Remove All Traces of Google Chrome Securely

Summary- This article provides an all-you-need-to-know guide on how to remove all traces of Google Chrome. It also explains the various methods to do so along with its advantages.

Google Chrome is a free web browser developed by Google Inc. that was first released in 2008. It is known for its speed, simplicity, and safety features that are not found in any other web browser which makes this browser the most popular worldwide. Chrome can be used on various devices including computers, smartphones, and tablets.

Despite its seamless web browsing experience, there are times when users look for ways to remove all traces of Chrome. There can be several reasons to do that, mostly for privacy reasons, to free up space, or to troubleshoot or fix an error caused by the browser.

In the upcoming sections, we will dive into the various methods that can be used to execute Chrome but first, let’s take an in-depth look at the multiple reasons/advantages.

Why Remove All Traces of Chrome?

There can be several reasons why one may need to remove all traces of Google Chrome, some of them are as follows

• Privacy Concerns – Usually, Chrome collects a lot of user data like browsing history, cookies, and search queries which can be a concern for users seeking privacy.
• Resource Usage – Chrome users a good amount of resources while operating, especially the RAM of your device which can make it slower than usual.
• Security Issues – Sometimes, users are not satisfied with the security concerns offered by Chrome. Malware and online threats are some major reasons why users may switch browsers.
• Troubleshooting – Google Chrome may malfunction or crash at times and users are left with no other option to uninstall it to troubleshoot the specific issue.
• Switching Browsers – The user may prefer to use a different browser for browsing due to certain features offered by the other browser.

How to Remove All Traces of Google Chrome?

There are three basic steps that can be applied when deleting all Chrome data, they are as follows

• Simply uninstalling Chrome
• Deleting remaining files and folders
• Remove registry entries

We will discuss them briefly in the below sections, make sure to follow the step-by-step guide carefully as these methods are error-prone. One small error can result in huge data loss.

Step 1- Simply Uninstalling Google Chrome

This is further divided into two methods, namely

• Uninstall via Control Panel
• Uninstall via Settings App

We will now discuss them one by one.

Method 1- Uninstall via Control Panel

#1- Open the Control Panel and go to Programs > Programs and Features.

#2- In the Programs and Features list, look for Google Chrome.

#3- Click on it and select Uninstall.

Method 2- Uninstall via Settings App

#1- Open Settings by pressing Windows + I.

#2- Go to Apps and then click on Installed Apps.

#3- In the Apps & Features list, find Google Chrome.

#4- Click on it then click Uninstall.

Step 2- Deleting Remaining Files and Folders

In this part, we delete the local app data, app data, and program files. Follow the guide down below.

Part 1- Local App Data

#1- To delete the local app data, press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.
#2- Then, type %localappdata% and press Enter.

#3- Navigate to Google followed by Chrome and delete the entire User Data folder.

Part 2- App Data

#1- Press Windows + R to initiate the run command.
#2- Type %appdata% and press Enter.
#3- Navigate to Google, and then to Chrome and delete any remaining files and folders.

Part 3- Program Files

#1- Press Windows + R together to start the Run command again.

#2- Type %programfiles% and press Enter.

#3- Locate any Google folder with Chrome data within and destroy such files.

#4- Repeat the above step with %programfiles(x86)%.

Step 3- Removing Registry Entries to Remove All Traces of Google Chrome

To remove Registry entries, follow the steps given below.

#1- In your Windows search bar search for regedit and then click it.

#2- Follow the points listed below as you erase the Chrome registry entries.

• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google and delete the Chrome folder.
• Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google and delete the whole Chrome folder.
• Delete the entry by navigating to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ChromeHTML.

Note – You can simply use Ctrl + F to search for Chrome entries and delete them accordingly.

By following this method, you can erase all traces of crome effectively but unfortunately, the above-mentioned method comes with certain limitations. They are given below.

Limitations of The Above Method

• The method contains a lot of steps and requires a good amount of technical knowledge, making it tough for non-technical users.
• The process becomes very lengthy and a lot of time-consuming.
• Even after following the steps, there is a slight chance of data recovery as the deleted cookies and browser history can be recovered using advanced data recovery software.
• The above-given method is quite complex and error-prone. One slight mistake can lead to huge data loss.

Remove All Traces of Google Chrome With a Professional Solution

As we saw, multiple limitations come into play when we use the manual method. They may cause drawbacks like time consumption, potential recovery, error-prone, and may cause huge data loss. To fight back the drawbacks, users can use our professional data wipe solution like SysTools Data Wipe Software. The software protects your confidential data with military-grade erasure algorithms and it safeguards any kind of data breaches and legal risks. The software alters the algorithms several times, ensuring that the data is erased beyond recovery.

Standout Features of The Data Wipe Software

• It ensures that all the data fragments and residues (data remanence) are erased and ensures no possible recovery.
• Remove all traces of Google Chrome, including caches, logs, temporary files, recent file lists, and other traces.
• A data destruction report is provided after the process is finished.
• All the traces of the deleted data are burnt, ensuring no recovery.
• Comes with a variety of advanced erase techniques, including military-grade standards like
  • Russian GOST-R-50739-95 (2 Passes)
  • US DoD/US Air Force (3 Passes)
  • British HMG IS5 (3 Passes)
  • Peter Gutmann (35 Passes)
• It supports a wide range of systems and configurations including 32-bit as well as 64-bit OS.
• Supports more than 20+ global standard compliance including NIST 800-88, ISO 27001, US DoD 5220.22, and more.
• It wipes all data from all devices such as Hard Drive, SSD, SATA, PATA, NVMe, etc.

Quick Steps to Remove All Traces of Google Chrome

Step 1. Start by going to the Start menu, then click on All Programs, and select Data Destruction Software.

Step 2. Then click on the Select Folder button and browse to this location “C:\Users\Person1\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome” and click on User Data.

Step 3. Once the folder is selected, click on Select Folder and then, Next.

Step 6. Once the scanning process is completed, you can “Select” the Data Wipe Methods.

Step 7. After selecting the Wipe method, click on Wipe.

Step 8. Lastly, click OK.

Then, repeat the second step by choosing the Program files situated at the location given below to remove all traces of Chrome.

Navigate to C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\ and delete the Chrome folder.

If you have a 64-bit version of Windows, also check C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\ and delete the Chrome folder.

Conclusion

To summarize the above discussion, we have mentioned the most practical ways to remove all traces of Google Chrome. The first method takes a lot to be applied and its limitations pull back users to erase everything from Google Chrome. Therefore we suggest users use a powerful solution to delete all data from Chrome.