Chrome reset all settings what gets deleted is probably on your mind if you are thinking about resetting your browser. Whether you are dealing with a slow browser, too many extensions causing problems, or you just want a fresh start, it helps to know exactly what will disappear when you hit that reset button. Let me walk you through everything that gets removed and what stays safe.
Understanding What Gets Deleted
When you choose to reset Chrome to its original settings, several categories of data get wiped clean. Understanding what goes away helps you prepare and avoid losing anything important.
Your browsing history gets completely cleared. Every website you have visited, every page you have loaded, all of that disappears. This is actually one of the main reasons people reset Chrome, to get rid of months or years of accumulated browsing history.
All cookies are removed. Cookies are small files that websites store on your browser to remember your login status, preferences, and shopping cart contents. When you reset Chrome, these all go away, which means you will need to log back into websites and reconfigure your site preferences.
Cached images and files disappear. Chrome stores copies of images and website elements to load pages faster. The reset clears all this cached data, which might make some sites load slightly slower at first until Chrome builds up its cache again.
Your saved passwords are cleared. Chrome offers to remember passwords for websites, and this data gets deleted during a reset. This is important to know because you will need to either remember your passwords or use a password manager to access your accounts afterward.
Extensions get disabled but not deleted. Here is an important distinction. When you reset Chrome, all your extensions are turned off, but they remain installed. You can re-enable them individually after the reset if you want to keep using them.
Homepage and search engine settings revert to default. Any custom homepage you set or search engine you chose gets reset to Chrome defaults. You will need to configure these again if you prefer something different.
Site permissions reset. If you allowed certain websites to use your camera, microphone, location, or notifications, these permissions go back to default. Any exceptions you added for specific sites are cleared.
What Stays Safe After Reset
Not everything gets deleted when you reset Chrome, which is good news for most users.
Your bookmarks are safe if you use Chrome sync. When you sign into your Google account in Chrome, your bookmarks sync to the cloud. After a reset, simply sign back in and your bookmarks will restore automatically. If you do not use sync, your bookmarks will be deleted, so this is a good reminder to enable sync or export your bookmarks regularly.
Your Chrome profile data stored in your Google account syncs back when you sign in. This includes your history if sync is enabled for it, though you might want to clear that separately if your goal is a fresh start.
Downloaded files remain on your computer. The reset only affects browser data, not files you have saved to your hard drive through Chrome. Those stay exactly where they are.
Extensions are not deleted, just disabled. You can go back through your extensions and turn on only the ones you actually need, which is a good opportunity to declutter.
Why You Might Want to Reset
There are several situations where resetting Chrome makes sense. If your browser has become noticeably slower over time, a reset can help significantly. All the accumulated data, background processes, and extension overhead can weigh Chrome down, and starting fresh often brings back that snappy performance you enjoyed when you first installed it.
Extension conflicts are another common reason. Sometimes extensions do not play well together, causing crashes, freezing, or strange behavior on websites. You might not even know which extension is causing the problem. Resetting Chrome disables all extensions at once, letting you turn them back on one by one to identify the culprit.
If you are handing over your computer to someone else, resetting Chrome ensures your personal data does not follow you to the next user. It is a quick way to wipe your digital footprint from the browser.
After dealing with malware or unwanted changes to your settings, a reset can give you confidence that everything is back to how Chrome intended it to work. Some malicious software modifies browser settings in ways that are hard to undo manually, but a reset handles it all at once.
How to Prepare for a Reset
Before you reset Chrome, take a few minutes to protect what matters most.
First, make sure Chrome sync is turned on and working. Check your Google account settings to confirm your bookmarks and other selected data are syncing. This is your safety net for recovering your bookmarks after the reset.
Export your passwords if you are not using a separate password manager. You can do this through Chrome settings under Passwords, or consider this a good time to start using a dedicated password manager for better security.
Consider which extensions you want to keep. Make a mental note or write down the names of extensions you use regularly. After the reset, you can reinstall or re-enable only those, rather than all the ones you accumulated over time.
Think about what settings you will want to reconfigure. Your homepage, default search engine, privacy settings, and content preferences will all need to be set up again. Knowing this ahead of time makes the post-reset setup faster.
What to Do After Resetting Chrome
Once the reset is complete, you will want to set Chrome back up in a way that keeps it running smoothly for longer.
Start by turning on sync again if it was not already. This ensures your bookmarks stay backed up going forward.
Add back your extensions one at a time. Test each one by browsing normally for a while before adding the next. This way, if something causes problems, you know exactly which extension to blame.
Configure your homepage and search engine right away so you are not stuck with defaults you do not want.
Adjust your privacy settings to your comfort level. Consider which permissions you want to grant to websites and set those preferences now rather than accepting defaults.
Keep an eye on your browser performance over the following weeks. If you notice slowdowns, check whether you have too many extensions running or too many open tabs.
Staying Organized Going Forward
After going through the reset process, many people find they want to keep their browser cleaner than before. One way to do this is by being more selective about extensions. Only add ones you truly need and use regularly, and remove ones that sit idle.
Another helpful practice is using tools that keep tabs under control. If you tend to open many tabs and forget about them, they can slow down Chrome significantly. Tab Suspender Pro is one solution that automatically pauses tabs you are not using, helping your browser stay fast and responsive while keeping your tabs available when you need them.
Regular maintenance also helps. Clearing cache and cookies periodically, or using Chrome’s built-in tools to manage storage, can prevent the buildup that eventually leads to performance issues.
Resetting Chrome is a useful reset button when you need it, but with good habits, you might find you need it less often.
Tips from the team behind Tab Suspender Pro and the Zovo extension suite at zovo.one