How to Clean Up Chrome: A 20-Minute Checklist That Keeps Your Logins

If you want to know how to clean up Chrome, you are probably looking at one of three things: a browser that feels slow, a tab strip you cannot read, or a list of sites and extensions you do not remember adding. A good clean-up fixes all three in about 20 minutes.

The trick is the order. Most guides start with "clear browsing data", which signs you out of everything and does the least good. This checklist starts with the steps that free the most and cost nothing, and leaves anything that signs you out until the end, for the sites you actually want gone.

The short answer#

• Tabs and extensions first. They are what slow Chrome down, and removing them never signs you out.
• Find storage hogs at chrome://settings/content/all and delete sites you no longer use.
• Clear cache only, not cookies, to free space and stay signed in.
• Cookies last, and only for sites you have stopped using.

Before you start: two minutes of safety#

• Make sure sync is on, or export passwords. Open chrome://password-manager, then Settings, and Export passwords if you are not syncing. Delete the exported file when you are done.
• Bookmark the tabs you want to keep. Press Ctrl+Shift+D (Command+Shift+D on a Mac) to bookmark all open tabs into one folder, so closing them later costs nothing.

1. Tabs (3 minutes)#

Every open tab keeps its page loaded. That is the single biggest drain on memory and the main reason Chrome "feels slow".

1. Close every tab you are done with. If you are not sure, it was bookmarked in the safety step.
2. Close duplicates: press Ctrl+Shift+A (Command+Shift+A on a Mac) to search tabs by name.
3. Turn on Memory Saver under Settings, then Performance, so idle tabs stop holding memory from now on.

For more on this, see Chrome using too much memory.

2. Extensions (4 minutes)#

Open chrome://extensions and go down the list:

• Remove anything you have not used in a month. You can always reinstall it.
• Remove anything you do not recognize, or anything that asks for access you cannot explain.
• For extensions you keep, click Details and set Site access to When you click the extension or to specific sites where it makes sense. Less access means less running in the background and less risk.

3. Site storage hogs (3 minutes)#

Sites can store a surprising amount on your computer: offline copies, databases and media.

1. Paste chrome://settings/content/all into the address bar.
2. Sort or scan for the sites using the most data.
3. Delete data for sites you no longer use. Old web apps, one-off tools and trial accounts are common culprits.

Deleting a site's data signs you out of that site only. That is the point for sites you left. Leave sites you still use alone.

4. Cache only (1 minute)#

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Command+Shift+Delete on a Mac).
2. Choose All time.
3. Tick Cached images and files only. Untick cookies.
4. Click Delete data.

This frees disk space and removes old copies of pages. It does not sign you out and does not make Chrome faster; the first visit to each site will be a little slower. Our guide on clearing cache without losing passwords explains each box.

5. Cookies for sites you left (3 minutes)#

Most cookie advice is all or nothing. You do not have to choose. Clear cookies for the sites you have stopped using, and keep the rest:

• Use the same chrome://settings/content/all page and delete those sites.
• Or open the site and use the icon left of the address, then Cookies and site data.

If you do this regularly, a one-site tool saves time. Cleaner, our free Chrome extension, clears the site you are on in one click and shows what it removed. Its protected sites list keeps your mail, bank and work tools safe, even when you clean all sites at once.

Our guide on how to delete cookies in Chrome covers every option.

6. Downloads and history (2 minutes)#

• Downloads: open your Downloads folder, not just Chrome's list, and delete what you do not need. Chrome's download history does not delete the files.
• History: if you want, delete history older than a few months from Delete browsing data. It does not affect speed, so this is about privacy, not performance.

7. Profiles (2 minutes)#

Open the profile menu at the top right. Remove profiles nobody uses. Each one has its own extensions, data and background activity. If you share the computer, give each person their own profile instead of one crowded one.

8. Settings check (2 minutes)#

• Safety Check in Settings: fix compromised passwords, and review the notifications and unused site permissions it flags.
• On-device site data: make sure it is not set to delete everything when you close Chrome, unless you want that. It is a common reason people get signed out every day. See why Chrome keeps logging you out.
• Update: three-dot menu, then Help, then About Google Chrome.

The nuclear option: Reset settings#

If Chrome is still misbehaving after all of this, Settings, then Reset settings, then Restore settings to their original defaults resets your search engine, startup tabs, pinned tabs, site permissions, extensions and themes, and clears cookies and site data. Google's help page notes that bookmarks and passwords are kept. Because cookies go, you will sign in again everywhere, so treat this as a last step, not a first one.

Keep it clean#

A twice-a-year clean-up plus two habits is enough: close tabs when you finish a task, and when a site breaks, clear only that site. The rest of Chrome stays fast and signed in.