Chrome Sync is a great way to keep your data safe and organized. But if you’re using a custom sync passphrase, you may need to secure your account. Here’s how:

  1. Log in to Chrome with your username and password.
  2. Click on the three lines in the top left corner of the main Chrome window. This will show a list of your current tabs and websites.
  3. On the right side of this list, click on the three lines in the bottom left corner of the main Chrome window. This will show a list of all your current synced pages and files.
  4. In the top right corner of this list, click on the three lines in the bottom left corner of the main Chrome window to create a new sync passphrase for chrome://sync/. You can use any word or phrase you like, but make sure it’s at least 8 characters long and includes at least one letter (a-z). For example, “password”.
  5. Click on OK to create your new sync passphrase and close Chrome.

Chrome’s cross-device sync feature is one of the things that makes it so popular, but it’s not without problems. You may not like Google having all your browser data, for example. Thankfully, you can encrypt your synced data by adding a passcode.

What Is Chrome Sync?

Here’s all the information that Chrome saves to your Google account with sync enabled:

Bookmarks History and open tabs Passwords Payment info Names, addresses, and phone numbers Settings and preferences

This data is all backed up to your Google account, which means that the search giant has access to it as well. You can create a Sync Passphrase to encrypt this data so that Google can’t read it.

RELATED: How to Turn Syncing On or Off in Chrome

The Sync Passphrase can be set up from Chrome on the Windows 10 or Mac desktop, iPhone, iPad, or Android. We’ll start on the desktop.

Add a Sync Passphrase in Chrome on Windows and Mac

First, select the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner of the Google Chrome web browser and choose “Settings” from the menu.

Next, click “Sync and Google Services” under the “You and Google” section.

Expand “Encryption Options” by clicking the down arrow on the right.

Click the radio button for “Encrypt synced data with your own sync passphrase.”

After you click the button, two text boxes will appear underneath. Enter a passphrase in the first box and confirm it in the second box. Click “Save” when you’re done.

That’s it. The passphrase will now be required whenever you sign in to a new Chrome browser and enable sync.

Add a Sync Passphrase in Chrome on Android, iPhone, and iPad

The process is very similar on Android, iPhone, and iPad. First, open the Chrome mobile web browser, tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right or bottom-right corner, then select “Settings.”

Next, tap “Sync and Google Services” at the top of the menu.

Now, select “Manage Sync.” Make sure that Sync is enabled before you do this.

At the bottom of the screen, select “Encryption.”

Choose “Encrypt synced data with your own sync passphrase.”

Enter a passphrase in the first text box and enter it again in the second box. Tap “Save” or “Submit” when done.

You’re done!