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Is there a way to disable all access to saved passwords in Google Chrome in a secure way such that no one else can re-enable access to them?

For example, say that I am allowing someone else to use my computer. Is there a way to prevent that person from logging into sites using my credentials?

plafratt
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    Highly related: [Is it still possible to lock or password-protect Chrome profiles?](https://superuser.com/questions/1047080/is-it-still-possible-to-lock-or-password-protect-chrome-profiles) Although I would recommend a different OS account if there could be anything at all on the rest of your computer you might not want them to see and not letting them use your computer at all unless you trust them to not maliciously or accidentally do anything potentially harmful. – NotThatGuy Apr 21 '21 at 12:30

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Don't try to solve this through Chrome. Create a new OS-level account for the other person, then just don't give them your main OS password. This way, the other person will have no access to your Chrome settings at all (even to the actual files which store your passwords) – all programs will start from fresh state.

(This is literally the purpose of OS accounts, after all.)

  • On Windows 10, additional accounts are available through Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Other users → Add someone else to this PC → I don't have their sign-in information → Add a user without a Microsoft account.

    Alternatively: Run control userpasswords → Manage another account → Add a user account → Sign in without a Microsoft account → Local account.

    After the new accounts are created, you can switch between them through the Start menu, or by pressing WindowsL to lock the current desktop.


    (Note: It's fine to choose "Microsoft account" if that person actually has one, e.g. if they're using OneDrive cloud storage or Outlook.com mail... most people don't have one, though.)

  • On Windows 7/Vista/XP use the same control userpasswords (or control userpasswords2).

  • On macOS, see https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-other-users-on-your-mac-mtusr001/mac.

  • On some Android phones, see https://support.google.com/pixelphone/topic/7083408.

  • On Linux, useradd -m name followed by passwd name.

u1686_grawity
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    Version of Windows prior to Windows 10 had guest accounts, that would probably make more sense if they're just using your computer once or rarely. – NotThatGuy Apr 21 '21 at 12:36
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    @NotThatGuy Windows 10 still has the Guest account, it's just not useable outside of some very specific scenarios (such as Shared PC Mode, see https://superuser.com/a/1526555/431072) – Dan Henderson Apr 21 '21 at 20:32
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    Importantly, this also protects your cookies, which means the guest also won't be able to access any sites you're already signed in to. – josh3736 Apr 21 '21 at 22:00
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    You *really* need to mention that this only works if the user's folders/files are encrypted. In Linux for example you can trivially access another user's files if you have physical access to the machine unless their home folder is encrypted. I have no idea if encryption is the default for new user accounts on Windows/macOS but your suggested method for Linux doesn't result in any encryption. – Jon Bentley Apr 22 '21 at 09:39
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    @JonBentley In Windows, folders are not encrypted, but Chrome passwords are (with user credentials), thereby if you even can access other user password file (not so easy for non-admins), you can't get passwords out there anyway. – Arvo Apr 22 '21 at 14:00
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    @Arvo They aren't encrypted with user credentials. They are protected [by DPAPI in "LocalMachine" scope](https://security.stackexchange.com/q/230137/235964), which means any user on the device will be able to decrypt them – nobody Apr 22 '21 at 15:26
  • @nobody Thanks for clarification! – Arvo Apr 22 '21 at 15:39
  • Windows 10 also supports kiosk mode. In this mode you can let guests login and give them access to a single application, like edge. This creates a very limited guest account with limited browser access. This might be a solution if you only want to provide internet access, but want to limit all other access to your computer. – PeterK Apr 23 '21 at 14:44