How to Reinstall Chrome on Windows 10 (Keep or Reset Your Data)

To reinstall Chrome on Windows 10, close every Chrome window, open Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select Google Chrome and choose Uninstall. Then open Microsoft Edge, go to google.com/chrome, download the installer, run it and sign back in to your Google Account. Leave the Also delete your browsing data box unchecked if you want your bookmarks and settings to still be on the PC when Chrome comes back.

Applies to: Google Chrome on Windows 10 version 22H2 (Home and Pro). Google’s Uninstall Google Chrome and Download and install Google Chrome help pages describe the same steps. On Windows 11, the uninstall entry lives under Settings > Apps > Installed apps instead.

Pick the right fix first

“Reinstall” can mean a few different things, and the right one depends on what’s wrong. A reinstall replaces the Chrome program files. Your profile (bookmarks, history, extensions, saved settings) is stored separately, so a plain reinstall often brings the same profile back.

What’s happening	Best route
Homepage or search engine changed, pop-ups, a misbehaving extension	Reset Chrome. It’s faster and keeps bookmarks and passwords.
Chrome won’t open, crashes on launch, or updates keep failing	Standard reinstall
Problems come back after a standard reinstall	Clean reinstall with a fresh profile
The normal installer stalls or fails to download	Offline installer

Try a reset before you reinstall

Google’s own reset tool fixes most of the “my browser got taken over” problems people try to solve with a reinstall. According to Google’s reset Chrome settings page, it returns the default search engine, homepage and startup tabs, new tab page, pinned tabs, site permissions, cookies and site data to their defaults, and it turns off extensions and themes. Bookmarks and saved passwords are not deleted.

1. Open Chrome and select the three-dot More menu at the top right.
2. Choose Settings, then Reset settings in the left column.
3. Select Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings to confirm.

You can also type chrome://settings/reset into the address bar to jump straight there. Because the reset clears cookies, you’ll be signed out of most websites afterward. If Chrome behaves normally now, you’re done and don’t need to reinstall.

Before you start: save what you want to keep

A standard uninstall usually leaves your profile on the PC, but it’s worth protecting your data anyway, especially if you plan a clean reinstall. Do these while Chrome still opens.

• Sign in to Chrome. Select your profile picture at the top right and choose Sign in to Chrome. Google says that when you’re signed in, bookmarks, passwords and more are saved to your Google Account. History only comes along if Web & App Activity is on and Chrome history syncing is turned on.
• Export your bookmarks. Select More > Bookmarks and lists > Bookmark Manager. In Bookmark Manager, select the three-dot More icon at the top and choose Export Bookmarks. Chrome saves an HTML file you can import later (see Google’s import and export bookmarks page).
• Export passwords if you don’t use your Google Account. Select More > Passwords and autofill > Google Password Manager, choose Settings on the left, then Download file next to Export Passwords. The file is readable by anyone who opens it, so store it somewhere safe and delete it once your passwords are back.
• Write down your extensions. Open chrome://extensions and note the ones you rely on, in case you start with a fresh profile.

For reference, Chrome keeps your profile in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data, which on most PCs is C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data. Your main profile is the Default folder inside it, and any extra Chrome profiles sit beside it.

How to reinstall Chrome on Windows 10

This is the standard reinstall. It replaces the browser and, as long as you leave the data checkbox alone, keeps your profile on the PC.

1. Close Chrome completely. Close every Chrome window. If Chrome was set to keep running in the background, also check the notification area by the clock for a Chrome icon, right-click it and choose Exit.
2. Open the uninstall entry. Select Start > Settings (the gear icon) > Apps. On the Apps & features page, scroll to Google Chrome and select it.
3. Uninstall. Select Uninstall, then Uninstall again. If Windows asks whether the app can make changes to your device, select Yes.

4. Decide about your data. Chrome’s uninstaller shows a box labeled Also delete your browsing data. Leave it unchecked for a standard reinstall. Checking it deletes your profile information, such as bookmarks and history, from this PC. Then select Uninstall. More detail on this choice is in the guide to uninstalling Chrome on Windows 10.

5. Download a fresh copy. Open Microsoft Edge (it’s built into Windows 10) and go to google.com/chrome. Select Download Chrome. Type the address yourself rather than clicking a search ad, since lookalike download sites bundle unwanted software.
6. Run the installer. Open the downloaded file, usually ChromeSetup.exe in your Downloads folder. If you see “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”, select Yes. The small installer downloads the rest of Chrome, so stay online. On Windows 10, a Chrome window opens on its own when it finishes.
7. Sign back in. Select the profile icon and sign in with the same Google Account. Give it a few minutes to bring back bookmarks, passwords and extensions.

If you left the checkbox unchecked, you may find Chrome opens with your old bookmarks and tabs before you even sign in. That’s expected: the profile folder was never removed.

Clean reinstall: start with a fresh profile

If crashes, strange settings or a bad extension survive a standard reinstall, the problem is in your profile, not the program. A clean reinstall removes the profile too.

Warning: anything not saved to your Google Account or exported (bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, extension settings) is lost from this PC with this method. Finish the backup steps first.

You have two ways to do it:

• Use the checkbox. Follow the standard steps, but check Also delete your browsing data in step 4.
• Rename the profile folder (safer). This gives you a fresh profile while keeping the old one as a fallback.

To rename the folder:

1. Uninstall Chrome as described in steps 1 to 4, leaving the checkbox unchecked.
2. Press Windows + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome and press Enter. File Explorer opens the folder that holds User Data.
3. Right-click User Data, choose Rename and call it User Data.old. If Windows says the folder is in use, a Chrome process is still running: restart the PC and try again.

