Solution for Chrome Passwords Disappeared And Missing

One day you open your Chrome browser and your passwords are gone! Either nothing is being filled into the login field on your favourite websites or all the passwords are gone from the Chrome Password Manager. Well there are a few simple solutions that you can try and one should fix your problem!

Fix #1: Did You Recently Clean Your Temp Files or History?

First things first: did you recently delete your temp files or history either using the built-in Chrome took or a third-party program like CCleaner? If you did and your passwords are missing then chances are that you accidentally clicked the “passwords” checkbox when you were asked what you wanted to wipe.

If this is the case then the good news is that there is nothing wrong with your computer. The bad news is that you’ll have to re-enter all of your passwords one by one from memory so that Chrome can remember them again.

And next time you’re wiping your history or temp files make sure you un-check passwords!

Fix #2: Are You Logged Into Chrome?

In the top right corner of your Chrome browser do you see your google account name (usually your name)? Or do you see a little grey head and shoulders? If it is the latter then click on the grey person icon and sign into your google account. Your passwords should re-sync to your browser.

Fix #3: Restart Chrome And Your Computer

Some users have reported that this problem could occur when Chrome is in the middle of installing an update. I have no idea why is happens but apparently sometimes it does. So close Chrome and restart your computer. Once it powers back up open up Chrome and check to see if your passwords are back.

Fix #4: Make Sure Chrome Hasn’t Created A New Profile And You’re Not Browsing As Guest

Click on the hamburger settings icon in the top right corner (looks like three horizontal lines) and click on Settings. Scroll down to “People” and make sure that there is only one identity there. Delete the one that you’re not using if more than one is there (unless a friend of relative has an account).

Also make sure that you’re not browsing as a guest.

Fix #5: Reset Your User Profile

Sometimes your user profile might become corrupted and you need to create a new one. Follow these instructions (from the google website) on how to reset your user profile.

For Windows:

1. Exit Google Chrome completely.

2. Enter the keyboard shortcut Windows key  +E to open Windows Explorer.

3. In the Windows Explorer window that appears enter the following in the address bar.

   • Windows XP: %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\
   • Windows Vista/ Windows 7/ Windows 8: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\

4. Locate the folder called “Default” in the directory window that opens and rename it as “Backup default.”

5. Try opening Google Chrome again. A new “Default” folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.

For Mac:

1. Quit Google Chrome completely.

2. In the Mac menu bar at the top of the screen, click Go.

3. Select Go to Folder.

4. Enter the following directories in the text field, then press Go.~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/ 

5. Locate the folder called “Default” in the directory window that opens and rename it as “Backup default.”

6. Try opening Google Chrome again. A new “Default” folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.

Fix #6: Reset Your User Profile

User Tim Peoples contributed this solution that worked for him. As always I’m not responsible for what happens when you try these fixes. They are here for educational purposes only.

Okay… I was actually able to solve this myself.  Here’s how I did it.

In order to do this, you MUST have a valid backup of your sync data.  On a mac, it should be stored in “~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Sync Data/” (on Windows, I don’t know where it is).  I restored a 4 day old copy that was backed up via Time Machine.  On my machine there were two files: “SyncData.sqlite3” and “SyncData.sqlite3-journal”.

OK… here goes:

0) Check your “Google Dashboard” (see link at top of Chrome Settings page) and verify that your synced passwords are really gone (in the “Chrome Sync” section you should see a line for “Passwords:”. the number is probably very low (or maybe zero))
1) Restore the sync data files mentioned above (restore to some other, temporary location than where it normally lives)
2) Quit Chrome (and then wait a few seconds to make sure it’s really dead)
3) Copy the restored data files into place (see file path above for Mac or maybe someone will reply with Windows info)
4) VERY IMPORTANT: Turn off WiFi and/or disconnect from the Internet (you need to make sure Chrome cannot talk to Google’s servers for a little while)
5) Start Chrome
6) Insure that your previously lost passwords have come back to life (look in Settings -> Manage saved passwords) They may take a few seconds to appear.
7) Once you’ve seen that all your passwords have returned, tell chrome to not sync passwords (Under “Settings -> Advanced sync settings…” uncheck “Passwords”)
8) Quit and restart Chrome again
9) Insure all your passwords are still there
10) Turn on Wifi and/or reconnect to the network (so chrome can talk to google again)
11) Restart chrome again
12) Re-enable password sync (back to “Settings -> Advanced sync settings…” check the box for “Passwords”)
13) Restart chrome one more time (why not? It don’t hurt nothin’)
13) Wait about 60 seconds or so then check your “Google Dashboard” and verify that the number of stored passwords is now at a more acceptable number (mine went from 3 to 214 to prove that I’d fixed it)
14) Reward yourself with a frosty beverage :-)

I hope these instructions aren’t too confusing and that someone actually finds them useful.

There may be another, easier way to do this… however, this is how *I* was able to restore my lost, synced passwords.