On a Windows, Mac or Linux computer, you can reinstall Chrome and keep everything: uninstalling the app leaves your profile (bookmarks, passwords, history, extensions, settings and website sign-ins) on the computer unless you choose to delete it, and the new copy of Chrome picks it up again. Being signed in to Chrome adds a second copy of most of it in your Google Account. Below is exactly what each copy holds, then the steps.
What is kept, and where
On your computer. Your profile lives in Chrome’s user data folder, which holds your history, bookmarks, cookies and the rest of your Chrome data (Chromium documentation):
- Windows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data - Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome - Linux:
~/.config/google-chrome
Uninstalling Chrome does not delete this folder unless you check Also delete your browsing data when Windows offers it, or delete the folder yourself on a Mac or Linux computer, as Google’s uninstall steps describe.
In your Google Account. When you’re signed in to Chrome, Google lists what it can save in your account:
- Bookmarks and your reading list
- Passwords
- Payment info, plus identity docs, contact and travel info
- Extensions and web apps
- Settings and preferences
- History and open tabs, but only if you turned on History and tabs
Only on your computer. Cookies, which keep you signed in to websites, aren’t on Google’s list, and neither are cached files or the data websites store. They survive a normal reinstall because they are in the profile folder, but they don’t come back from your Google Account if that folder is deleted. Saved info you never moved into your account is in the same position: when you’re signed out of Chrome, Google says bookmarks and other info are saved only on your device.
Step 1: Put a copy in your Google Account
- Open Chrome and make sure you’re signed in.
- Select More (three dots) > Settings > You and Google, then select your account name, and choose what to save in your Google Account. Turn on History and tabs if you want your history kept there too.
- If your profile icon at the top right offers Save x items in Account, select it, choose what to save and select Save in account. That moves bookmarks and other info you saved while signed out into your account.
If you set a sync passphrase, keep it handy: Google says you need it to sign in to Chrome with your account on a new device.
Step 2: Uninstall Chrome without deleting your profile
- Windows: close Chrome. Open Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then next to Google Chrome select More > Uninstall (on Windows 10, Apps > Apps & features > Google Chrome > Uninstall). If you see Also delete your browsing data, leave it unchecked.
- Mac: quit Chrome and drag Google Chrome from Applications to the Trash. Don’t touch the folder in Application Support.
- Linux:
sudo dpkg -r google-chrome-stableon Debian or Ubuntu,sudo rpm -e google-chrome-stableon other systems. These remove the app; leave~/.config/google-chromewhere it is.
How to uninstall Chrome has the full steps for each system.
Step 3: Install Chrome again
Download the installer for your system from Chrome for Windows, Chrome for Mac or Chrome for Linux, which link to Google’s own files, and run it. Then open Chrome. It finds the profile folder that’s still on your computer, so your bookmarks, passwords, extensions and website sign-ins are where you left them. If you’re asked to sign in, sign in with the same Google Account.
Reinstalling Chrome also covers iPhone, iPad and Android, and how to try Reset settings first.
On an iPhone or iPad
Deleting the Chrome app on an iPhone or iPad also deletes your profile on the device. Only what is saved in your Google Account comes back when you install Chrome again and sign in, so do Step 1 on that device first.
If a reinstall doesn’t fix the problem
If the trouble comes back with your old profile, the profile itself may be the cause. A clean install of Chrome deletes the profile and starts a fresh one, then brings your bookmarks and passwords back from your Google Account or from exported files.