How to Set Up a Child Organizational Unit for Helperbird

This guide walks school IT administrators through creating a child organizational unit (OU) in the Google Admin Console, moving users into it, and deploying Helperbird with a custom JSON policy - all while keeping inherited settings from your parent OU intact.

This is useful when you want a specific group of students or staff to have Helperbird installed with particular settings, without affecting the rest of your organization.

Before You Start

Make sure that:

• You have Super Admin or Organizational Unit Admin access to admin.google.com
• You know which parent OU you want to create the child OU under
• You have your Helperbird subscription key ready (if deploying Helperbird Pro)
• Helperbird's Chrome extension ID: ahmapmilbkfamljbpgphfndeemhnajme

Good to know: Google Workspace supports up to 35 levels of nested child OUs. For most schools, 2–3 levels is plenty. Keeping your OU structure flat makes it easier to troubleshoot inherited settings. If you need to apply policies across groups that don't fit neatly into a hierarchy, consider using Google Groups alongside OUs.

Creating a Child Organizational Unit

Step 1: Open the Admin Console

Log into the Google Admin Console at admin.google.com. From the left-hand menu, navigate to Directory > Organizational units.

Step 2: Select the Parent OU

Find the parent OU you want to create a child unit under. For example, if your school has a Students OU, you might create a child OU called Students - Helperbird beneath it.

Click on the parent OU to select it.

Step 3: Create the Child OU

Click the Create new organizational unit button (the + icon). Enter a name for the child OU - something descriptive like Helperbird Users or Assistive Tech Group.

Add an optional description, for example: "Users who receive Helperbird with custom managed settings."

Click Create to save.

Tip: Keep the OU name clear and consistent with your existing naming conventions. This makes it easier to manage as your organization grows.

Moving Users Into the Child OU

Step 1: Navigate to Users

From the left-hand menu in the Admin Console, go to Directory > Users.

Step 2: Select the Users

Find the users you want to move. You can use the search bar or filter by existing OU. Select the users by checking the box next to each name.

Tip: To move users in bulk, you can also use a CSV upload. Go to Directory > Users > Bulk update users and specify the new OU path in the CSV file.

Step 3: Move to the Child OU

With the users selected, click the More options menu (three dots) and choose Change organizational unit. Select the child OU you just created and click Continue to confirm the move.

Users will begin receiving the child OU's policies once the change propagates, which typically takes up to 15 minutes.

Confirming Inherited Settings

When you create a child OU, it automatically inherits all settings from its parent OU. This means any Chrome policies, app configurations, or restrictions you've already applied at the parent level will carry over.

How to Verify Inheritance

1. Go to Devices > Chrome > Settings in the Admin Console
2. Select your new child OU from the left-hand panel
3. Look for the Inherited label next to each setting

If a setting shows Inherited, it is coming from the parent OU. You only need to configure settings at the child OU level if you want to override the parent's configuration.

Note: Any setting you customize at the child OU level will override the parent. Settings you don't touch will remain inherited. This means you can safely add Helperbird-specific policies without affecting other inherited Chrome settings.

Adding Helperbird to the Child OU

Step 1: Navigate to Apps & Extensions

In the Admin Console, go to Devices > Chrome > Apps & Extensions.

Step 2: Select the Child OU

From the left-hand panel, select the child OU you created.

Step 3: Add Helperbird

Click the + icon and choose Add from Chrome Web Store. Enter Helperbird's extension ID:

ahmapmilbkfamljbpgphfndeemhnajme

Step 4: Set the Installation Policy

Once Helperbird appears, set the installation policy. The most common options are:

For most school deployments, Force install or Force install + pin is recommended so students have Helperbird available without needing to install it themselves.

Click Save after choosing your policy.

Applying a Custom JSON Policy

This is where you configure Helperbird's managed settings for your child OU - such as your subscription key, admin control, or feature restrictions.

Step 1: Open the Policy Editor

Still on the Apps & Extensions page with your child OU selected, click on the Helperbird entry to open its settings.

Scroll down to the Policy for extensions section. You'll see a text box where you can enter custom JSON.

Step 2: Enter Your JSON Configuration

Paste your JSON policy into the text box. Here's a recommended starter template:

{
  "subKey": {
    "Value": "YOUR SUBSCRIPTION KEY"
  },
  "isAdminControl": {
    "Value": true
  }
}

Replace YOUR SUBSCRIPTION KEY with your actual Helperbird Pro subscription key. Setting isAdminControl to true tells Helperbird to use the managed subscription key instead of requiring each user to enter their own.

Step 3: Add Feature Controls (Optional)

If you want to disable specific features for this group of users, add the feature disabling settings:

{
  "subKey": {
    "Value": "YOUR SUBSCRIPTION KEY"
  },
  "isAdminControl": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "disableFeatures": {
    "Value": true
  },
  "disabledFeatures": {
    "Value": [
      "EditorReader",
      "VoiceTypingOptions"
    ]
  }
}

For the full list of feature codes you can disable, see our guide: How to Disable Helperbird Features Using JSON Policy.

Step 4: Save the Policy

Click Save to apply the JSON policy. The configuration will begin propagating to users in the child OU.

Tip: JSON formatting matters. Make sure your JSON is valid before saving - a missing comma or bracket will cause the policy to be ignored. You can use a free tool like jsonlint.com to validate your JSON before pasting it in.

Verifying the Deployment

Step 1: Check Chrome Policies

On a managed Chromebook or Chrome browser signed into a user account in the child OU, navigate to chrome://policy in the address bar. Click Reload policies, then look for the Helperbird extension ID (ahmapmilbkfamljbpgphfndeemhnajme) in the list.

You should see your JSON policy values listed under it.

Step 2: Open Helperbird

Click the Helperbird icon in the Chrome toolbar. Confirm that the extension opens and shows Helperbird Pro if you applied a subscription key.

Step 3: Verify Feature Restrictions

If you disabled any features, confirm they are no longer visible in the Helperbird interface for users in the child OU.

Tip: Changes can take up to 15 minutes to propagate. If the policy hasn't taken effect yet, try restarting Chrome or having the user sign out and back in.

Video Tutorial

Coming soon

Validate Your Policy

Before deploying, use our JSON Policy Validator to check for errors, validate feature codes, and see exactly what each setting does.

Need Additional Help?

If you run into any issues setting up your organizational unit or applying Helperbird's JSON policy, reach out to our Helperbird support team and we'll get you sorted out!