Google Chrome is designed to make online shopping as fast as possible. When you type your name, phone number, and address into a checkout form, Chrome silently saves that information into its “Autofill” database. The next time you encounter a similar form, Chrome will pop down a helpful list suggesting your data.
However, if you move to a new apartment, change your phone number, or type a typo into a form by mistake, Chrome will stubbornly remember the incorrect information and suggest it to you for years. Simply clearing your standard browsing history does not delete this deeply embedded data. You must target the specific Autofill database to wipe out the old addresses and phone numbers.
How to Completely Erase Chrome Autofill Form Data
You must use the advanced section of the “Clear browsing data” tool to target form data.
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner, hover over More tools, and select Clear browsing data. (Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + Delete).
- A pop-up window will appear. Look at the top of the window and click the Advanced tab (do not use the Basic tab).
- Click the Time range drop-down menu and change it to All time.
- Scroll down the list of checkboxes. You must uncheck everything (like Browsing history, Cookies, and Cached images) unless you specifically want to delete those as well.
- Find the checkbox labeled Autofill form data and ensure it is checked. (It will usually tell you exactly how many addresses or suggestions are currently saved).
- Click the blue Clear data button.
Chrome will immediately purge the underlying database. The next time you click into a text box on a website, the annoying drop-down menu containing your old phone number or outdated shipping address will never appear again.