Sign Out of Chrome on Your Desktop or Smartphone
On a computer, you can sign out of Chrome and your Google account from most Google websites. Look for your Google profile photo in the upper-right corner of the page. Click your profile photo and select Sign out. The process is a bit different on a smartphone. The screenshots below are for Android.
Turn Off Syncing for Chrome
Another method is to turn off sync, which backs up a range of data to your Gmail address, such as browser extensions, passwords, browsing history, and bookmarks. While it’s convenient to carry this information from device to device, you can turn this functionality off or limit the types of saved data. You can also turn off syncing for Chrome from your smartphone (shown for iOS).
Turn Off Chrome Sign-In
When you sign in to your Google Account from any app, such as Gmail or Google Drive, you’re automatically signed in to Chrome by default. If you don’t want this to happen, you can adjust the settings on your computer.
Log out of Chrome Remotely
Finally, it’s possible that you’ve signed into Chrome on one or more devices that you don’t have access to anymore. Luckily, you can remotely sign out of Chrome from your computer by removing access to it.
Why You Might Want to Sign Out of Chrome
It’s important to log out of Chrome and other programs, like Gmail, when using a public computer or one that belongs to a friend or family member because the browser stores an array of private information that can include credit card numbers, passwords, browsing history, and more. You might also want to log out of Chrome before letting someone else borrow your device since the autofill on the browser search bar can also be revealing, showing your search history. Just type “what is” into your search bar and see what it fills in (it’s likely to be at least a little embarrassing). Finally, since you can log in to multiple devices at once, it’s good to do an audit of where you’re signed in, such as an old work computer or a device you no longer own. Here’s how to sign out of Chrome whether you have access to the device or not.
