# Chrome++ Next: how DLL injection adds portable deployments and tab shortcuts to Google Chrome on Windows

> Chrome++ Next places version.dll next to chrome.exe and runs before Chrome's own initialization, adding tab shortcuts, portable profile paths and hotkey remapping that extensions cannot reach. The project supports only the latest stable Google Chrome on Windows, and every release since 1.6.0 is under GPL-3.0.

**Bush2021/chrome_plus** — A DLL hijack implements Chrome full portability as well as tab enhancements.

- Repository: https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus
- Stars: 2,173 · Forks: 178
- Language: C++
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-10-09 · Updated: 2026-10-09 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/bush2021-chrome-plus

## version.dll placed next to chrome.exe is the mechanism, not a plugin

Chrome++ Next attaches to Google Chrome by dropping a file named version.dll into the same directory as chrome.exe. Windows checks that directory before system paths when loading a DLL, so Chrome picks up Chrome++ Next's code at startup. Chrome++ Next runs its initialization and then passes control to the real system library. The project's own repository description calls this DLL hijacking, which is the accurate term for the technique.

That approach means Chrome++ Next is not sandboxed the way browser extensions are. It runs at the process level, with Chrome's own permissions, before the browser's internal structures are fully set up. Browser extensions receive their capabilities from a defined API that Chrome controls. Chrome++ Next attaches before that layer is in place.

The practical consequence is that features which the Chrome extension API does not expose become possible here. Tab behaviors tied to mouse events at the strip level, window hiding and audio muting together, overriding where Chrome writes its profile, injecting Chromium command-line switches at launch: none of these are available to extensions, and all of them are what Chrome++ Next exists to do.

The project targets only Google Chrome on Windows. Chromium-based browsers such as Edge or Brave may accept the DLL without crashing, but they are explicitly not supported targets. Bug reports are accepted only against the latest stable Google Chrome release.

## Double-click, wheel scroll, and hover-to-activate reshape how tabs respond

Several tab behaviors in Chrome++ Next address interactions that Chrome's own keyboard shortcuts leave out. Double-clicking a tab closes it. Right-clicking a tab also closes it, and holding Shift during a right-click restores the original context menu, which means you do not lose access to the standard right-click options.

Tab switching gains two mouse-wheel shortcuts. Scrolling the wheel over the tab strip moves between open tabs. A second mode enables the same navigation while holding the right mouse button. Hovering over a tab activates it without a click, which changes how you scan across a dense tab bar.

A keep-last-tab option prevents closing the final remaining tab from also closing the browser window. That is a behavior Chrome has never offered by default, and extensions cannot intercept the close event at that level.

Two configuration keys control how Chrome++ Next treats new-tab pages: new_tab_disable and new_tab_disable_name. Their purpose is to route bookmarks and omnibox entries into a new tab or hold them in the current one, depending on which behavior you prefer. Both keys live in chrome++.ini, and neither of them is exposed by any Chrome extension API.

## Placing version.dll in Chrome's directory, and the offline installer path to a clean portable setup

Download version.dll from the releases page at github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/releases. Version 1.18.2, released on 2026-07-30, is the latest release. Copy it into the same directory as chrome.exe, and Chrome will pick it up on the next launch.

For a portable deployment, the README's recommended path starts with a separate project: the Chrome offline installer at github.com/Bush2021/chrome_installer. Download the offline installer package, extract it twice to unpack the program files, and use that unpacked folder as your Chrome directory. Version.dll sits next to chrome.exe inside it, and the whole setup lives in one portable folder you can move between machines.

If version.dll does not load after placement, the README points to a utility called setdll at github.com/Bush2021/setdll. That tool can force the DLL into Chrome's import table when the side-by-side approach alone is not enough.

One note on environment: if you keep Chrome's updater components or remnants of a previous Chrome install on the same system, the project labels that behavior environment-specific and places the responsibility on you for what happens. Starting with a clean portable folder that has no other Chrome components on the system avoids that category of ambiguity.

## data_dir and cache_dir keep the portable profile out of the system user directory

Three configuration keys in chrome++.ini handle the portable side of Chrome++ Next. Setting data_dir redirects Chrome's user profile storage to a path you specify. Setting cache_dir separates the cache from the profile directory. Pointing both at paths inside the portable Chrome folder keeps the entire setup self-contained, so nothing writes to system-level user directories and carrying the folder to another machine carries the profile with it.

The command_line key appends Chromium command-line switches to every Chrome launch. Any switch Chromium accepts on its command line can go there. This avoids the usual workaround of editing a shortcut or writing a wrapper batch file; Chrome++ Next inserts the switches at startup without requiring any launcher.

Two keys attach external commands to Chrome's lifecycle. launch_on_startup runs a command or program when Chrome opens. launch_on_exit runs one when Chrome closes. These keys are not tied to Chrome's own internals; they provide a general mechanism for running other programs around Chrome's start and stop events, which is useful when Chrome++ Next is part of a larger portable setup that involves companion tools.

The full configuration surface is listed in src/chrome++.ini at the repository root, which documents keys not mentioned in the README.

## The boss key mutes audio alongside window hiding, and keymapping reaches Chrome command IDs

The boss key is a hotkey that hides all Chrome windows and mutes audio at the same time. Pressing it again restores both. That combination separates it from a standard minimize. A minimized window still appears in the taskbar and the window is still audible; the boss key removes both the visual and audio traces of Chrome simultaneously.

