How to Reset Google Chrome to Default Settings

To reset Google Chrome to its default settings, open Chrome on your computer, click More (the three dots at the top right) > Settings, click Reset settings in the left menu, then click Restore settings to their original defaults and confirm with Reset settings. Chrome puts your search engine, homepage, startup tabs, new tab page and site permissions back to their defaults, clears cookies and site data, and turns off your extensions and themes. Google says your saved bookmarks and passwords are not deleted or changed.

The steps and the list of what changes come from Google’s Chrome Help article Reset Chrome settings to default. This guide covers Chrome on a Windows PC, Mac or Linux computer.

Before you reset Chrome

A reset is not dangerous, but it does change several things at once and there is no undo button. Read these points first.

• You will be signed out of most websites. Cookies are small files that sites use to remember you. The reset clears them, so have your passwords available.
• Extensions are turned off, not removed. An extension is a small add-on that gives Chrome extra features. You turn back on the ones you want afterward.
• The reset follows your Chrome profile. The settings change to the default on all devices where you are signed in to that profile.
• It is not a full wipe. Some settings, such as fonts and accessibility, are not reset. If only the text size bothers you, change Chrome’s default font size. If you only dislike the colors, remove the Chrome theme.
• Keep a spare copy of your bookmarks if they matter to you. Bookmarks are not touched, but a backup costs nothing. See where Chrome bookmarks are stored and how to export them.

How to reset Google Chrome on a computer

1. Open Chrome on your computer.
2. At the top right of the window, click More (three vertical dots), then click Settings. The Settings page opens in a new tab.
3. In the menu on the left side of the Settings page, click Reset settings.
4. Click Restore settings to their original defaults. A confirmation box appears and summarizes what will be reset.

5. Read the summary, then click Reset settings to confirm.

A reset does not reinstall Chrome. It only changes the settings listed in the next section.

If google.com is the only site that won’t load, try the checks for fixing Google when it isn’t working before you reset.

What a Chrome reset changes and what it keeps

This table follows the list in Google’s reset article.

Item	What happens
Default search engine	Reset. In some countries that means Google Search; in others Chrome may ask you to choose.
Homepage and startup tabs	Reset to default
New tab page	Reset to default
Pinned tabs	Unpinned
Content settings (site permissions such as pop-ups or microphone access)	Reset to default
Cookies and site data, such as items in a shopping cart	Cleared
Extensions and themes	Turned off or set back to default
Saved bookmarks	Kept
Saved passwords	Kept
Fonts and accessibility settings	Not reset

Google’s help article names bookmarks and passwords as the things that stay. The confirmation box in Chrome is the best guide to anything else, including browsing history, because it describes the version you are running. If a website only reports that cookies are blocked, you can enable cookies in Chrome without resetting anything.

How to confirm the reset worked

• Open a new tab. It should show Chrome’s standard new tab page.
• Click More > Extensions > Manage extensions. Your extensions should be listed but switched off.
• Go to Settings > Search engine and check which search engine is selected.
• Visit a site you are normally signed in to. It should ask you to sign in again.

What to do after you reset Chrome

There is no way to reverse a reset in one click, so you rebuild your setup by hand. Do it slowly. If Chrome was misbehaving, adding things back one at a time shows you which one caused the trouble.

1. Turn extensions back on one at a time. Go to More > Extensions > Manage extensions and switch on an extension you trust. Use Chrome for a while before turning on the next. Google’s advice is to only turn on extensions you trust. For the rest, you can remove them from Chrome.
2. Check your search engine under Settings > Search engine.
3. Set your startup page. Choose what opens first by changing your Chrome startup page.
4. Pin your tabs again and sign back in to the sites you use.
5. Allow site permissions as they come up. Sites that used your microphone, camera or pop-ups will ask again.

If the problems come back after a reset

A reset fixes settings. It does not remove a program on your computer that keeps changing those settings. Google’s guide to removing unwanted ads, pop-ups and malware lists these warning signs: pop-up ads and new tabs that will not go away, a homepage or search engine that keeps changing without your permission, extensions or toolbars that keep coming back, browsing that redirects to unfamiliar pages, and alerts about a virus or an infected device.

