Configuring Windows Integrated Authentication in Chrome for Intranet SSO


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When deploying Chrome across enterprise environments, one of the most common pain points is maintaining seamless Windows Integrated Authentication (WIA) that users expect from Internet Explorer. The "Authentication Required" prompts break workflow continuity and create support tickets.

Chrome does support Windows authentication via NTLM and Negotiate (SPNEGO) protocols, but requires explicit configuration. Unlike IE which automatically includes Windows credentials for intranet zone sites, Chrome treats all sites as internet by default.

// Example GPO registry settings for enabling WIA
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome]
"AuthServerWhitelist"="*.corp.yourdomain.com"
"AuthNegotiateDelegateWhitelist"="*.corp.yourdomain.com"
"DisableAuthNegotiateCnameLookup"=dword:00000000

For mass deployment, consider these approaches:

  • Group Policy Objects (recommended for Active Directory environments)
  • Chrome Enterprise policy templates
  • Configuration via registry keys
  • Command-line flags for testing (--auth-server-whitelist)

When authentication fails:

  1. Verify SPNs are properly configured for web servers
  2. Check Kerberos ticket validity with klist
  3. Ensure time synchronization across domain
  4. Test with Fiddler to inspect WWW-Authenticate headers

While implementing WIA:

  • Restrict whitelist to specific domains only
  • Monitor for unexpected credential delegation
  • Consider Chrome's AuthNegotiateDelegateWhitelist for constrained delegation
  • Regularly audit NTLM usage (prefer Kerberos where possible)

Google continues to enhance enterprise authentication support:

  • Ongoing improvements to credential handling in Chrome 115+
  • Experimental support for Kerberos via Chrome://flags
  • Cloud-based policy management integration

When deploying Chrome across enterprise workstations, Windows Integrated Authentication (WIA) becomes critical for seamless access to intranet resources. Unlike Internet Explorer's native support for NTLM/Kerberos authentication, Chrome requires explicit configuration to properly pass domain credentials.

Here are the primary approaches to enable Windows authentication in Chrome:

// Recommended Group Policy settings (Windows)
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome]
"AuthServerWhitelist"="*.yourdomain.com"
"AuthNegotiateDelegateWhitelist"="*.yourdomain.com"
"DisableAuthNegotiateCnameLookup"=dword:00000000
"EnableNegotiateService"=dword:00000001

For mass deployment (100+ machines), use these Chrome policy settings:

{
  "AuthNegotiateDelegateWhitelist": "*.corp.yourcompany.com",
  "AuthServerWhitelist": "*.corp.yourcompany.com",
  "IntegratedAuthEnabled": true,
  "NtlmV2Enabled": true
}

If authentication still fails, check these potential problems:

  • SPN (Service Principal Name) configuration for Kerberos
  • DNS resolution of intranet sites
  • Internet Explorer's security zone settings (Chrome inherits some settings)
  • Chrome flag: chrome://flags/#enable-negotiate-auth

For enterprises using Kerberos:

klist purge  // Clear existing tickets
kinit user@DOMAIN.COM  // Get new ticket
chrome.exe --auth-server-whitelist="*domain.com" --auth-negotiate-delegate-whitelist="*domain.com"

Use Chrome's internal pages to verify configuration:

chrome://policy  // Verify policies applied
chrome://net-internals/#events  // Inspect auth flows