What is the 'keyring' in Google Chrome?

Question

Every time I run Chrome, it asks for the keyring password for Default. If I enter my password or press cancel, it disappears and I can continue.

So, what does the keyring do and what's the difference between unlocking with my password or pressing cancel?

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 10 '13 at 15:28

11

Generally, a keyring is a secure password store, that is encrypted with a master password.

Once you input the master password, the keyring gets decrypted and all the passwords inside it are available to the application accessing the keyring.

On Gnome/Ubuntu the seahorse application can be used to look at the keyring and the master password is the same with your user's password so you don't get asked about it anymore.

Most likely your system's keyring password doesn't match your user's password, or the integration is somehow broken.

You can try to cancel it and see if you still have access to your saved website passwords. Most likely you will be asked for the master password again, as soon as you attempt to use a saved password.

answered Nov 10 '13 at 15:28

Cristian Măgherușan-Stanciu

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My system's keyring password matches my user's password, it just pops up every time I start Chrome, and as mentioned in the OP Chrome works fine when canceling (the same as when filling in the password). – PMint Nov 10 '13 at 15:42
Try the solutions from http://askubuntu.com/questions/31786/chrome-asks-for-password-to-unlock-keyring-on-startup and the post it duplicates – Cristian Măgherușan-Stanciu Nov 10 '13 at 16:30
I'm not asking how to get rid of it. – PMint Nov 10 '13 at 16:32
In Seahorse you can enable 'View/By keyring' and set the Login keyring as default. The Chrome passwords should be shown there. – Cristian Măgherușan-Stanciu Nov 10 '13 at 16:50

What is the 'keyring' in Google Chrome?

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