The autofill form option in modern browsers is useful and takes the annoyance out of signing into different websites with different credentials. However, it could also prove to be a privacy nightmare, especially if you use a shared computer or smartphone. So to help safeguard your login credentials, we will show you how to disable the autofill option for forms and websites in Google Chrome on desktop and mobile in this article.
Autofill is usually enabled by default, but all major web browsers let you disable it for obvious privacy reasons. Turning off the feature is often the right move, even though it makes signing into websites a little less convenient. So without further ado, here’s how you can disable or turn off the autofill feature in Google Chrome:
- Turn Off Google Chrome Autofill on Desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
- Delete Autofill Information in Google Chrome on Desktop
- Turn off Autofill in Google Chrome for Mobile (Android and iOS)
- Delete Autofill Information in Google Chrome on Android and iOS
Turn Off Google Chrome Autofill on Desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux)
Note: We are using Chrome on Windows for the purpose of this demo, but the process of disabling form autofill is identical on Mac and Linux computers.
Note: You can also get to the Settings directly by copy-pasting chrome://settings into the Chrome address bar and hitting Enter.
- Now go to the “Payment methods” section under Auto-fill in Chrome. Turn off the toggles for the “Save and fill payment methods” and “Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved” options on the next page.
Delete Autofill Information in Google Chrome on Desktop
For complete privacy, we also suggest you delete all your saved passwords and other autofill information from Google Chrome. That includes credit card information, phone numbers, addresses, etc.
Note: The screenshots here are from Chrome for Android, but the process of disabling autofill on Google Chrome for iOS remains identical.
- Finally, go to the “Addresses and more” section and disable the toggle next to “Save and fill addresses” in Chrome. This ensures that the browser will no longer offer to save your form information and implement autofill on your Android or iOS phone.
To ensure complete peace of mind, delete all of your saved autofill form information by clearing the browsing history from Google Chrome on your Android or iOS phone.
- On the next page, go over to the “Advanced” tab and select “All Time” from the drop-down menu next to Time range. Finally, ensure that the “Autofill form data” option is checked before hitting the “Clear Data” button.
Autofill is a cool and powerful feature to have as long as you are not using a shared PC. However, in case you are not the only one using the device, it could become a major privacy issue. In some cases, it may even result in real-world damage if the device falls into the wrong hands. Hopefully, this detailed tutorial will help you protect yourself from such scenarios. Meanwhile, as a privacy-conscious user, we also suggest you check out some other privacy-related tutorials, including how to change DNS settings in Windows and how to improve security and privacy in iPhone. Finally, learn about the best browsers for privacy on Android and iOS.
