Layers — Installation Guide

Deploy or install the Layers Chrome extension

v1.3.3

👋 Which guide do you need?

🧑‍🏫

I'm a teacher

Use the Self-Install option to add Layers to your own browser, or share the QR code with students so they can install it themselves. Mac users: see the Mac Teacher App tab.

→ Go to Self-Install guide
🔧

I'm IT / school admin

Deploy Layers to all student devices at once — no student action needed. Requires admin access to Google Workspace or Windows PCs.

→ Go to deployment guides
ChromeOS

Chromebook Admin

Force-install via Google Workspace Admin Console

Windows

Windows Admin

Force-install via registry on Windows 10/11 PCs

macOS

Mac Teacher App

Download & first-launch setup for macOS

Self-Install

Teacher / Self-Install

Install on your own browser or share with students

🔒 This guide requires Google Workspace admin access. If you're a teacher without admin rights, ask your school's IT department to follow these steps, or use the Self-Install tab instead.
ℹ️ This installs the Layers Chrome extension on every student Chromebook automatically — no student action needed. The extension appears immediately and cannot be removed by students.
1

Open Google Admin Console

Sign in with your Google Workspace admin account.

https://admin.google.com
2

Navigate to Chrome App Management

Follow this path in the left sidebar:

Devices› Chrome› Apps & Extensions› Users & Browsers
3

Select the Student Organisational Unit

In the left panel, click the OU that contains your students (e.g. Students or Year 1). This ensures the extension only installs for students, not staff.

4

Add the Layers Extension

Click the ＋ button (bottom-right) → Add from Chrome Web Store. Search for "Layers", or paste the extension ID:

iclfdiolilnmjeimkdoeloeiioaongnh

Select the Layers extension and click Select.

5

Set Installation Policy to Force Install

After adding the extension, a settings panel appears. Set:

Installation policy Force install
Pin to toolbar Enabled (recommended)
⚠️ Do not choose "Allow install" — students must not be able to remove it. Choose Force install.
6

Save

Click Save in the top-right corner. The policy deploys immediately.

✓

Done — What Happens Next

🎉

Extension auto-installs on all student devices

Students will see the Layers icon in their Chrome toolbar the next time they sign in or restart Chrome. No student action required. The extension cannot be removed while the policy is active.

🔒 This guide requires Windows administrator rights. If you're a teacher without admin access, ask your school's IT department to follow these steps, or use the Self-Install tab instead.
ℹ️ This adds a registry entry that tells Chrome to force-install the Layers extension on Windows PCs. Students cannot remove it.
Recommended

⚙️ Registry (.reg file)

Double-click to install. 30 sec per machine.

Fastest

💻 Silent .bat Script

Run from USB or network share. No clicks.

1

Download the .reg file

Save it anywhere on the target PC.

⚠️ Windows may warn "Unknown publisher" — click Yes to continue. This is normal for .reg files.
2

Run as Administrator

Right-click layers-install.reg → Merge (or double-click). Accept the UAC prompt.

3

Restart Chrome

Close and reopen Chrome. The extension installs automatically within seconds.

✓

Done

🎉

Layers is now force-installed

The 🗂️ icon appears in the Chrome toolbar. The extension cannot be removed while the registry key exists.

What's inside the .reg file (for reference):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist]
"1"="iclfdiolilnmjeimkdoeloeiioaongnh;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"
💡 If value "1" is already taken by another extension, change it to "2" or any unused number.
1

Download the .bat script

2

Run as Administrator

Right-click layers-install.bat → Run as administrator. A black window flashes briefly.

⚠️ Must be run as Administrator or the registry write will fail silently.
3

Restart Chrome

Close and reopen Chrome. The extension installs automatically within seconds.

✓

Done

🎉

Layers is force-installed

Copy the .bat to a USB stick and run it on each student PC in under 60 seconds each.

What's inside the .bat file:

@echo off
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist" ^
  /v 1 ^
  /t REG_SZ ^
  /d "iclfdiolilnmjeimkdoeloeiioaongnh;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx" ^
  /f
echo Layers extension force-install policy applied.
pause
🍎 Download the Layers Teacher app for Mac (.dmg). The app is not yet code-signed, so the first launch requires one extra step.
1

Download the .dmg from Google Drive

Open the folder and download the Layers Teacher.dmg file.

⬇ Open Google Drive folder
2

Open the .dmg and drag the app to Applications

Double-click the downloaded .dmg file. Drag Layers Teacher.app into your Applications folder.

3

First launch — right-click to open

Because the app is not yet code-signed, macOS will block it on the first launch with the message: "Layers Teacher.app cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer."

🖱️ Right-click the app in Applications → click Open → click Open in the dialog. You only need to do this once — after that, the app opens normally.
💡 Alternative: go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to the Layers warning.
✓

Done — Layers is running

🎉

The toolbar is floating on your screen

From now on, double-click the app to open it normally. Layers floats above Keynote, Safari, YouTube, and any full-screen app. A 14-day free trial starts automatically — no license key needed to begin.

Translation, dictionary, notes & timer — floats over any page

Scan the QR code
chromewebstore.google.com/detail/iclfdiolilnmjeimkdoeloeiioaongnh
🔗 Open Chrome Web Store

Can't scan? Click the link above