The Security Risk of AutoFill
Google Chrome features a built-in password manager designed to make logging into your favorite websites seamless. When you navigate to a login page you’ve visited before, Chrome will often automatically fill in your username and password, displaying them as black dots in the credential fields. While incredibly convenient, this “AutoFill” behavior can be a significant privacy and security risk if you share your computer with others, or if you frequently use your laptop in public spaces where someone might glance at your screen. Anyone sitting at your unlocked computer can simply click “Login” and gain full access to your sensitive accounts without needing to know the actual password.
How to Disable Password AutoFill
You can instruct Chrome to remember your passwords (so you don’t have to type them entirely from memory) but require a manual click before it actually populates the login form.
1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three vertical dots in the extreme top-right corner of the browser window.
3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, click on Autofill and passwords.
5. Click on Google Password Manager.
6. On the left side of the Password Manager screen, click on Settings.
7. Locate the toggle switch labelled Sign in automatically.
8. Turn this switch Off.
With this setting disabled, Chrome will still securely store your credentials in its vault. However, when you visit a login page, the fields will remain completely blank. To log in, you must manually click inside the username or password box, at which point Chrome will display a small pop-up suggesting the saved account. You must click that suggestion to authorize the form fill.
How to Clear Existing AutoFill Data
If you want to completely wipe out any previously stored passwords so Chrome stops suggesting them entirely, you need to clear your browsing data.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Command + Shift + Delete (Mac) to open the “Clear browsing data” menu. Go to the “Advanced” tab, check the box next to “Passwords and other sign-in data,” set the Time range to “All time,” and click Clear data.