These problems could mean that some malicious program or extension, adware, or malware<\/a> have hijacked your browser. <\/p>\n This can change your default homepage, search engine, and startup page. It might not be sufficient to use the manual settings to revert these changes. <\/p>\n This is because most hijacker extensions, adware entities, and other types of malware can change the settings once again immediately after you relaunch Chrome. <\/p>\n They use small components in your browser (browser helper objects) to achieve the alterations. <\/p>\n Therefore, you’ll have to reset Google Chrome back to the factory defaults to get rid of the issue you are facing. <\/p>\n You might ask, “Is it safe to reset Google Chrome?” If you are worried about the consequences of resetting your browser, we’ll point them out for you below. <\/p>\n Note that in Chrome, you can create multiple user profiles. So, each user will have their own settings, bookmarks, history, and extensions. <\/p>\n When you reset Chrome, only the profile you are currently logged into will be affected. <\/p>\n Therefore, if you have two profiles, say User 1 and User 2, and are logged into User 2, the changes due to resetting your browser will only affect User 2. <\/p>\n Let’s take a look: <\/p>\n Resetting Chrome to the factory state will disable the home button. The home button is displayed on the left side of your address bar (URL bar).<\/p>\n When you click on it, a new tab page opens. You can also customize it to open any web address of your choice. <\/p>\n When the button is removed after you’ve reset Chrome, you can go to Settings<\/em>, click on Appearance<\/em>, and select Show Home Button<\/em> to enable it again. <\/p>\n If you have previously set a web address for the home button, it will still be there after resetting Chrome. <\/p>\n You only have to select the URL instead of the New Tab<\/em> page in the Chrome settings. <\/p>\n When Google Chrome is reset, you are logged out from your user profile’s Google account, and the sync service gets turned off. <\/p>\n You may be presented with a notification that says, Sync is paused<\/em>. You’ll have to sign in again to enable it. <\/p>\n Google is the default search engine for Chrome. If you have switched to a different search engine, your default option will be set back to Google again after you reset your browser.<\/p>\n To choose the search engine you prefer after the reset, go to Settings<\/em>, and click on Search Engine<\/em>, and click the drop-down menu beside Search engine used in the address bar<\/em>.<\/em> <\/p>\n Also Read: <\/strong>How to Stop Pop-Ups in Google Chrome?<\/a><\/p>\n If you want to clear your cache and cookies manually, go to Chrome Settings. Click the Advanced<\/em> drop-down to Privacy and Security<\/em>. At the bottom of the section, you’ll find Clear browsing data<\/em>.<\/em> <\/p>\n Click on it and select the items you want to clear by marking the corresponding checkboxes. If you want to see more items, switch from the Basic tab to the Advanced<\/em> tab. <\/p>\n Once you are done, click the Clear Data <\/em>button. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n When you power on your computer and launch Chrome, you are presented with the startup page(s) – you get the New Tab<\/em> page, continue where you left off when you last opened your browser, or open a specific page or set of pages. <\/p>\n You can set Chrome to do any of the above on startup. However, the default option is to open the New Tab<\/em> page. <\/p>\n So, if you are using any of the other options when you reset Chrome, the startup option will be reverted to the New Tab<\/em> page. <\/p>\n To choose what happens on startup, go to your Settings<\/em>. Scroll down to the bottom to find the On startup<\/em> section, and then select the option you prefer. <\/p>\n When you reset your Chrome browser to the factory settings, your frequently visited websites will no longer be pinned.<\/p>\n When you visit certain websites, you may have to grant access to your PC’s camera, microphone, and location and give other permissions, such as saving cookies and site data, showing pop-ups, and more.<\/p>\n These are referred to as site settings. When you reset Chrome, your site settings will be restored to their default values.<\/p>\n To change these settings, go to Settings<\/em> and click Site settings<\/em> under Privacy and security<\/em>.<\/em> <\/p>\n Chrome allows you to install third-party extensions to get access to additional functions that are not built into the browser.<\/p>\n If you have any extensions installed on your browser, resetting Chrome will disable them. However, they will not be removed from your browser, nor will any customizations you’ve made be altered.<\/p>\n After resetting Chrome, you will have to enable your extensions again. To do so, go to the Chrome menu, click Settings<\/em>, and select Extensions<\/em>. <\/p>\n There, you’ll find all the extensions installed on your browser. Click the toggle on each one to enable it. <\/p>\n Likewise, if you have changed the Chrome default theme, it will be restored after you reset the browser. To change it back, go to Settings<\/em> and click on Themes<\/em> under the Appearance<\/em> section. <\/p>\n Now, it’s important to mention that a reset will not remove your browsing history, bookmarks, or saved passwords. Also, your downloaded files will not be deleted. <\/p>\n As for the appearance settings, your font size and page zoom settings will remain the same. Also, if you have opted to show or hide the bookmarks bar, the setting will be unchanged. <\/p>\n We’ve already stated that your site settings and browsing data<\/a> will be affected when you reset your browser. <\/p>\n However, other settings, such as accessibility, printer, and download location settings, will remain the same. <\/p>\n We’ll discuss how to reset Chrome browser settings in the following sections. <\/p>\nWhat Happens When You Reset Google Chrome?<\/h2>\n
1. Home button and home page<\/h3>\n
![\"Chrome](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Chrome-settings-appearance.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Show](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Show-home-button-disabled.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n 2. Sync service<\/h3>\n
3. Search engine<\/h3>\n
![\"Search](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Search-engine-Google.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\n
\n4. Startup pages<\/h3>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Google-Chrome-on-Startup-1.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n 5. Pinned tabs<\/h3>\n
6. Site permissions and content settings<\/h3>\n
![\"Privacy](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Privacy-and-Security-Windows-10-1.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n 7. Themes and extensions<\/h3>\n
![\"Chrome](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Chrome-Appearance-New-Tab-Page-1.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n A Reset Won’t Change Your Browsing History<\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Chrome-settings-1.png\")
Settings<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Chrome-restore-settings-to-their-original-defaults-1.png\")
Reset Settings<\/em> and select Restore settings to their original defaults<\/em>\" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n ![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Reset-settings-1.png\")
Reset settings<\/em> button \" class=\"lazyload screenshots__image\">\r\n <\/div>\r\n