How To Stop Chrome from Asking for Keyring Password on Startup

If you’re a Linux user, you may have encountered a situation where Google Chrome asks for your keyring password every time you start up the browser. This can be quite annoying, especially if you don’t remember setting up a keyring password in the first place. Fortunately, there are several ways to stop Chrome from asking for the keyring password on startup. In this article, we’ll cover four methods in detail.

What is a Keyring Password?

Before we dive into the solutions, let’s briefly cover what a keyring password is. The GNOME Keyring is a feature in Linux that stores sensitive data such as passwords, encryption keys, and certificates. Google Chrome uses this keyring to store your website passwords. However, for security reasons, the keyring is locked by default and requires a password to unlock it.

Method 1: Disable the Keyring Integration in Chrome

The first method involves disabling the keyring integration in Chrome. This can be done by running Chrome with a specific flag that turns off the use of the GNOME keyring. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open a terminal. You can do this by searching for ‘Terminal’ in your applications menu, or by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.
2. Run the following command:

google-chrome --password-store=basic

The --password-store=basic flag tells Chrome to use a basic password store, which doesn’t require a keyring password. Note that this solution is specific to Chrome and may not work for other Chromium-based browsers.

Method 2: Set the Keyring Password to Blank

The second method is to set the keyring password to blank. This will remove the password requirement for the keyring, allowing Chrome to access it without prompting for a password. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the “Passwords and Keys” application. This can also be found under the name Seahorse.
2. Right-click on the “login” keyring and select “Change Password”.
3. Enter your old password and leave the new password fields blank.
4. Click on ‘Continue’ and then ‘Confirm’ to set the new password.

Method 3: Delete the Keyring Files

The third method is to delete the keyring files. This will force Chrome to recreate them without a password requirement. However, this solution may cause Chrome to lose access to any saved passwords stored in the keyring. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open a terminal.
2. Run the following command:

rm ~/.local/share/keyrings/*

This command deletes all files in the ~/.local/share/keyrings/ directory, which is where the keyring files are stored.

Method 4: Edit the Chrome Desktop File

The fourth method is to edit the Chrome desktop file. This involves modifying the Chrome launcher to start with the --password-store=basic flag, which bypasses the keyring prompt. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open a terminal.
2. Copy the .desktop file for Chrome to your home folder with the following command:

cp /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop ~/.local/share/applications

3. Edit the copied file using a text editor. For example, you can use the nano text editor with this command:

nano ~/.local/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop

4. In the text editor, find the line that starts with Exec=. This line specifies the command that is run when you start Chrome.
5. Add --password-store=basic at the end of the line, then save the file and exit the text editor.

Now, when you start Chrome, it should no longer ask for the keyring password.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve covered four methods to stop Chrome from asking for the keyring password on startup. Each method has its own advantages and potential drawbacks, so choose the one that best suits your needs and preferences. Remember, these methods involve changing security settings, so proceed with caution.