Google Chrome works best with a Google Account. With it, you can enable Chrome Sync to keep your browsing data synced across devices and enjoy seamless access to various Google services (Gmail, Docs, Calendar, etc.). However, if you no longer intend to use your Google Account with Chrome on a particular device, it’s best to remove that account from Chrome and avoid syncing (or overwriting) data.
For example, let’s say you’re signed into Chrome with your Google Account on a shared desktop or mobile device. After you’re done browsing, you need to remove it to prevent others from accessing your sensitive browsing data like passwords and bookmarks. Let’s take a look at what you need to do to remove a Google Account from the desktop, Android, and iOS versions of Chrome.
Note: It’s best to review the Chrome Sync settings and back up any unsynced data to your Google Account before proceeding. Otherwise, you may permanently lose locally stored browsing data during the uninstallation process.
Google Chrome – Windows and macOS
On Windows and macOS versions of Chrome, you can quickly remove a Google Account by accessing the profile and turning off Chrome Sync.
Fly: Click the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window. You can then switch between profiles from the profile drop-down menu.
Stage 1: Open the Google Chrome menu and then click Settings.
Step 2: Under You and Google, click Close.
Stage 3: Check the box next to ‘Clear bookmarks, history, passwords and more on this device’. Then click Close to remove your Google Account and associated Chrome profile.
Note: If you don’t check the ‘Clear bookmarks, history, passwords and more on this device’ box, Chrome will still keep your profile and browsing data locally, even if it deletes your account. Only do this if you want to log out of the browser.
As long as you sync your browsing data with Google Account, you can sign in to Chrome on any device to regain access.
If you are the only Chrome user on the desktop, you may also consider resetting the Chrome browser. This should ensure that no browsing data remains locally on the device.
Google Chrome – iOS and iPadOS
On iOS and iPadOS, if you sign out of a Google Account in Chrome, it won’t be removed, even if you choose to clear your browsing data. You or someone else can still easily sign back in and access your Chrome data. Therefore, you should completely remove the Google Account to prevent this from happening.
Note: Removing a Google Account from Chrome also deletes it from other Google apps like Gmail and Google Photos.
Stage 1: Open your iPhone or iPad’s Chrome Settings.
Step 2: Tap on Google Account at the top of the Settings screen. and then select the Google Account you want to remove.
Note: If you only want to sign out of your Google Account, use the ‘Sign Out’ or ‘Sign Out and Clear Data from This Device’ options as shown on the Google Account selection screen.
Stage 3: Tap on ‘Remove account from this device’ at the bottom of the Google Account screen. Tap Uninstall to confirm.
This should remove the Google Account from Chrome. If you’ve removed the Google Account you just signed in with, you can start using another Google Account by going to Chrome Settings > Chrome Sign In.
Google Chrome – Android
Unlike desktop and iOS, removing a Google Account from Chrome on Android can be problematic; Google Accounts are deeply integrated with Android at the system level.
Therefore, choosing to remove the main Google Account associated with your Android device may also prevent you from using all Google apps and many essential device-specific services, causing you to log out from anywhere. Removing Google Accounts that you later added to Chrome may not cause problems.
For a detailed explanation, see this guide on what happens when removing a Google Account from Android.
Note: Certain settings on your Android device may look different from the screenshots shown in Step 3 and Step 4.
Stage 1: Open Chrome Settings on your Android device.
Step 2: Tap the Google Account at the top of the Settings screen and then select the account you want to remove.
Note: If you only want to sign out of Chrome, use the ‘Sign out and turn off sync’ option on the Google Account selection screen.
Stage 3: Select Google and then select the Google Account you want to remove again.
Step 4: Take a moment to review your Google Account sync settings; Make sure you sync your data for all Google services you can use.
After that tap on the Uninstall icon. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.
This will remove the Google Account from Chrome, other Google apps and the rest of the Android device.
As a result
Removing a Google Account from Chrome is fairly simple, but given how Google Accounts work on the platform, it can cause complications, especially on Android. However, you can sign in again even if something goes wrong, provided you sync your data with your Google Account first.
Next: Did you know that you can automatically or manually delete your Google Account data? Click on the next link to learn how to do this.
