Reset Chrome settings. Click the menu icon next to the address bar. Address bar with menu icon highlighted. Select Settings from the drop Sometimes, unbeknownst to us, adware, malware, and unwanted extensions change settings—like homepages and default search engines—and make it nearly impossible to change them back. When you reset a browser’s settings, it removes some of the guesswork and does it all for you.
You can restore your browser settings in Chrome at any time. You might need to do this if apps or extensions you installed changed your settings without your knowledge. Your saved bookmarks and passwords won’t be cleared or changed.
To Reset Chrome settings to default
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click More
Settings.
- At the bottom, click Advanced.
- Chromebook, Linux, and Mac: Under “Reset Settings,” click Restore settings to their original defaults
- Windows: Under “Reset and cleanup,” click Reset Chrome settings
- Chromebook, Linux, and Mac: Under “Reset Settings,” click Restore settings to their original defaults
These steps won’t provide a full reset. For example, some settings like fonts or accessibility won’t be deleted. To create a new user profile, add a new user in Chrome.
What changes when you restore your settings
On your Chrome profile, the following settings will change to the default on all devices where you’re signed in:
- Default search engine, which is changed back to Google. Learn how to set your default search engine.
- Homepage and tabs. Learn how to set your Chrome homepage and set default startup tabs.
- The new tab page. Learn how to set the page that a new tab opens to.
- Tabs you have pinned. Learn how to pin tabs.
- Content settings, like letting a site show you pop-ups or use your microphone. Learn how to change your content settings.
- Cookies and site data, like items in an online shopping cart. Learn more about cookies and site data.
- Extensions and themes. Learn more about extensions and themes.
What Settings Get Reset?
When you reset Chrome to default, a lot of data gets deleted, but not everything. While you’re signed in to your Google account on Chrome, the following settings will revert to the default on all devices you’re currently signed in on:
- Default Search Engine: Changes back to Google.
- Homepage and Tabs: TheHome button—if you’ve enabled it—will disappear and any startup tabs will be cleared.
- New Tab Page: Changes back to the default New Tab page with Google logo, search bar, and thumbnails of most visited sites.
- Pinned Tabs: These will unpin and be removed.
- Content Settings: This includes a site’s access to the camera or microphone, notifications, whether to block pop-ups, and so on.
- Cookies and Site Data: All will be cleared.
- Extensions and Themes: Will be disabled.
Some settings, like fonts, accessibility features, bookmarks, history, and passwords, will remain unaffected. If you’re looking to wipe your Google account completely, you can use our guide to delete all synced data in Chrome.
