When you sign in to your Google account in Chrome on your computer or mobile device and enable Google Chrome sync, Chrome unifies your activity across both devices, making it appear as one browser. This guide shows how to turn sync on and off in Google Chrome for your desktop and mobile devices.
Good to know: seeing the “Managed by your organization” message in Chrome? Read on to learn how to take care of it.
How to Turn on Google Sync in Chrome
To set up sync between multiple devices that support Chrome, you need a Google account. Don’t forget, you have to use the same account on all devices for the option to come into effect.
Via Web Browser
Launch Google Chrome on your computer. Select the Chrome profile with the data you want to sync. Alternatively, press the + button to add a new profile. Sign up with your Google account, or leave it for later.
If you’re adding a new profile, Chrome will ask you whether you want to turn on sync. For a profile that already exists, open it in Chrome, and click on the tiny profile image in the upper-right corner. Click the Turn on sync button in the drop-down menu.
After the Chrome sign-in, input your credentials to turn Sync on. If you wish to manage your sync data, click again on the profile picture and press Sync is on.
On the Sync page, click Manage what you sync to modify the data that gets synced.
By default, Chrome syncs everything, but if you’re not okay with that, select the Customize sync option, and select the type of data you wish to access from both devices.
Return to the previous screen by clicking the back arrow to the left of Manage what you sync.
Tip: did you know that you can also use Chrome extensions in Incognito mode? Learn how to unlock this option.
Via Chrome Mobile App
The mobile Chrome app does not support separate profiles. However, you can log in with multiple Google accounts while using Chrome, and each can have distinct configurations. To turn on sync in Chrome on mobile, follow these steps.
In the Android app, open Chrome, and press on the three dots in the upper-right corner.
Go to Settings.
Assuming you’ve not logged in with your Google account yet, press Turn on sync.
Select the Google account you wish to sync, then tap Yes, I’m in.
The Settings page will open, and Sync will show as On.
To manage what gets synced, tap on Sync, and toggle off the Sync everything toggle at the top, and select only the data you need.
On iOS, you won’t find the Sync option, as Google removed it from the app. Log in with your account in Chrome on your iPhone or iPad, your data will be automatically synced.
Tip: if you need a web clipper, check out these handy Chrome extensions that can help you.
How to Sign Out and Turn Off Google Sync
If you’ve decided that you no longer want your Google account/profile data to sync across devices, follow these steps to disable the functionality.
Via Web Browser
Launch Google Chrome on your PC. If you’re already signed in to Chrome with sync turned on, click on the profile icon in the top right. Click Sync is on.
Beside your Google account name, click Turn off.
In the pop-up window, click Turn off again to confirm. You may also want to enable the option to Remove bookmarks, history, passwords, and more from this device to clean up space.
Via Chrome Mobile App
You can also turn off sync form the mobile app if you’re on Android.
Open the app, and go to Settings, as explained above. Press Sync to turn it On. Near the bottom, tap on Sign out and turn off sync.
Press Continue in the pop-up.
Alternatively, turn off Sync everything at the top, and uncheck all the boxes below so that Chrome won’t sync any data on your mobile.
On iOS, there is no such option. Instead, remove your Google account from the browser.
Open Chrome on your iOS device, and tap on the profile picture in the upper-right corner.
Tap on your name and email at the top.
Swipe to the bottom, and select Sign out.
FYI: learn how to remove your phone number from your Google account should you ever need to do so.
How to Delete Synced Info From Your Google Account
You can easily delete the accumulate synced Chrome data from your device when turning the functionality off. But can you delete the synced info from your Google account? The answer is yes.
Via Web Browser
Open the Chrome browser, click your profile picture in the upper right, and tap Sync is on. Under Sync on the next page, click Review your synced data.
You’ll be redirected to a Google Account page with all the data that has been accumulated. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click Clear data.
Select Clear in the pop-up to confirm.
Via Chrome Mobile App
In the mobile Chrome app, go to Settings -> Sync.
Press Review your synced data under Advanced near the bottom.
On the Google Account page, tap on Clear data near the bottom.
On iOS devices, open Chrome, tap on the profile picture, then on the name and email address.
In the Account page, select Chrome data in your account. This will take you to the same Google Account page where you can clear the data.
Good to know: learn how to easily change your default search engine in Chrome and other browsers.
Now that you know how to manage the sync option in Chrome, you can continue to customize your experience with the browser. Learn how to launch Chrome in Incognito Mode by default and how to speed up Chrome downloads to fix lags.
Image credit: DepositFiles. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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