Ideally, you check your computer for unwanted programs before you reset. If you skipped that, do it now:

• Windows: open the Start menu, select Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select the app you want to remove, then select Uninstall. Only remove programs you recognize as unwanted. If you are not sure what something is, leave it.
• Mac: open Finder, select Applications, right-click any unwanted program and select Move to Trash. Then right-click Trash and select Empty Trash.
• Security scan: run the antivirus software on your computer, such as Microsoft Defender on Windows.

Then run the Chrome reset again. Google also explains that Chrome checks its own settings each time it starts and may automatically restore your search engine, homepage, startup pages, pinned tabs and extensions if a program changed them. If Chrome ever seems to have reset itself, that is the likely reason.

If website alerts keep appearing on a Windows 10 PC, stop pop-ups on Windows 10 too.

Troubleshooting the reset itself

The Settings menu is missing or will not open

According to Google, this can mean Chrome itself has a problem. Its fix is to uninstall Chrome, download it again from Google and reinstall it. Google’s Uninstall Google Chrome page has the steps for Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac and Linux. Warning: on Windows 10 the uninstall box includes an Also delete your browsing data option. Leave it unchecked unless you want your bookmarks and history removed from that computer.

A setting is locked or changes back

If you use Chrome at work or school, an administrator may control some settings and extensions. Click More and look at the bottom of the menu. If you see Managed by your organization, the browser is managed, and a reset will not override those rules. Ask your administrator about the setting. You can confirm this with Google’s Check if your Chrome browser is managed page.

Chrome is still slow or glitchy

Not every problem is a settings problem. These narrower fixes are worth a try, and each can be done without a reset:

• Slow browser: use the Chrome Task Manager to find a busy tab or extension. Save your work before ending a process.
• Errors or odd behavior: check Chrome for an update and relaunch.
• Flickering or blank video: try turning off hardware acceleration.

Other ways to start fresh in Chrome

The reset button is the middle option. Two others sit on either side of it.

• Delete browsing data only. If you just want to clear history, cookies or cached files and keep your settings, use Google’s Delete browsing data in Chrome steps. That page has separate tabs for Computer, Android, and iPhone and iPad.
• Create a new Chrome profile. A profile is a separate set of bookmarks, history, passwords and settings. Google points to this when you want a clean start, because a reset is not a full wipe. Click Profile at the top right, then Add Chrome profile. Your old profile stays available until you remove it. See Google’s Manage Chrome with multiple profiles.

If only one website is acting up, you can go narrower still and delete cookies for just that site in Chrome.

<p>If you only want to remove stored page files, follow the steps to <a href=”https://www.solveyourtech.com/clear-cache-chrome/”>clear the cache in Chrome</a> before you try a full reset.</p>

Frequently asked questions

Will resetting Chrome delete my bookmarks or passwords?

No. Your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be deleted or changed when you restore Chrome’s settings. Cookies are cleared, though, so you will need to sign in to websites again.

Does a reset uninstall my extensions?

Extensions and themes are among the settings that change, and some extensions have to be turned back on after a reset. Go to More > Extensions > Manage extensions to switch on the ones you trust.

Can I undo a Chrome reset?

There is no undo button. You turn extensions back on and set your search engine, startup page, pinned tabs and site permissions again yourself.

If you use Edge or Firefox too, here’s how to change the search engine on Windows 11 in each browser.

Does resetting Chrome on one computer affect my other devices?

It can. The listed settings change to the default on all devices where you are signed in with that Chrome profile.

Can I reset Chrome on a phone or tablet?

Google’s reset instructions start with “On your computer” and do not give steps for the Android or iPhone apps. On a phone or tablet, the documented option closest to a reset is deleting browsing data in the Chrome app.

Is resetting Chrome the same as reinstalling it?

No. A reset changes settings inside your profile and leaves the Chrome program alone. Reinstalling replaces the program files. A reinstall is the suggested fix when the Settings menu will not open.

Next step

Once Chrome is running normally again, turn your trusted extensions back on one at a time and set your startup page. If the same symptoms return right after one of those changes, you have found the cause.