3 Ways to Install and Uninstall Opera with Group Policy

Powershell is a great CMD alternative when running silent commands

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Key notes

  • Browser Group Policy helps to ease the management of activities on a domain.
  • Silent installation/uninstallation is particularly important to avoid disrupting workflow.
  • Learn how to set Opera as the default browser with GPO.
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Opera browser Group Policy is a centralized unit that helps administrators to manage and configure the browser operating systems and users’ settings.

Also, in an environment where all the users are joined to a domain, because of the Group Policy in use, these computers relatively share the same resources. So, to avoid disrupting the activities of other users when adding or removing apps, you can do that silently.

Although, installing or uninstalling Opera via this can be a bit tricky because it can go wrong if the right codes are not written. Hence, we will address the various ways to do these without any hassles.

Quick Tip:

Before we begin, make sure you have the most recent version of Opera installed on your computer. It’s always best to be up-date with any web apps you may use.

The Group Policy in the Opera ADMX file may cause issues with previous versions of this browser due to ongoing development and updates.

Opera

Double-check your version of Opera to be the latest in order for GPO to work properly.

Does the Opera browser work in an enterprise scenario?

A chromium feature via a GPO must be enabled for any browser to work in an enterprise. Since Opera has taken the leap to the Chromium features, it can function as a browser for the workplace.

However, to fully maximize this feature, you need to have the Opera ADMX file which supports the GPO in use.

How can I silent install the Opera browser? (How can I silent uninstall the Opera browser?)

1. Install with Command Prompt

  1. Go to the official site and download the Opera installation file.
  2. Copy the exe fille to a new folder created in the Downloads section on your PC.
  3. Press the Windows key, search for the command prompt, and launch it as an administrator.
  4. Navigate to the Downloads section.
  5. Input the following codes into the command prompt and press Enter: Opera_64.0.x.x_Setup_x64.exe /silent /allusers=1 /launchopera=0 /setdefaultbrowser=0
  6. Wait till it installs automatically on your PC.

This is the more popular way of installing the Opera browser with a Group Policy. It should easily be installed on every device connected to the network.

2. Uninstall using CMD

  1. Press the Windows key, search for the command prompt, and launch it as an administrator.
  2. Enter the following command and press Enter: "%ProgramFiles%\Opera\Launcher.exe" /uninstall /silent
  3. Wait for Opera to be uninstalled.

3. Use Windows Powershell

  1. Press the Windows key, search for Windows Powershell, and run as an administrator.
  2. Input the following codes and press Enter:
$LocalTempDir = $env:TEMP; $OperaInstaller = "OperaInstaller.exe"; (new-object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile('http://dl.google.com/Opera/install/375.126/Opera_installer.exe', "$LocalTempDir\$OperaInstaller"); & "$LocalTempDir\$OperaInstaller" /silent /install; $Process2Monitor = "operaInstaller"; Do { $ProcessesFound = Get-Process | ?{$Process2Monitor -contains $_.Name} | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Name; If ($ProcessesFound) { "Still running: $($ProcessesFound -join ', ')" | Write-Host; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2 } else { rm "$LocalTempDir\$ChromeInstaller" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Verbose } } Until (!$ProcessesFound)

It is important to note that all these must be done with the administrator’s permission or else, it may fail.

How can I set Opera as the default browser with GPO?

  1. Download opera admx file that supports configuration via GPO.
  2. Create a single xml file that set Opera as the default browser.
  3. Open the Group Policy Management Editor and follow this path: Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Template > Windows Components > File Explorer
  4. Double-click on Set a defaut association configuration file and Enable it.

These are the various ways to install and uninstall Opera with Group Policy. Ensure you follow each solution strictly for a higher chance of success.

For more information take a look at our similar Group Policy Management installation guide for Windows 10 and find out whether there are different ways in which you can install the program.

Also, check out our article on how to install Group Policy Management console on Windows here.

In conclusion, you can leave your questions and suggestions below in the comments section. We’d like to hear from you.

More about the topics: Opera Web Browser