4. Reinstall Chrome (steps 5 to 7 above). Chrome creates a brand-new, empty User Data folder.
5. Sign in and add extensions back one at a time, checking Chrome after each. If one brings the problem back, remove it.

Once you’re happy with the new profile for a week or two, you can delete User Data.old. Avoid Shift + Delete, which skips the Recycle Bin.

Use the offline installer when the download fails

The normal ChromeSetup.exe is a small download helper. If it stalls, reports a network error or your connection drops, use the standalone (offline) installer, which contains the whole browser. Google’s Download and install Google Chrome page explains the steps:

1. On a working computer, open the standalone download page linked from that help article.
2. At the bottom of the page, under Chrome Family, select Other Platforms.
3. Choose Windows and download the file.
4. Copy the file to the PC that needs Chrome (a USB drive works) and run it.

Google’s installation troubleshooting page notes there are separate offline installers for a PC with one user account and for all user accounts. If several people sign in to the PC, pick the all-users version. If a download leaves a stuck .crdownload file behind, see how to open CRDOWNLOAD files in Windows 10.

Check that the reinstall worked

• Version and updates: select More > Help > About Google Chrome. Chrome checks for updates on that page. If you don’t see a Relaunch button, you’re on the latest version.

• Your data: open Bookmark Manager and Google Password Manager and confirm your bookmarks and passwords are there.
• Extensions: visit chrome://extensions and make sure only the ones you want are turned on.
• Default browser: a reinstall can leave Edge as the default. Set Chrome back with the steps in changing the default browser in Windows 10.

Undo: get your old data back

• From the renamed folder: close Chrome, open %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome, rename the new User Data to User Data.new, and rename User Data.old back to User Data. Chrome opens with your old profile.
• From a bookmarks file: select More > Bookmarks and lists > Import bookmarks and settings, choose Choose file, pick your HTML file, select Open, then Done.
• From your Google Account: sign in to Chrome with the same account and wait for your data to come back.

Troubleshooting

Chrome won’t uninstall

The uninstaller fails when part of Chrome is still running. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select each Google Chrome entry and choose End task, then try again. Restarting the PC first also clears stuck processes.

The installer shows an error code

Google’s Fix problems installing Chrome page lists what the common codes mean:

• 0x80070070: the system disk is full. Free up space, usually on drive C.
• Error 4: a newer version of Chrome is already on the computer.
• Errors 7, 12, 13, 31, 35, 57, 102 or 103: Google suggests freeing disk space, temporarily turning off your antivirus, downloading Chrome again and reinstalling, then turning antivirus back on.
• “Installation failed because your version of Windows isn’t supported”: check the system requirements (see the FAQ below).

Firewalls and proxies can also block the installer. If nothing else works, try the offline installer.

“Your Windows computer has Google Chrome for all users”

Google says this means a copy installed for every account is still on the PC, and the installer simply opens it. Uninstall that copy first (you may need an administrator account), then run the installer again.

Windows says you can only install apps from the Microsoft Store

Your PC is in S mode, which blocks installers downloaded from the web. Microsoft lets you switch out for free under Settings > Update & Security > Activation, but the switch is one-way. The full process is in turning off S mode in Windows 10.

You don’t have permission, or it’s a work or school PC

Organizations often manage Chrome or block installs. If the uninstall button is grayed out or the installer asks for credentials you don’t have, contact your IT administrator rather than trying to work around it.

The same problem came back

If you reinstalled without the checkbox, your old profile returned with the problem. Do a clean reinstall. If the problem only shows up after you sign in, a synced extension or setting may be the cause: check chrome://extensions and remove anything you don’t recognize. If pop-ups or redirects appear in every browser, scan the PC with Windows Security, because the cause is likely outside Chrome.

A note on Windows 10 support

Microsoft ended normal support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. Eligible Windows 10 version 22H2 PCs enrolled in consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) receive security updates through October 12, 2027. Chrome itself still installs on Windows 10: see the first FAQ below.

Frequently asked questions

Does Chrome still support Windows 10?

Yes. Google’s Chrome system requirements list Windows 10 or later with an SSE3-capable Intel Pentium 4 or newer processor, and the page shows a Windows 10 deprecation date of “Not yet scheduled.” Chrome on ARM processors needs Windows 11.

Will I lose my bookmarks if I reinstall Chrome?

Not if you leave Also delete your browsing data unchecked, because the profile stays on the PC. If you check it, bookmarks on this PC are removed, but any you saved to your Google Account return when you sign in. An exported HTML file is the backup that works even without an account.

Does uninstalling Chrome delete my data from my Google Account?

No. Google notes that data saved to your Google Account may still be on Google’s servers after you delete it from the PC. To remove that copy, use Google’s delete browsing data steps while signed in.

Will my history come back after I sign in?

Only if Chrome history syncing was on. Google says history is saved to your account when Web & App Activity is turned on and Chrome history is included. Otherwise, a clean reinstall starts with empty history.

Do I need to reinstall Chrome to update it?

No. Chrome updates itself, and you can check from About Google Chrome. Reinstalling helps when updates keep failing. The routine method is covered in updating Chrome on Windows 10.

Can I reinstall Chrome without Edge?

You need some way to download the installer. Edge comes with Windows 10, but any working browser is fine, or you can download the offline installer on another computer and copy it over.

Next step

Once Chrome is back, open About Google Chrome to confirm it’s up to date, then pin it to the taskbar or set it as your default browser so links open in it again.