How to Lock Google Chrome with a Password

Method 1 of 2: Enabling Chrome Profile Protection

1. 
   1
   Visit the Chrome flags page. Open Google Chrome and copy-pastechrome://flags/#enable-new-profile-management into your address bar. Hit enter to navigate to the experimental settings page, with the profile management option at the top of the browsing window.

   • Do not alter any other settings unless you know exactly what they do. If an experimental feature causes problems, return to the chrome://flags/ page and click "Reset all to default."
2. 
   2
   Enable new profile management. Click the drop-down menu underneath "Enable new profile management" and select "Enabled."

   • If you can't find this option, search the page for "profile management" usingctrl+F on Windows, command+F on Mac, or your device's Search or Find menu item on phones and tablets.
   • If you're certain the option is not on the page, update your Chrome browser or app and try again.
3. 
   3
   Relaunch Chrome. A Relaunch now button should appear at the bottom of the screen. Click this, or quit and re-open Chrome manually for the change to take effect.
4. 
   4
   Sign in to your Google account. Click the profile button in the top right, which may display your Google account name or a silhouetted head and shoulders. Click this, then select Sign in. Enter your Google account information or create a new Google account. Once you're logged in, the profile icon in the top right should be replaced by the name attached to your Google account.

   • The head and shoulders icon is very small on some operating systems. Look for it next to the minimize and close icons.
   • Remember your password! If you forget it while Chrome is locked, you will need to "Browse as guest" to open a non-protected Chrome window, then visitGoogle account recovery to reset your password.
5. 5
   Create a supervised account. In order to password-protect your own account, you need to tell Chrome that you are supervising another user.

   • Go to Chrome → Preferences in the top menu.
   • Scroll down to "People" and press Add person.
   • Check the box next to "Control and view the websites this person visits"
   • Click Add.
6. 6
   Save your work. If you have any unfinished emails, half-written forum posts, or other work in progress, make sure it is saved or copied to a text file before you lock Chrome. All tabs will be closed when you lock the account, then re-opened when you sign in again.^[2]
7. 
   7
   Lock your Chrome profile. Click your name in the top right corner, where the profile icon used to be. If you select "Exit and childlock," all your Chrome tabs and windows will be replaced by a small window with a display of all your profiles. In order to use those tabs and windows again, you'll need to enter your Google Account password.

   • Your profile will not lock automatically when you close Chrome. You must remember to Lock the account first. There is currently no way to enable automatic locking.
   • In case you can't see the option to lock your user, you've found a bug! Go to Settings (not on the switch user screen) and create a new user. Give it whatever name you like.
8. 8
   Troubleshoot. The supervised users feature is in beta, and there may be some bugs. If you do not have an "Exit and childlock" option, try one or more of these quick fixes:

   • Make a second Supervised User. Repeat until you get a user with the grey (supervised) text after the name.
   • Visit https://www.google.com/settings/chrome/manage. Click Manage in the Permissions section, then select "Only approved sites" from the dropdown list.
   • Relaunch Chrome.
9. 
   9
   Ban all unauthorized use of Chrome (optional). The profile locking setting should protect your saved passwords, browsing history, and most preferences from other people who use the computer, but they can still browse the internet using a separate profile or as a guest. If you want complete control over who accesses Chrome, you can prevent this:

   • Visit Chrome → Preferences in to the top menu.
   • Scroll down to the People section.
   • Uncheck the boxes next to "Enable Guest browsing" and "Let anyone add a person to Chrome."

Method 2 of 2: Locking Chrome without a Google Account

1. 1
   Understand the limitations of this method. This method covers browser extensions that will add password protection to Chrome. These are not supported directly by the Chrome developers, so compared to the "Chrome profile" method, they are more likely to cause issues, stop working after an update, or (though this is unlikely) infect your computer with malware.

   • As of December 2014, the available options are also significantly less secure than the Chrome profile method.
2. 
   2
   Try Lock. Click here, then select "Try it now" to install the Lock extension. This lets you add a password that needs to be entered each time Chrome is opened. Once installed, click the red square in the top right of Chrome to set a password. Be aware of the following quirks:

   • The password field is not obscured. Anyone watching your screen will see your real password as you type it.
   • If you do not change the default password, it will be password. However, upon opening Chrome, the text field will say Password. Change the capital P to lowercase, and you should get through. (Then click the red square to set a real password.)
3. 
   3
   Avoid insecure extensions. There are several other extensions, but most have major security flaws:

   • "PassBrow" and "Browser Locker" can be bypassed by closing the first window, then opening a new one.
   • "Lock for Google Chrome" can be bypassed by checking "Stop this page from showing popups" in the password prompt box.
4. 
   4
   Search for a password protection app. Password protection apps have come and gone in the past. If the suggestions above are unavailable or you dislike their features, visit the Chrome webstore in your Chrome browser, and use the Search bar to look for "password lock chrome" to find alternatives. If you are using a phone or tablet, use the Chrome app store instead.

   • Always look at the average rating and read some reviews before installing. Some apps can slow down your browsing, install advertising toolbars, or cause other issues.