Browser Extensions Missing After DefensX Installation

After installing the DefensX software, some browser extensions that were previously installed via Group Policy at the user level may disappear from Chrome or Edge.

This behavior is due to how DefensX configures browser policies to enforce security features.

DefensX installs its browser extension and required policies at the computer level, not the user level. This ensures consistent security features across all user profiles.

The browser extension installation is controlled through the ExtensionInstallForcelist policy key. However, Chrome and Edge cannot merge this policy if it exists at both the user and computer levels. When this happens, the browser may show a policy conflict.

You can confirm this by navigating to:

Look for the ExtensionInstallForcelist key. If the Status column shows a warning like Conflict, this confirms the issue.

To resolve the conflict, you need to move the affected extension’s policy from the user level to the computer level:

Then go to:

Ensure that only the computer-level policy sets the ExtensionInstallForcelist key, and that it includes all required extension IDs, including the ones that were disappearing.

As of Q2 2025, this issue has been reported in only 0.02% of DefensX installations, primarily involving password manager extensions like Keeper Security or Bitwarden, when installed via user-level GPOs.