Configuration for the boss key and a separate translate hotkey lives in chrome++.ini. The translate hotkey maps a key combination to Chrome's built-in page translation.

The keymapping key goes beyond remapping one shortcut to another. It lets you bind a hotkey to a Chrome command ID rather than a key combination. Chrome command IDs are internal identifiers for browser actions, and mapping a key to one lets you trigger actions that Chrome's own shortcut settings interface does not expose. Whether that capability is useful depends on how much you know about Chrome's internal command list. Nothing in the README or the repository's visible files documents which command IDs exist, so finding them requires looking at Chromium's own source code or community documentation outside this project.

## ignore_policies strips enterprise Chrome restrictions, and win32k is a crash workaround only

The ignore_policies key removes enterprise policy arguments from Chrome's startup sequence. On a personally owned machine with no Group Policy or enterprise policy JSON deployed, this key has no visible effect. On an organization-managed machine, it bypasses restrictions that an IT department has pushed through Chrome's policy system.

Two other keys in chrome++.ini address narrower situations. suppress_false_upgrade_notification silences Chrome's out-of-date warning on portable installs where the standard updater is not running. That notice fires because Chrome expects an updater to be present; on a portable build it is a false alarm, and this key suppresses it.

win32k is described as a fallback to enable only when Chrome++ itself causes startup crashes. Enabling it when Chrome++ is running without issue provides no documented benefit, and the project treats it as an exception for a specific failure condition rather than a general optimization.

The show_password key and other options beyond what the README covers are listed in src/chrome++.ini. Anyone considering ignore_policies on a machine they do not personally own should understand that removing employer-deployed policies carries different implications than removing policies you set yourself.

## GPL-3.0 applies from version 1.6.0, and the MIT history affects older copies

The licence history has three phases. Shuax, the original author, released versions through 1.5.4 under MIT with all rights reserved. Contributors in this repository then modified that code for versions 1.5.5 through 1.5.9, still under MIT. Starting with 1.6.0, the project switched to GPL-3.0, which covers every release since, including the current 1.18.2.

GPL-3.0 requires that anyone who modifies the code and distributes the result must also distribute the source code for those modifications under the same licence. Distributing the unmodified DLL raises a different set of considerations that depend on how the distribution is structured. Reading the LICENSE file at the repository root before any distribution decision is the appropriate step, and this article does not offer legal advice on what the text permits.

If you received a copy of this DLL from a third-party source and need to know which licence applies, the version number is the dividing line. Any version at or above 1.6.0 is GPL-3.0, and any version at or below 1.5.9 is MIT, with the attribution requirements that MIT carries.

## Antivirus tools may quarantine version.dll, and only the latest stable Chrome is a supported target

DLL injection is a technique that security software watches closely. Placing version.dll next to chrome.exe uses the same side-by-side pattern that some malware families employ, and some antivirus products will quarantine the file or prevent Chrome from starting. No documentation in the README addresses this, and no workaround is given beyond the setdll utility, which handles the separate problem of the DLL not loading rather than the problem of it being blocked.

The version support policy is strict. Bug reports are accepted only for the latest stable Google Chrome release. Running Chrome++ Next against an older Chrome build, a beta channel build, or any Chromium fork falls outside the project's scope. Organizations that standardize on a specific older Chrome version or that run Edge, Brave, or another Chromium browser will not receive support.

Version 1.18.2, released on 2026-07-30, is the current release. The last push to the repository was on 2026-08-15. That pace is recent, but the strict single-target policy means each Google Chrome update carries some risk of a behavior change that Chrome++ Next has not yet caught up with.

## Conclusion

Chrome++ Next is worth it for Windows users who run a portable Chrome installation and want tab shortcuts, a boss key, or portable data directories that extensions cannot provide. Skip it if your antivirus flags DLL injection and you cannot add exceptions, or if you run a Chromium fork rather than Google Chrome stable. Before installing, verify that your security software does not quarantine version.dll, confirm you are on the latest stable Chrome release, and read the GPL-3.0 text in LICENSE if you plan to distribute a modified build.

## FAQ

### What is Chrome++ Next?

Chrome++ Next is a DLL injection project for Google Chrome on Windows. Placing version.dll in the same directory as chrome.exe causes Chrome to load it at startup, adding tab shortcuts, portable profile paths, hotkey remapping and enterprise policy bypass features that browser extensions cannot implement.

### Will antivirus software flag Chrome++ Next?

Possibly. Chrome++ Next uses DLL hijacking, a technique security software monitors because malware uses the same pattern. Some antivirus products may quarantine version.dll or block Chrome from starting. The project does not document a workaround for antivirus flagging.

### Does Chrome++ Next work with Microsoft Edge or Brave?

It targets only Google Chrome on Windows. Other Chromium-based browsers may run without crashing, but they are explicitly not supported, and bug reports for them are not accepted.

### What license is Chrome++ Next under?

Versions 1.6.0 and later are under GPL-3.0. Versions 1.5.4 and earlier were under MIT, credited to the original author Shuax. Versions 1.5.5 through 1.5.9 are also MIT with modifications by contributors in this repository.

### Where can I download Chrome++ Next?

Releases are available at github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/releases. Version 1.18.2, released on 2026-07-30, is the latest. Installation involves placing version.dll in the same directory as chrome.exe.

## Sources

- [Bush2021/chrome_plus on GitHub](https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus)
- [Issues](https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/issues)
- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/blob/main/LICENSE)
- [README](https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/blob/main/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/Bush2021/chrome_plus/releases)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/bush2021-chrome-plus