Software Reporter Tool is a Google Chrome standalone process that monitors your Chrome install and reports if any add-ons are interfering with the normal functioning of the browser. The tool isn’t connected to the web but mainly used by the browser to recognize programs that may conflict with it. It’s visible as a 54Kb executable named “software_reporter_tool.exe“. If you face a high CPU usage for this process or if you frequently see a message Google Chrome Software Reporter Tool has stopped working; you might want to disable or remove it. Here is how you can do it.
After using Google Chrome for like about 10 minutes today, Symantec AV displayed a pop-up in the notification area with the text 'softwarereportertool.exe is safe'. I was not consciously downloading anything from the internet at the time and decided to take a look at the details of the notification. Google Chrome Software Reporter monitors Google Chrome add-ons and other software that might interfere with it. Some users have reported that the Google Chrome Software Reporter Tool is hogging memory and wish to disable it.
UPDATE:
- It is now called the Chrome Cleanup Tool.
- But that too has been discontinued now. You need to use Chrome’s Malware Scanner & Cleanup Tool.
The user is completely unaware of the existence of this component, unless and until the user deliberately searches for software reporter tool. So the question is what is the role of this Chrome add-on? Basically, the Chrome software reporter tool is an executable file that runs once a week and reports the scanned results to the Chrome. To be precise, the tool scans the system to check for the unwanted software applications that may be interfering with chrome browsing experience. Also, the tool reports the Chrome about unexpected advertisements or during the incidents like site crashes. Based on the reports, Chrome then prompts the user to run Chrome cleanup tool as part of the scanning process.
Where is Chrome Reporter Tool
Primarily, Software reporter tool is the executable file that is present in Chrome app data folder as Software_reporter_tool.exe. The Chrome app data folder contains the information about the user’s Chrome profile like browser settings, bookmarks, saved passwords and other users information. Amid these many user data, the .exe file is visible under the SwReporter folder in the Chrome app data folder.
Is Chrome Reporter Tool Safe to use
As a user, you may be apprehensive about the privacy. If you are unsure about your network privacy, you can simply check the authenticity of the tool by simply moving the cursor on the .exe file. You may notice that the component is digitally signed by Google with the file description as Chrome Cleanup tool. So this tool is completely safe. It is worth mentioning that the reporting tool doesn’t have any network communication. The only job of this tool is to report Chrome about the software that may not be working conventionally with chrome browser.
Chrome Software Reporter Tool vs Chrome Cleanup Tool
In other words, Software reporter tool is associated with Chrome cleanup tool. Yes, you got it right! Both the tools are identical.Then you might be wondering what could be the need to have them as a separate tool? According to Google, the software reporter tool reports the scans to Chrome and based on the scanned reports, the Chrome browser prompts the user to remove the unwanted software through Chrome cleanup tool.
While the tool helps in removing obstacles that could hurdle the browser experience, many users are mainly worried about its enormous CPU consumptions on running the tool in the background. The tool could run approximately 20 minutes which may slow down your other activity in the system. It’s worth stating that, unless you run the third party software that constitutes a problem on a regular basis, this tool may not be a source of the intrusion.
Disable Google Chrome Software Reporter Tool
You find the Software Reporter Tool under the following path in Windows 10 and older versions of Windows:
While it is simple and pretty straightforward to remove, uninstall or delete the content of the entire folder or rename the executable file itself, doing so offers only temporary relief as Google starts pushing the Software Reporter Tool to the system back again, whenever you update the web browser.
Disable Google Software Reporter Tool Download
So, a more viable option is to remove permissions so that no user has access to the folder.
To do this, do the following,
Right-click on the folder SwReporter and select Properties from the menu.
Next, in the Properties dialog box that appears, switch to the Security tab.
Next, select Advanced and choose “Disable inheritance” option.
Next, click on the option “Remove all inherited permissions from this object” in the Block Inheritance window. When confirmed, the action will remove all inherited permissions from this object.
Finally, select Apply and hit the OK button.
Now no other user will have access to the Software Reporter Tool, and hence no updates would be applied to it.
Disable Google Software Reporter Tool Gpo
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