How to Recover Saved Passwords in Chrome (Step-by-Step Guide)

In this guide, you will learn where Chrome saves your passwords, how they are secured using encryption, and the easiest way to recover them instantly.

Chrome Password Storage Location

Chrome stores all your website login credentials in a file named “Login Data”, located at:

C:\Users\[user_name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Login Data

This file is a SQLite database containing a table called “logins”, where all saved credentials are stored.

Important Fields in “logins” Table

• origin_url => Website Page URL
• signon_realm => Website Domain
• username_value => Username or Email
• password_value => Encrypted Password

How Chrome Encrypts Passwords

Here are different encryption methods used by various versions of Chrome browser.

Older Versions (< v80)

• Passwords were encrypted using Windows DPAPI
• Can be decrypted using system APIs like CryptUnprotectData

Newer Versions (v80 & above)

Passwords are encrypted using a master encryption key stored in the “Local State” file:

C:\Users\[user_name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Local State

Encryption Key Details

• Older versions (< v135): encrypted_key
• Newer versions (> v135): app_bound_encrypted_key

The master key is stored in Base64 format and protected using Windows DPAPI along with modern encryption algorithms.

• AES-GCM
• ChaCha20
• AES+CNG (based on browser version)

Multi-Level Process to Decrypt Master Key

• Decode Base64 key
• Decrypt using System DPAPI
• Decrypt again using User DPAPI
• If not 32 bytes, decrypt further using AES-GCM, ChaCha20 or AES+CNG (v140+)

Final master key (32 bytes) is used to decrypt saved passwords using AES-256-GCM algorithm.

Important Note: Since Chrome uses user-specific and machine-bound encryption, saved passwords cannot be decrypted from another user account or external drive unless advanced recovery methods are used (see solution at the end of this post).

How to Recover Chrome Passwords Automatically

Recovering Chrome passwords manually can be time-consuming due to multiple encryption layers.

With XenArmor Browser Password Recovery Pro, you can instantly recover all Chrome passwords with a single click.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Download & install the software from here
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