How to import and export passwords in Google Chrome?

 How to import and export passwords in Google Chrome?

Chrome offers a built-in password manager to save passwords when logging into websites. Once saved, Chrome will automatically fill in passwords on login and registration forms whenever you open a website. In our previous article, we explained how to view and delete saved passwords in the Chrome browser . However, many users have asked us how to bulk download all passwords and download them again. Therefore, in this article, let's discuss downloading all saved passwords from Chrome to a CSV file and downloading multiple passwords back to the browser.

Import and export passwords in Google Chrome

In this article, we covered the following topics.

• Need to upload passwords to a file
• Export or download passwords from Chrome
• Enable password export flag
• Be careful when uploading a password
• Enable password import flag
• Import or upload passwords back to Chrome

1 Why download passwords?

You will know that you can save passwords in Google Chrome. You don't always have to remember them every time, and Chrome automatically fills in passwords when you sign in to sites. However, what if you want to have a backup of them. You may need to back up passwords in many situations:

• You are moving from one laptop to another.
• Change of operating system (maybe from Windows to Mac).
• Wanted to bulk change new passwords and re-upload them in Chrome.
• You feel like some other administrator downloaded your passwords from Chrome and wanted to change them.

If you find that your passwords have been compromised or you want to update them in bulk, it is recommended that you download or export all passwords in Excel or CSV format. You can change passwords and import back into Chrome with new passwords.

2 Export passwords from Chrome

It's a simple process to activate the Chrome export button and then export the saved passwords to a CSV file on your local machine. Follow the instructions below:

• Navigate to the "chrome://settings" URL in the address bar .
• Click on the "Manage passwords" option under the "AutoFill" section.

Google Chrome passwords

Note that on Windows, Chrome will have the autofill section grouped under People, while autofill is a separate section on a Mac.

• You will be taken to the Chrome password manager. You can also use the "chrome://settings/passwords" command URL directly in the Chrome address bar to go to the password management section.

Open Chrome Password Manager.

• Now click on the buttons with three dots next to the "Saved passwords" option. You will see the "Export passwords..." button and click on it.

Export passwords in Chrome

• Chrome will show you a prompt to export passwords and click on the "Export passwords" button.

Clicking on export passwords

• You need to enter your PC or Mac administrator password in order to export passwords from Chrome. This is the only Chrome security system that protects your passwords. Basically, this means that anyone with your computer's administrator password can download all of your passwords from the Chrome browser. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Entering an administrator password

• By default, Chrome assigns the file name as "Chrome Passwords" and the file format will be in Comma Separated Values ​​(CSV). Change the file name if necessary and select the destination folder you want to save on your computer.

Saving a CSV file with a password

• Now that you have the CSV file saved on your PC. Open it in Microsoft Excel on Windows or Apple Numbers on Mac to see all of your usernames and passwords stored in Chrome.

3 Export password option not available

Don't worry if you don't see the "Export passwords" option in Chrome's password manager. You can enable it using Chrome's experimental features .

Close all other browser sessions and enter the URL of the "chrome://flags" command in the Chrome address bar.

Chrome Flags

• When you are in the flags panel, Chrome will show you a warning about using experimental features in the browser.

Chrome warns about using experimental features

• Under the warnings section, you will see a huge list of experimental flags . Use the search field at the top and type "password export".
• You will see an experimental feature called Export Passwords.

Search Flag

• By default, Chrome has the "Export password" option enabled. So you won't see this flag in the latest version of Chrome. If you are using older versions less than 69 then the "Default" option indicates that password export is enabled in your browser. However, you can enable it explicitly if you don't see this option in the password manager.
• Click the drop-down menu and select the "Enabled" option. Especially make sure it doesn't show "Disabled".
• Now click the Restart now button for the changes to take effect.

Enable password export flag

• When you have successfully enabled the button to export passwords, you can navigate to "chrome://settings/passwords" and export passwords as described above.

4 Caution when uploading a password

Remember that anyone with administrator access to your PC or Mac can download passwords from Chrome. So, when you discover that someone has stolen your credentials, the first thing you should do is change your administrator password. You can then change passwords in Chrome by downloading the CSV file and uploading it with the new passwords.

Also be aware that the CSV file is not password protected . This means that anyone can open and retrieve the password data you have stored in Chrome. We highly recommend deleting the CSV file after the goal is resolved.

View Chrome Password CSV File

5 Enable password import flag

You can directly change the passwords in the CSV file and import back to Chrome. However, Chrome has disabled this password import option by default and you need to enable it in the flags section .

• Close all other browser sessions first as you need to restart your browser.
• Go to "chrome://flags" and look for the "import password" flag.
• You will see an "Import password" flag with a "Default" option indicating that it is disabled in the browser (or you may see "Disabled").
• Select "Enabled" from the drop-down list and restart your browser.

Enable password import flag and restart

Related: How to start Chrome by default in incognito mode?

6 Import passwords back to Chrome

Now go back to the Chrome password manager at the "chrome://settings/passwords" settings URL. Click the button with three dots next to Saved Passwords. You will see an additional "Import" option added.

Import Password in Chrome

Click on the "Import" option and select the modified CSV file containing all your passwords. Chrome Password Manager will now update all passwords from the CSV file in the browser. Please be aware that uploading the file will overwrite any existing entries with the same username and password for the specific website.

Google removed the password import and export flags from the stable version of Chrome 76. Only the Canary version still has the password import flag. There are no easy options for downgrading Chrome because Google does not allow redistribution of earlier versions. So, if you have the latest version of Chrome, only passwords can be exported. You can also turn off automatic updates in Chrome so you don't lose any features with future updates.

Conclusion

We hope you have learned how to import and export passwords in Chrome with the default password manager. There are also many extensions for this. Whether you do it yourself or use extensions, we highly recommend keeping all passwords secure to protect your data.