It looks like Google plans to nag Windows 11 users to open its Chrome browser at bootup

Google's hoping to get Windows 11 users to choose to fire up its Chrome browser as soon as the operating system boots to the desktop.

Windows Latest noticed that a regular contributor of browser info on X, Leopeva64, pointed out the latest step in this grand plan of Google's, which is to nag Chrome users to configure the browser in this way.

The addition of the option to automatically start Chrome on first bootup with Windows 11 - opening the browser in the foreground, it should be noted, not stealthily in the background - actually went into testing a couple of weeks ago.

Leopeva64 spotted it in the Canary channel for the browser back then, and further noticed this latest update to the functionality, which is the aforementioned nag banner urging Chrome users to enable this feature.

The banner appears just under the bookmarks toolbar and says:

"Begin browsing instantly. Chrome can now launch when Windows starts. Allow Chrome to open automatically?"

There's an 'Allow' button after the message to do just that, meaning your Chrome will then open on startup.

While there's some convenience in that - if you always use Chrome - it will obviously add a little time to the bootup process with Windows 11.

Furthermore, not everyone wants to be prompted in this way, and would likely prefer to be notified of such a change in a more subtle manner (such as the 'what's new' blurb when this move comes in with the release version of Chrome).

If that happens, of course, because this is still in testing, so the functionality may not make the cut for the production release of Chrome. Of course, it probably will - but the nag prompt may not, at least not in this form. Still, it's clearly something Google is experimenting with currently.