Google Chrome is the most popular web browser among desktop users. It’s clean, fast, syncs data instantly between devices, has a ton of extensions, and adopts new standards and features as they emerge.

import passwords to chrome
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If you’ve recently switched to Chrome for any of these reasons, you’d want to import your passwords from your current web browser or password manager into Chrome to ease your sign-ins.

Here’s a guide outlining two different ways on how to import passwords into Chrome.

Method 1: Import Passwords to Chrome Using a Chrome Flag

Google has been working on a password import feature in Chrome for a while. However, it still seems to be under testing, as Google hasn’t rolled it out yet in any of its recent versions.

However, like most Chrome features, this one too can be enabled using a browser flag. Called Password import, the flag requires you to have all your passwords saved in a CSV file and lets you import passwords from any web browser or password manager. Just be sure to export passwords from your existing web browser or password manager in CSV format beforehand.

After you’ve done that, the first thing you need to do is enable the Password import flag. Here’s the easiest way to do it:

  1. Open the Chrome browser and visit chrome://flags.
  2. Tap on the Search flags box and type in password import.
  3. When it returns the flag, click the dropdown button and select Enabled.
    import passwords to chrome
  4. Chrome will now prompt you to relaunch Chrome with a message at the bottom. Tap on the Relaunch button in this prompt to relaunch Chrome and enable the flag.

With the flag enabled, Chrome should now show the password import option. Follow these steps to use it and import your passwords to Chrome on your Mac or Windows computer:

  1. Visit chrome://settings/passwords in Chrome.
  2. Tap on the three-dot button under Saved Passwords and select Import.
    import passwords to chrome
  3. When Chrome opens the file explorer, select the CSV file with your saved passwords, and click Open.

Chrome should now successfully import all your passwords.

If you’ve enabled device syncing, it will sync your passwords across all your devices (using the same Google account), and you should be able to use them for logging in to your internet accounts from other devices as well.

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Method 2: Import Passwords into Chrome Via a CLI

If you don’t see the Password import flag in Chrome, it could be that it’s been removed from that version of Chrome. This is a fairly common sight, and several Chrome flags are known to struggle with this problem, wherein they mysteriously disappear in one Chrome version and reappear in another.

Fortunately, there’s a way to force the import feature in Chrome. It involves using the CLI—terminal (on macOS) and Command Prompt (on Windows). And it, too, requires passwords exported in a CSV file format.

Follow the steps below to force enable the password import feature in Chrome on Mac and Windows.

Enable Hidden Import Option On Mac

  1. Make sure there’s no instance of Google Chrome running on your Mac.
  2. Open the terminal app.
  3. Enter the following command and hit return:
    /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome -enable-features=PasswordImport
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Enable Hidden Import Option On Windows

  1. Again, ensure that there’s no running instance of Google Chrome on your PC.
  2. Open the Command Prompt (CMD).
  3. Enter the following command to change the directory to Chrome’s installation directory:
    cd "\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application"
  4. Finally, enable the hidden import feature using:
    chrome.exe -enable-features=PasswordImport

Chrome will now launch automatically. From here, you can go to chrome://settings/passwords, hit the three-dot icon, select Import, and upload your CSV password file to import your passwords into Chrome.

Once the password file is uploaded, you should be able to see all your passwords in Chrome and use them for logging in to your online accounts.

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Easily Export Your Passwords to Google Chrome

As of writing this guide, both methods let you import passwords to Chrome from just about any web browser or password manager, granted your passwords are in a CSV file.

Subsequently, this migration should facilitate seamless logins across various internet accounts in Google Chrome, wherein you can autofill logins and not have to bother entering your passwords (or other details) manually.

Related Read: How to Delete LastPass and Move to a New Password Manager

FAQs About Importing Passwords to Chrome

Yes. You can export passwords from Chrome and import them into another web browser or password manager. Google offers the export option as part of the Password import feature, so enabling it also unlocks Chrome's password export option.

Follow these steps to export your passwords from Chrome:

  1. With the Password import feature enabled, go to chrome://settings/passwords.
  2. Tap on the three-dot menu adjacent to Saved Passwords and select Export passwords.
  3. Click on Export passwords again, and enter your computer's login password if asked.
  4. Give a name to your password file, choose a destination directory, and hit Save.

To import passwords from Safari to Chrome, you first need to export your Safari passwords in a CSV file format. Follow these steps to do this on your Mac:

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Go to Safari Preferences. Click on Safari in the menu bar and select Preferences. Or, press the Command+, shortcut.
  3. Tap on the Passwords tab.
  4. Click the More button (an encircled three-dot icon) and select Export Passwords.
  5. Tap on Export Passwords again, and on the following screen, give a name to the password file, choose a directory, and hit Save.
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