Disable Java Plugin in Google Chrome?

Solution 1:

For Java specifically, Chrome now disables Java by default on all pages and prompts you to allow it to run each time a site needs it.

For more general plugin worries, Chrome allows you to block all plugins on all sites completely, and then allows you to selectively enable them on a page without reloading it. You can also configure exceptions for particular URLs.

To enable this, under the Plug-ins section of the settings url: chrome://settings/content select "Block All".

With this option enabled, when you want to run plugins on a page you have 3 options:

• Right click on the plugin and choose "Run this plug-in" from the context menu
• Click the plugin icon in the URL bar and choose "Run all plug-ins this time
• Add an exception for sites you trust so that they can run plugins without your explicit permission each time

Chrome also has a "Click to play" setting which is hidden behind a flag in some versions of Chrome. As a commenter mentioned, this option is vulnerable to clickjacking attacks so I would advise against using it. You're better off with the "Block all" feature.

Solution 2:

I found a really old bug / feature request on Google Chrome here.
It appears in Chrome 6.0 or later. Visit chrome://plugins/ or about:plugins and disable Java there.

Once I did this, to make sure Java was disabled, I visited a Java plugin demo page. And indeed it was disabled:

But my general recommendation is to uninstall Java -- you really don't want Java on your system unless you absolutely, positively have to have it .. because there are so many new exploits for it.

I would also recommend disabling any plugins you don't absolutely need. Every enabled plugin is an attack surface, and yet another thing that needs to be kept up to date..

Solution 3:

One small trick I use with Java is to hunt around and install the x64 version only, which I only use when I fire up IE x64 to use the one-off Java only apps like the one you reference.