Let Chrome Run: Allow Chrome to Run in Background in Linux Mint Today!

Alright, so I was messing around with my Linux Mint setup today, trying to get Chrome to keep running in the background even after I close all the windows. You know, so I can still get notifications and stuff without having the browser taking up space on my taskbar. Figured I’d share how I got it working ’cause it took a bit of digging.

First off, I checked the obvious spot. I opened up Chrome and clicked around the settings.

• I went to the system settings by typing chrome://settings/ in the address bar.
• Then I found the “System” section.
• There’s a toggle there called “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed”.
• Made sure that was switched on. Easy peasy, right?

But nope, that didn’t do the trick on its own. Chrome was still fully quitting on me when I closed all its windows.

Next, I noticed a little Chrome icon chilling in my notification area. So I right-clicked that bad boy, and boom, there it was:

• “Let Google Chrome run in the background”
• Checked that option.

Closed Chrome, crossed my fingers, and… still nothing. It fully closed again.

Then, I thought maybe it was a cache issue, so:

• Went to settings again.
• Then I opened “Privacy and security.”
• Clicked “Clear browsing data.”
• Cleared the cache and cookies. I just did the “last hour” to be safe, but you do you.

Tried closing Chrome again – still no dice.

At this point, I was getting a little annoyed, so I dug around the system settings some more. I stumbled into the Startup Applications settings:

• Opened up the menu.
• Searched for “Startup Applications.”
• Clicked the “Add” button to make a new entry.
• Named it “Chrome Background” or something like that.
• For the command, I just put in /usr/bin/google-chrome-stable.
• Saved it.

Rebooted the whole system just to be extra sure. And guess what? It finally worked! Now, even when I close all my Chrome windows, that little icon stays in the notification area, and I still get my notifications. Success!

So yeah, it took a few tries, but that’s how I got Chrome to properly run in the background on Linux Mint. Hopefully, this helps someone else out there who’s pulling their hair out over this.