Chrome Sync Not Working: How to Turn It Back On and Keep It Running

Q: Where did the dedicated "Sync" toggle go?

Newer Chrome folds it into the Profile menu — signing in and choosing Turn on sync / Yes, I'm in is the equivalent.

Q: How do I stop syncing or wipe synced data?

Open Profile → Sign out of Chrome to stop. To delete the data Google holds, go to chrome.google.com/data and choose Delete data.

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read February 28, 2026 · by Ryan Bennett

Bookmarks, passwords, and settings aren’t appearing on your other devices, or Chrome shows “Sync is paused.”

Why: Sync copies your Chrome data through your Google Account. It pauses when you sign out of a Google service (like Gmail), when you’re not signed in, or when a site-data setting clears your sign-in cookie on close. Here’s how to get it flowing again.

Fix 1: Turn sync on (or verify it’s you)

Open Chrome and click Profile (top right).
If you see Turn on sync…, click it and choose Yes, I’m in. If you’re not signed in, you’ll be prompted to sign in first.
If Chrome shows Verify it’s you, click it, then Sign in again, and sign in to your Google Account. This resumes a paused sync.

Once on, Chrome syncs your bookmarks, passwords, history, and settings across devices signed in to the same account.

Fix 2: Stop sync from pausing every time you close Chrome

If sync keeps pausing after you quit Chrome, a site-data setting is clearing the cookie that keeps you signed in.

Go to More → Settings → Privacy and security → Site Settings → Additional content settings.
Open On-device site data.
Turn on Allow sites to save data on your device (and make sure Chrome isn’t set to clear cookies on close). Reopen Chrome and check the Profile menu still shows you signed in.

Fix 3: Confirm the same account on each device

Data only syncs between devices using the same Google Account.

On each device, open the Profile menu and check the signed-in email matches.
If one device shows a different account, sign out and sign back in with the correct one.
Give it a minute, then check that a recent bookmark or password appears on the other device.

FAQ

Where did the dedicated “Sync” toggle go? Newer Chrome folds it into the Profile menu — signing in and choosing Turn on sync / Yes, I’m in is the equivalent.

How do I stop syncing or wipe synced data? Open Profile → Sign out of Chrome to stop. To delete the data Google holds, go to chrome.google.com/data and choose Delete data.

Sources: Google Chrome Help — Fix issues with sync in Chrome, Google Chrome Help — Sign in and sync in Chrome