Google Chrome provides you an option to sync your data between devices on which you usually open the Chrome browser. When you sign-in to Chrome, a feature called Chrome Sync is turned on, which synchronizes your bookmarks, browsing history, autofill, passwords, etc., with your Google account so that you can use them on all your devices. This feature is helpful when you want to catch up on a YouTube video later on your Mobile, which you were previously watching on your PC, or continue editing a document online when you migrate from Mobile to your Tablet.
Google Chrome sync not working
However, sometimes you can face problems syncing your information on Chrome when you get a sync error or when you’ve made changes to your synced data, but you’re not able to see it on other devices. This guide will help you with such Google Chrome sync errors.
When you sign in to Chrome and enable Sync, Chrome uses your Google Account to encrypt your synced data with the help of a Sync Passphrase. When you set a passphrase, you can encrypt and store your data on Cloud without letting anyone read it. It would be best if you had this passphrase to continue syncing between all your devices where you use Chrome.
At times, it might as well happen that you forget your passphrase or you’ve made changes to your Google account recently. Under such circumstances, Chrome Sync can break and result in syncing errors, as shown in the image above.
If you face such issues, let us see how you can resolve issues with Chrome Sync.
Fix 1: Enter your correct passphrase.
You can reshuffle the sync settings by providing your correct passphrase. Here’s how to do so:
1. In the Chrome window, click on the vertical ellipsis menu button (
2. Click on the Sync error message to open Advanced Sync Settings.
3. Under the Encryption options section, enter your correct passphrase. If you’ve used your Google account to encrypt the data, enter your previous Google account password.
4. Click OK to refresh the sync settings.
Fix 2: Disconnect and reconnect your Google Account to Chrome.
If the above fix didn’t help, you could try this one out:
1. Open the Chrome menu by clicking the vertical ellipsis button and Settings.
2. In the Settings window/tab, click on Disconnect your Google Account button.
3. A confirmation dialog box will pop up with an option to clear history, bookmark, and other settings while disconnecting the account. Click on the Disconnect account to confirm.
4. Your account will be disconnected. Close the Chrome window and quit the browser altogether, then re-open it.
5. Open the Settings window again and click on Sign in to Chrome to reconnect your Google Account.
6. Once you’ve signed in, you can see that your Chrome Sync settings are back in place.
Fix 3: Reset passphrase using Google Dashboard.
Google Dashboard for Chrome Sync is where you can see all information regarding your synced data, like counts for your stored items, including those which are not visible in Chrome.
You can use the dashboard to reset Chrome sync. It will potentially clear your data from the Google servers and remove your passphrase, but the data stored on your devices won’t be deleted. Here’s how to reset sync settings:
1. Assuming that you are logged into your Google Account, click this link to open Chrome Sync Dashboard.
2. Scroll down to the bottom where the Reset sync option is available.
3. Click Reset sync and click OK in the confirmation dialog box to reset your passphrase. Sign back into Chrome and start syncing again.
Once the issue is resolved using any of the above methods, your data and settings can be synced across multiple devices where you use Chrome.
Let us know in the comments section if you are facing any difficulty with the fixes mentioned above.
This post will help you fix Google Chrome Download errors.
How do I force Chrome to sync?
The best way to force Chrome to sync is to sign out and sign again to the account. You may also want t to uninstall and reinstall Chrome to clear out any chance of corrupt files. Ensure to turn on Sync after you sign in again.
How long does it take Chrome to sync?
Chrome syncs passwords, browsing history, and a few more things. So it’s not much, and technically it should not take more than a couple of minutes. If the Chrome sync states keep displaying syncing, then that’s a sync issue you need to resolve.
