Google Chrome is currently one of the most popular browsers on the market.
Its features and user experience may be the main contributing factors for its popularity. One such feature that makes our lives easier is the Autofill.
Although, chrome is a very stable browser, sometimes issues might arise. Bugs and poorly configured chrome files can cause the autofill feature to stop working.
Without the autofill feature, we would have to manually enter the passwords and payment details every time in the browser. This will take a lot of your time and effort.
How to Run Autofill Again in Chrome
I have listed down 9 ways by which you can fix the problem of autofill not working. So, if you are unable to use autofill make sure you try one of the methods listed below;
If one fix does not work, move on to the next one.
Configure the Autofill-settings
Chrome has the autofill feature enabled by default. It lets you save three types of information;
- Passwords
- Payment methods
- Addresses and more
However, you might have disabled it mistakenly and forgotten to enable it again.
Chrome has a dedicated section in the settings where you can manage the Autofill feature for each one of the categories listed above. You just need to go over there and enable the feature again.
On PC
- Launch chrome.
- On the top right corner click on the Menu icon.
- Then, click on Settings.
- From the list on the left side of the screen, click on Autofill.
- Click on Passwords and turn on the toggle for Offer to save passwords.
- Go back to the previous page and click on Payment methods.
- Turn on the toggle for Save and fill payment methods.
- Go back to the previous page and click on Addresses and more.
- Turn on the toggle for Save and fill addresses.
On Smartphone
- Launch the Chrome app.
- Tap on the menu icon in the top right corner.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Passwords and turn on the toggle for Save passwords.
- Go back and tap on Payment methods.
- Turn on the toggle for Save and fill payment methods.
- Go back and tap on Addresses and more.
- Turn on the toggle for Save and fill addresses.
Check Device Sync Settings
You might be using chrome from different devices like a PC or a tablet. And you might be using chrome under a single account.
Another cool feature of Chrome is that it lets you sync the data between devices. If you cannot run autofill on your tablet then maybe you have used the PC to save the information in the first place. And your devices are yet to synchronize the data. Or you might not have enabled the sync feature.
Therefore, it is a good idea to check the sync settings on the chrome app to see if that is the case.
On PC
- Launch Chrome.
- From the top right corner click on the menu icon.
- Click on Settings.
- From the menu on the left sidebar, click on You and Google.
- Click on Turn on sync.
On smartphone
- Launch the Chrome app.
- From the top right corner tap on the menu icon.
- Tap on Settings.
- Under You and Google tap on Sync.
- Select the category of data that you want to sync by ticking the boxes next to it, or simply toggle on Sync everything.
Log in to Your Google Account
Google saves all your passwords and other details in your account. However, if you have not signed in with your Google account, then, google stores these data locally.
This data will not sync across your devices because it requires a google account. Therefore, if you have saved the autofill information on a chrome browser that is not signed in with your account. Then you can not access your saved payment methods and other such information on any other device.
If you are using an Android smartphone you do not need to separately sign in. Chrome will sign in with the account that you have used to sign in to the google services.
On PC
- Launch chrome.
- Click on the person icon from the top right corner.
- Click on Turn on sync.
- Enter your credentials and sign in.
On iOS
- Launch the Chrome app.
- Tap on the menu icon from the top right corner.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Sign in to Chrome.
- Tap on Add account.
- Enter your Google credentials and sign in.
Disable/Remove Extensions
Chrome gives us the ability to extend the functionality using third-party plugins. However, sometimes these extensions interfere with the functioning of the chrome browser itself. You can try disabling/removing these extensions to resolve this issue.
To find out if extensions are the reason behind this problem, press Ctrl + Shift + N to enter the incognito mode. If the autofill feature is working properly in the incognito mode, then extensions are the problem.
Here is how you can disable/remove them:
- Launch Chrome.
- Click on the menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Go to More tools > Extensions.
- From the list of extensions, you can disable them by turning off the toggle or by clicking on Remove.
Clear Cache
A cache is a data that contains information like the user’s activity and the saved settings. Chrome uses this data to improve the user experience. However, sometimes due to outdated or corrupt files in the cache, certain functionality of chrome stops working.
This might be the reason why the autofill feature in your chrome is not working. You can try deleting the cache to see if that fixes the autofill feature.
On PC
- Launch chrome.
- Click on the menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Go to More tools > Clear browsing data.
- Tick the boxes only for Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files.
- Select a time range from the drop-down list.
- Click on Clear data.
On Smartphone
- Launch chrome.
- Tap on the menu icon from the top right corner.
- Tap on History.
- Tap on Clear browsing data.
- Tick the boxes only for Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, and Cached images and files.
- Select a time range from the drop-down list.
- Tap on Clear data.
Create a New User Profile
Chrome syncs the data and saves it in the cloud. Apart from that, chrome also locally stores some data. This data can get corrupt sometimes and cause the autofill feature to not work.
Creating a new user profile should get the autofill to run again. But make sure you have synced the data to the cloud.
- Enter Windows key +R.
- Type the following and hit enter
%UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data
- Locate the folder Default. You can store this in a separate place as a backup since we are going to create a new one.
- Launch Chrome and sign in with your Google credentials. This will automatically create a new user profile and autofill should start working again.
Remove the Websites From Never Saved
Whenever you log in to a website, Chrome prompts you to save the passwords. However, there is also an option to never save the password, and if you click that, chrome will not save any current and future log-in information for that particular website.
You might have clicked on Never save. That’s why autofill might not be loading your password.
Chrome maintains a list of websites for which you have clicked on the Never save option. If you remove the website from that list chrome will start saving your passwords again.
On PC
- Launch chrome.
- Click on the menu icon in the top-right corner.
- Click on Settings.
- From the menu on the left side of the screen, click on Autofill.
- Click on Passwords.
- Under Never Saved remove the websites for which you want to save your passwords by clicking on the cross mark.
On Smartphone
- Launch chrome.
- From the top-right corner of the screen, tap on the menu icon.
- Tap on Settings.
- Tap on Passwords.
- Scroll down to the bottom and under Never Saved locate the website for which you want Google to save the password and tap on it.
- On the top right corner of the screen tap on the bin icon.
Reinstall/Reset Chrome
If none of the above fixes work you can try resetting the Chrome browser back to the default settings. This way you can start fresh and the existing problem with the autofill should go away.
Make sure you sync your data first before resetting the chrome.
On PC
- Launch Chrome.
- Click on the menu icon in the top right corner.
- Click on Settings.
- From the side-menu click on Reset and clean up.
- Click on Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Click on Reset settings.
On a smartphone, deleting the app’s cache will reset the chrome back to the default settings.
Alternatively, you can also try reinstalling Chrome.
Update the Chrome Browser
An outdated chrome browser can cause a lot of features to stop working. Autofill might also not work due to this.
On your smartphone, you can update the chrome app from the Appstore(for iOS) or the play store(for Android) depending on your device.
To update the chrome app on a PC follow the following steps;
- Launch chrome.
- Click on the menu icon from the top right corner.
- Go to Help > About Google Chrome.
- Chrome will now check for any updates and install them automatically
Related Questions
Do I Need to Log in to My Google Account to Use the Autofill Feature?
No, you do not need to sign in to a google account to use the Autofill feature in chrome. However, if you want to sync the autofill data across different devices, you will need a google account.
What Is the Alternative to Google Autofill?
There are several extensions that you can download from the chrome web store that provides the same functionality as that of Google Autofill. However, I highly recommend you to use the built-in autofill feature provided by chrome due to the brand’s trust and reliability.