.

It's safe to open the file again. It writes the same single setting each time, so running it twice doesn't add anything extra. Say Yes to every question, then restart the browser.

On a Mac

This step is easy to miss. Double-clicking the downloaded file only hands the profile to your Mac for review. It isn't installed until you open System Settings, go to General › Device Management (on macOS Ventura, Privacy & Security › Profiles), double-click Web Lock hard lock and click Install.

It's marked Unverified because the file isn't signed yet. That's expected, and it doesn't stop the profile working.

On Linux

Downloading the file doesn't put it anywhere useful. The Terminal command under the download button copies it to the folder your browser reads. If the file went somewhere other than your Downloads folder, change that part of the command.

For Firefox, the command won't replace a policies.json you already have. If there is one, add Web Lock's part to it by hand.

If you use Edge

Microsoft's own rule: on a Windows computer that isn't joined to a work or school domain, Edge only force-installs extensions from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. A Mac needs to be managed by an organization for anything else. If you added Web Lock to Edge from the Chrome Web Store, everything else works, but hard lock doesn't. In that case, edge://policy shows the setting with an error, and the light stays grey.

To fix it, switch to the copy from Edge's own store:

1. On a Mac, remove the old Web Lock profile in Device Management first. On Windows you can skip this.
2. Install Web Lock from Microsoft Edge Add-ons.
3. Set it up and sign in with the same email, so Pro comes with you. If you used Sync, your sites follow too.
4. Remove the Chrome Web Store copy from edge://extensions.
5. In the new copy, download hard lock again. The file is made for the copy of Web Lock it comes from, so the old one won't do.

Still grey?

Restart the computer once more and look at the policy page again. If it still won't turn green, email [email protected]. Tell us your computer, your browser and what the policy page shows for ExtensionInstallForcelist, and we'll work it out with you.

Changed your mind about hard lock instead? The removal guide takes it off again, with no Web Lock password needed.

Questions people ask

Why does my browser say it's managed by my organization?

That's hard lock itself. Browsers show the label whenever a policy is set on the computer, even one you added at home. Nobody else can see what you do because of it.

Do I need to set up hard lock again after a Web Lock update?

No. Updates come from the same store and keep the same extension, so the setting goes on matching it.

Can hard lock be turned on without an admin account?

No. It's a computer-wide setting, so Windows, macOS and Linux all ask for an admin password before adding it. The same is true for removing it.