Deploy PWAs to Users

In this guide, we will walk you through the detailed steps required to deploy one or more Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) using a Microsoft Group Policy Object (GPO) with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge ADMX templates. By deploying the PWA centrally via Group Policy, organizations can ensure that users have quick and easy access to Kasm Workspaces directly from their desktop or start menu without requiring manual installations.

Prerequisites

Overview

You can follow these four phases to deploy Kasm PWAs using Group Policy.

  1. Prepare a JSON template for the Kasm PWA Group Policy Object.

  2. Install ADMX templates for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

  3. Configure a browser-specific GPO.

  4. Verify the deployment and troubleshoot common issues.

Phase 1. Prepare JSON Template

The Group Policy Object for PWA deployment only accepts JSON data in a single-line, concatenated format, stripping all whitespace and line breaks.

  1. You can create your template using one of the two templates below. Copy and paste a template into a text editor.

    • Use this concatenated JSON template to add a single PWA:

      [{"url":"https://www.contoso.com/maps","default_launch_container":"window","create_desktop_shortcut":true}]

    • Use this concatenated JSON template to add multiple PWAs:

      [{"url":"https://app.contoso.edu","default_launch_container":"window","create_desktop_shortcut":true},{"url":"https://app.contoso.edu/editor","default_launch_container":"window","create_desktop_shortcut":true},{"url":"https://app.contoso.edu/sheets","default_launch_container":"window","create_desktop_shortcut":true}]

  2. Log in to Kasm Workspaces with administrative credentials.

  3. Navigate to Workspaces > Workspaces.

  4. For each Workspace you want to deploy as a PWA:

    • Click the Edit (pencil icon) for the Workspace.

    • Locate and copy the Direct Install URL.

    • Paste the value into your JSON template, replacing the example URL.

  5. Save your updated JSON template and keep the information available for the GPO configuration steps.

Phase 2. Install ADMX Templates

For Google Chrome:

  1. Download Chrome Enterprise Bundle.

    https://chromeenterprise.google/browser/download/

  2. Extract GoogleChromeEnterpriseBundle64.zip.

    • Navigate to the extracted bundle and locate the Configuration\admx folder.

    • You will find two key folders:

      • admx: Contains the ADMX files

      • en-US: Contains language-specific ADML files (English in this example)

    • Copy chrome.admx to:

      %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions

    • Copy chrome.adml to its corresponding language-specific folder:

      %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-US

For Microsoft Edge:

  1. Select and download the Edge Windows 64-bit Policy; the download link is located directly below the Download button.

    https://www.microsoft.com/edge/business/download

  2. Extract MicrosoftEdgePolicyTemplates.cab.

    • Navigate to the extracted bundle and locate the Windows\admx folder.

    • You will find two key folders:

      • admx: Contains the ADMX files

      • en-US: Contains language-specific ADML files (English in this example)

    • Copy msedge.admx to:

      %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions

    • Copy msedge.adml to its corresponding language-specific folder:

      %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-US

Phase 3. Configure a Browser-Specific GPO

Create a New GPO

  1. Open Group Policy Management Console.

    gpmc.msc

  2. Right-click on your desired Organizational Unit (OU) and select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here…

  3. Name the new GPO, e.g., “Kasm Workspaces PWA Deployment”.

Configure List of Force-Installed Web Apps

For Google Chrome:

  1. Right click your newly created GPO and select Edit.

  2. You can configure this setting in either of the locations below:

    • Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Google Chrome

    • User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Google Chrome

    Note

    Choose Computer Configuration to apply PWA settings universally on a specific set of devices, regardless of who is logged in.

    Choose User Configuration if you want the PWAs to follow a specific set of users across any device.

    Both configurations can work together, but if there’s a conflict between them, Computer Configuration typically takes precedence. Loopback Processing and policy filtering are the most common cases where User Configuration might override or replace Computer Configuration settings.

