How To: Create a New Browser User Profile

Sometimes, you may encounter with an error like "Account sign-in details are out of date. Sign in again" or out of date error. At that time, signing in again, by removing the current profile or if that doesn't help, creating a new browser profile will help you to get it fixed.

As the Google Chrome Support article says on how to do that,
If your browser user profile is corrupted, you can create a new user profile to replace the broken one:

Windows Instructions
  • Exit Google Chrome completely.
  • Enter the keyboard shortcut Windows key  +E to open Windows Explorer.
  • In the Windows Explorer window that appears enter the following in the address bar.

    Windows XP:
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\ 

Windows Vista/ Windows 7/ Windows 8/ Windows 10:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ 
  • Locate the folder called "Default" in the directory window that opens and rename it as "Backup default."

Try opening Google Chrome again. A new "Default" folder is automatically created as you start using the browser. If you wish, you can transfer information from your old user profile to your new one.

However, this action is not recommended, since a part of your old profile may be corrupt. With that in mind, to transfer your old bookmarks, copy the "Bookmarks.bak" file from the "Backup default" folder to your new "Default" folder. Once moved, rename the file from "Bookmarks.bak" to "Bookmarks" to complete the migration. All other browser data will remain in the "Backup default" folder, but you won't be able to transfer it to your new profile.


    Mac Instructions

    • Quit Google Chrome completely. 
    • In the Mac menu bar at the top of the screen, click Go. 
    • Select Go to Folder. 
    • Enter the following directories in the text field, then press Go.
    ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/
    • Locate the folder called "Default" in the directory window that opens and rename it as "Backup default." 
    • Try opening Google Chrome again. A new "Default" folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.
    If you wish, you can transfer information from your old user profile to your new one. However, this action is not recommended, since a part of your old profile may be corrupt. With that in mind, to transfer your old bookmarks, copy the "Bookmarks.bak" file from the "Backup default" folder to your new "Default" folder. Once moved, rename the file from "Bookmarks.bak" to "Bookmarks" to complete the migration. All other browser data will remain in the "Backup default" folder, but you won't be able to transfer it to your new profile.


    Linux Instructions

    • Exit Google Chrome completely.
    • Go to Computer.
    • Select Go > Location.
    • Enter the following directory in the text field:                         
      ~/.config/google-chrome/
    • Locate the folder called "Default" in the directory window that opens and rename it as "Backup default."
    • Try opening Google Chrome again. A new "Default" folder is automatically created as you start using the browser.
    If you wish, you can transfer information from your old user profile to your new one. However, this action is not recommended, since a part of your old profile may be corrupt. With that in mind, to transfer your old bookmarks, copy the "Bookmarks.bak" file from the "Backup default" folder to your new "Default" folder. Once moved, rename the file from "Bookmarks.bak" to "Bookmarks" to complete the migration. All other browser data will remain in the "Backup default" folder, but you won't be able to transfer it to your new profile.

    Creating a new Chrome user is another quick way to create a new browser user profile. Learn how to add a new user in Chrome

    Comments

    Post a Comment