Does Clearing the Cache Delete Passwords from Google Chrome?

What is Cache in Chrome?

The cache in web browsers like Google Chrome refers to temporary files stored locally to improve loading speeds when accessing frequently visited sites or pages. This cached data can include images, HTML pages, JavaScript files, CSS, and more.

Storing this content locally avoids having to re-download it every time, allowing pages to render faster. Over time, the cache builds up and can take up substantial disk space.

What Passwords Does Chrome Store?

Whenever you save a password in Chrome, such as during account creation or login, Chrome securely stores these credentials locally. The specific passwords saved typically include:

• Website login credentials – usernames/emails and passwords for sites
• WiFi network passwords
• Credentials for other installed applications

This allows Chrome to auto-fill saved passwords on those sites going forward for convenience.

Chrome Password Encryption and Storage

According to Google‘s documentation, Chrome leverages the operating system‘s protected storage mechanisms to securely save website credentials.

On Windows for example, Chrome uses DPAPI to encrypt stored password data before writing to disk. Each OS platform has its own proprietary APIs like Keychain on iOS or key storage backends on Linux.

The passwords are hashed and stored in either SQLite database files or a "Login Data" protobuf depending on Chrome version. Both are encrypted with a unique key.

Enabling Chrome‘s password sync ties these credentials to your Google account. They are then encrypted before syncing across devices via Google‘s cloud servers.

Most Common Weak Passwords

While password practices are gradually improving, studies show the top passwords seen in major data breaches continue to be simple numeric or alphabetic combinations a majority of users still employ for convenience.

For example, per Verizon‘s annual breach report analysis the worst passcodes according to frequency include:

Rank	Password
1	123456
2	123456789
3	qwerty
4	password

Hackers anticipate people reusing such simple but popular credential combinations across accounts. Thus it remains crucial for users to avoid these for sensitive accounts, employ longer random character passwords, enable MFA/2FA, and consider a dedicated password manager.

Clearing Cache in Chrome

Clearing the browser data in Chrome deletes selected temporary internet files and site data, freeing up local storage. This does NOT delete all data automatically however.

To clear the cache in Chrome:

1. Click the 3-dot menu > Settings
2. Click Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data
3. Select cached images/files, cookies, etc
4. Click clear data button

Importantly, while cached files and history are deleted, saved passwords and other sign-in data are NOT cleared by default when clearing browsing data.

How to Delete Saved Passwords

To specifically delete any stored passwords along with clearing cache:

1. Follow steps above
2. Check the box for "Passwords and other sign-in data"
3. Confirm password removal

Alternatively, you can directly remove stored credentials without impacting cache:

1. Click the 3-dot menu > Settings
2. Click Autofill > Passwords
3. Click the 3-dot menu next to a site
4. Select Remove

Should You Periodically Clear Cache & Passwords?

It‘s generally recommended to clear your browser cache periodically to free up disk space – about every month depending on use.

However, routinely deleting your saved passwords is NOT recommended, as constantly having to re-enter credentials on websites can pose a major inconvenience.

Instead, keep stored passwords and sync them across devices via your Google account. Only delete passwords on sensitive accounts you access rarely after backing them up externally.

Using a Dedicated Password Manager

As an alternative to relying on Chrome‘s built-in password manager, consider adopting a dedicated password management solution like 1Password, LastPass or Bitwarden.

These provide functionality like:

• Securely storing credentials encrypted behind one master password
• Generating strong random passwords for each account
• Syncing passwords encrypted across devices
• Auto-fill login flows in Chrome/websites
• Built-in password auditing/health checks

The main advantage compared to Chrome‘s password manager is centralizing credentials security within a single app versus the browser itself.

Comparing Major Browsers on Password Practices

How do other major browsers like Firefox, Safari and Edge handle cache and password data?

Browser	Cache Clearing	Password Clearing
Chrome	Clear cache/history/cookies – keeps passwords	Separate option to remove passwords
Firefox	Offers similar clear data options	Stores passwords in login manager – also clearable
Safari	Clear history/website data – retains keys & passwords	Keychain stores credentials – syncable
Edge	Delete browsing history/cookies – keeps saved passwords	Additional delete passwords option

While details vary, all take an opt-in approach to specifically removing saved credentials during cache or history clearing. This prevents users accidentally losing website logins when attempting general temporary data removal.

Impact of Privacy Regulations on Browser Defaults

In the European Union, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets strict standards for transparently collecting/processing private consumer data and enabling right-to-access.

This regulation along with shifting attitudes on data privacy prompted major browser vendors to re-asses default behaviors around caching browser activity and cookies.

For example, Safari and Firefox now provide intelligent tracking prevention that automatically deletes cookies for sites the user does not interact with after 30 days. This increases baseline privacy without losing functionality on frequently accessed sites.

Example Password Clearing Script for Developers

Developers with bash/Python familiarity can leverage ChromeFlags and Chromium arguments to automate bulk password removal rather than manually deleting via the UI.

Here is sample code to iterate through stored Chrome credentials and remove them via the sqlite3 command line tool:

#!/bin/bash

# Locate chrome‘s password database 
db=$(find / -name "Login Data" | grep Default)

echo "Removing Passwords from $db"

# Query credentials table
sqlite3 $db "SELECT origin_url, username_value, password_value FROM logins" | while read website user pass
do
  # Delete matching record for site
  sqlite3 $db "DELETE FROM logins WHERE origin_url=‘$website‘ AND username_value=‘$user‘"
done  

echo "Deleted passwords"

This allows programmatically interacting with the encrypted login data outside Chrome‘s UI. The open-source Chromium project facilitates customizations.

Conclusion

While clearing the browser cache removes temporary site data, saved passwords and other sign-in credentials are NOT included by default. You must specifically opt to remove passwords if desired.

Remember to run backups and leverage a dedicated password manager for strong credential hygiene across sites.