  3. Locate and Edit the setting Configure list of force-installed Web Apps

    • Change the State to Enabled

    • Copy the single-line, concatenated JSON from Phase 1. Prepare JSON Template.

    • Paste JSON data into the URLs for Web Apps to be silently installed field.

    • Click OK to save changes.

For Microsoft Edge:

  1. Right click your newly created GPO and select Edit.

  2. You can configure this setting in either of the locations below:

    • Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge

    • User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge

    Note

    Choose Computer Configuration to apply PWA settings universally on a specific set of devices, regardless of who is logged in.

    Choose User Configuration if you want the PWAs to follow a specific set of users across any device.

    Both configurations can work together, but if there’s a conflict between them, Computer Configuration typically takes precedence. Loopback Processing and policy filtering are the most common cases where User Configuration might override or replace Computer Configuration settings.

  3. Locate and Edit the setting Configure list of force-installed Web Apps

    • Change the State to Enabled

    • Copy the single-line, concatenated JSON from Phase 1. Prepare JSON Template.

    • Paste JSON data into the URLs for Web Apps to be silently installed field.

    • Click OK to save changes.

Phase 4. Verification and Troubleshooting Steps

Update Group Policy on Client Machines

  1. You can run the gpresult /R command to review the Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) information and determine whether or not the GPO you just created has been applied on a client machine.

  2. Review Applied Group Policy Objects in both the Computer Settings and User Settings section. Your Kasm Workspaces PWA Deployment GPO should appear in the corresponding location that you used in Phase 3. Configure a Browser-Specific GPO.

    COMPUTER SETTINGS
------------------
CN=Alpha,OU=Servers,DC=kasm,DC=local
Last time Group Policy was applied: 10/25/2024 at 8:42:58 PM
Group Policy was applied from:      WindowsServer.kasm.local
Group Policy slow link threshold:   500 kbps
Domain Name:                        KASM
Domain Type:                        Windows 2008 or later

    Applied Group Policy Objects
    -----------------------------
    Kasm Workspaces PWA Deployment


...


USER SETTINGS
------------------
CN=Alpha,OU=Servers,DC=kasm,DC=local
Last time Group Policy was applied: 10/25/2024 at 8:42:58 PM
Group Policy was applied from:      WindowsServer.kasm.local
Group Policy slow link threshold:   500 kbps
Domain Name:                        KASM
Domain Type:                        Windows 2008 or later

    Applied Group Policy Objects
    -----------------------------
    Kasm Workspaces PWA Deployment

  3. If your Group Policy has not been applied yet, and immediate enforcement is needed, using gpupdate /force or rebooting the client machines will help expedite the process.

Verify PWA Functionality

For Google Chrome:

  1. After the Group Policy is applied, open Chrome on a client machine.

  2. Confirm that PWAs appear in the Start Menu and as desktop shortcuts if configured.

  3. Navigate to chrome://apps and verify that the Kasm Workspaces PWAs are listed.

  4. Launch each PWA.

  5. Ensure each PWA opens in its own window as expected and provides access to Kasm Workspaces.

For Microsoft Edge:

  1. After the Group Policy is applied, open Edge on a client machine.

  2. Confirm that PWAs appear in the Start Menu and as desktop shortcuts if configured.

  3. Navigate to edge//apps and verify that the Kasm Workspaces PWAs are listed.

  4. Launch each PWA.

  5. Ensure each PWA opens in its own window as expected and provides access to Kasm Workspaces.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. PWAs Not Installing

    • Verify GPO link and scope

    • Check policy application with: gpresult /r

    • Review Event Viewer for policy errors

    • Verify Direct Install URLs are correct and accessible

  2. Authentication Issues

    • Verify SSL certificates

    • Check browser SSO configuration

    • Confirm Kasm server accessibility

  3. Performance Problems

    • Review network connectivity

    • Check client system resources

    • Verify browser version compatibility

    • Monitor Kasm Workspace resource allocation

Reference