Where Does Google Chrome Store User History, Profile & Bookmarks?
Posted on September 8, 2008 at 23:08I have been using and enjoying Google Chrome for the past couple of days. So as I am setting up my new computer, I am installing Chrome there as well. While doing this, I would like to bring over my saved browsing history and bookmarks so that I don’t have to build it from scratch on the new machine. The only problem is that while Chrome makes it very easy to import existing settings from Firefox, it does not display any visible option to export current settings.
After a bit of digging, I found the location where Chrome stored user data:
- On XP – C:\Documents and Settings\<User Name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data
- On Vista - C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data
The User Data folder contains three files: Local State, Safe Browsing and Safe Browsing Filter, along with a folder called Default. Default in turn contains your browser cache, plugin data, and all of your cookies and history data. To move my profile over to my new computer, I copied all of the files and folders under User Data on my XP machine, and moved them into the User Data on my new Vista machine (all of the files were nearly 100mb after only four days of use, which will give you some kind of idea about the amount of indexing going on in the background). When I next started Chrome on my Vista machine, it was identical to the app on my XP machine, down to most popular sites, history and cookies. I even started writing this post on my XP machine, and then continued it on my Vista machine without having to log in again into my WordPress admin.
In the end this was pretty easy to do. Though the ease of profile transfer could in turn make it easy for someone to steal someone else’s identity – after all, the cookies file (presumably a sqllite db or something similar) was only 256KB, and merely dropping it in the new User Data allowed a complete transfer of identity (perhaps a good security feature would be to allow the \User Data\Default\Cookies file to work only on the originally installed instance).
19 Responses to “Where Does Google Chrome Store User History, Profile & Bookmarks?”
1) Eric A. Duncan on Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
Believe it or not, this is where Microsoft actually did good with security over other browsers (where it secures the cookies/data). M$’s IE secures the stored passwords and cookies via light encryption based on the current user’s windows’ account (the old nt profile concept). Merely copying files/profile over will not validate the files, as the guid and other items have changed from one computer to another.
2) Yaakov Ellis on Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
Eric – I agree. I find it slightly disturbing that this personal information is not directly tied to an install. Someone could easily set up an autoexecute program on a USB thumb drive that would copy all of your cookies and history from chrome in less than 10 seconds – and then they have your email, and then they have everything.
3) lanceloz on Sep 25, 2008 | Reply
Excellent, thank you! It worked like a breeze.
4) AppreciativeVisitor on Oct 8, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the very informative posting! Much appreciated.
5) Henrik on Dec 30, 2008 | Reply
Very informative and useful article. Thanks. Seems like there is no simple method to manipulate a single cookie using file manager. Only via Chrome > Settings > Options > Under the Hood > Show Cookies
6) Jeff on Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
Very informative, thank you. And personally I actually prefer the Google Chrome approach over the MS IE one. It saves time to be able to have everything in one folder/place, and if I feel that security is important well then I just won’t share my password/computer access in the first place.
7) Gary on Aug 21, 2009 | Reply
Can the location of where Chrome stores Bookmarks be changed to a server share?
This is what I do with Firefox and Thunderbird, by using the -profilemanager switch.
If possible I would rather not store Bookmarks or other info, like passwords, in the Cloud and I don’t want to leave this stuff on client PCs.
8) Henky on Sep 3, 2009 | Reply
This should be verry usefull, only problem is I don’t have a directory called application data or local settings and I am using XP :S.
9) Gary on Sep 4, 2009 | Reply
Can Chrome be told that the ‘User Data’ directory should be stored onto a shared drive, such as a NAS or Server driver?
TIA
Gary
10) koushik on Sep 9, 2009 | Reply
thanks man,it is really helpfull.
11) Jack on Dec 2, 2009 | Reply
Gary, I don’t know the answer to your question and can only point you to Google’s Help page for Chrome.
http://www.google.com/support/chrome/
HTH. If it’s redundant then apologies.
12) John Mitchell on Dec 13, 2009 | Reply
GARY, did you find your answer on how to move the Chrome user data to another drive. I need to find how to move the user profile much like in Firefox using the ‘Firefox.exe -userprofile’ command.
Anyone??
13) Gary on Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
Hi John
No, I haven’t found a way of moving the Chrome profile onto a share. I can’t seem to get Chrome to hold settings in the cloud either, which is supposed to be possible.
I wish I could do one or the other because I use Chrome from lots of different machines and places.
14) John Mitechell on Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
Thanks Gary,
Let’s keep in touch. If either of us finds a way, let’s tell on another.
I find ‘Chrome’ to be very fast and efficient for most of my client needs. I store all data (Desktop, Favorites, Firefox Profiles, Documents, Music, Pictures, Downloads, etc.) on the D: drive of a clients machine. This allows me to restore a ‘ghost’ image back to C: drive with out fear of losing any client data. It’s worked flawless for me for years.
I think you can see my dilema.. I need to get the Chrome Profile over to D: as well.
I hope we figure it out sometime soon. I’m telling all my clients that if they really want to save their bookmarks to use Firefox or IE. Just use Chrome for casual browsing.
Thanks again and Cheers Mate.
John Mitchell
Galaxy Desserts IT Manager
jmitchell@galaxydesserts.com
http://ellisweb.net/2008/09/where-does-google-chrome-store-user-history-profile-and-bookmarks/comment-page-1/#comment-156358
15) Gary on Dec 15, 2009 | Reply
Hi John
I will keep looking for a solution to this, when I get time.
I do what you do; keep critical data off the OS drive, to allow re-installs of the OS without the worry of losing data.
I hope we can do this with Chrome. Its a great browser and I am ‘converted’ to using Google Apps.
Cheers
Gary
16) IVA on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
Does Chrome store images like “temporary internet files”. Once you reset your system then where can we locate previously browsed images?
17) Gulsher on Apr 13, 2010 | Reply
Respectable Sir Gary and John,
I have some problem, I didn’t uninstall Google Chrome from my machine, but it get corrupted in some way. I think I don’t have backup of my Chrome bookmarks.
When I tried tips given in this article, I was able to find folders under this path:
On XP – C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Google
But I could not find Chrome\User Data, there were only two folders Google Talk and CrashReports. So I need your help if there is some way that I could find my lost bookmarks of Chrome.
I’ll be very much thankful for your kind help.
18) ANU on Jun 23, 2010 | Reply
Same problem here too. I tried installing a software after which both Chrome and Mozilla got uninstalled automatically. After reinstalling them I am unable to get back my old bookmarks as everything inside the folder C:\Users\TEMP\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
seems to be new. Is there a way to get back the old bookmarks ?
19) Drew on Aug 31, 2010 | Reply
Henky,
these files/ folders are hidden to stop them being accidentally deleted. You can view hidden items by opening explorer, going to the ‘Tools’ menu on the top bar, then choosing ‘Folder Options…’, then the ‘View’ tab and finally changing the hidden files and folders option to ‘Show hidden files and folders’ in the Advanced settings box. Click OK, and search for the folders you couldn’t find beforehand.