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If Chrome signs you out of most websites every time you close its last window, the most likely cause is that Chrome is set to delete cookies or site data on exit. Cookies are how many sites remember that you are signed in, so removing them at exit ends those sessions. Two other causes are common: a Chrome sign-in preference that affects Google services such as Gmail, and an administrator policy on a managed work or school device. Check them in the order below.
How cookies keep you signed in
A website that keeps you logged in usually stores a small token in a cookie in your browser. When Chrome starts again, the site reads that cookie and skips the sign-in screen. If the cookie is removed, the site has no record of you and asks you to sign in again.
Google’s Chrome Help article “Delete, allow, and manage cookies in Chrome” (accessed 2026-10-07) makes the consequence explicit:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsImportant: If you delete cookies, you may get signed out of sites that remember you.
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That single sentence explains most “signed out on exit” reports. The browser is not losing your password. It is discarding the cookies that let sites recognise you.
Find the cause in five checks
Work through these checks in order. The first one resolves most cases, and the later ones apply only if the first does not explain what you see.
1. Cookie and site-data deletion on exit
Chrome can be configured to delete cookies and site data each time all windows close. To check:
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- Find the option that clears cookies and other site data when all windows are closed.
- If it is on, turn it off if you want sites to keep you signed in between launches.
- Close and reopen Chrome, then visit a site you normally stay logged in to.
Menu names and placement vary by Chrome version and platform, so rely on the settings search rather than a fixed click path. If only one website signs you out, do not clear everything. Chrome’s cookie settings let you inspect and delete the stored data for one site, which leaves your other sign-ins alone.
2. The Google services sign-in preference
Being signed in to a Google Account, such as Gmail, and being signed in to Chrome are related but separate choices. Chrome’s Google services settings let you choose Sign in, Don’t sign in, or Ask every time when you sign in to a Google service. Chrome describes this sign-in as optional.
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This preference governs Chrome sign-in behaviour. It is not a general switch that keeps ordinary non-Google website sessions alive, so change it only if the problem is limited to Google services.
3. Antivirus software and browser maintenance
Google’s account help pages suggest several steps when a Google account keeps signing you out, and they apply here as well:
- Confirm that cookies are allowed in Chrome’s cookie settings.
- Clear the browser cache.
- Update Chrome to the current version.
- Check whether antivirus or similar security software is deleting cookies. Google notes that such software can do this.
Google does not name a specific antivirus product in this context. If you suspect one, check that product’s own cookie or privacy settings rather than assuming it is responsible.
4. Administrator policy on a managed device
On a work or school computer, an administrator can configure Chrome to delete selected browsing data when it closes. Chrome Enterprise documentation describes this through the ClearBrowsingDataOnExitList policy and related data-lifetime controls. The policy applies to the data types the administrator lists, and it applies only where Chrome is managed.
Signs of a managed setting include an option that is greyed out, a note saying the setting is managed by your organisation, or settings that revert after restart. In that case, ask your administrator to review the policy. Do not try to bypass it, because the organisation may be deliberately clearing data for security or compliance reasons.
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5. Confirm the symptom is really a session problem
Some apparent sign-outs are not caused by exit behaviour at all. If you are signed out only after a password change, a sign-out from another device, or a site’s own session timeout, the fixes above will not help. Check whether the site shows a message about an expired session. Sites can also set their own short session lengths, which Chrome does not control.
Compare the likely causes
The four causes differ in scope and in who controls them. Use this table to decide which one fits your situation.
| Cause | Scope | Effect on sessions | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cookies or site data deleted on exit | Usually all websites | Sign-ins do not survive closing Chrome | You, in Chrome settings |
| Google services sign-in preference | Chrome sign-in with Google services | Governs Google sign-in behaviour, not other sites | You, in Chrome’s Google services settings |
| Antivirus or related software | Cookies, depending on the software | Not stated for specific products; Google notes such software may delete cookies | Third-party security software |
| Administrator policy | Data types listed by the policy | Clears those data types when Chrome closes | Your organisation |
Choose a fix based on the trade-off
Every fix involves a choice between convenience and a clean browser state. Decide which matters more before you change anything.
- Keep sign-ins between sessions. Leave cookies retained on exit. Sites will remember you, but the browser keeps site data between sessions.
- Start each session clean. Keep deletion on exit. You will be signed out of most sites, and remembered logins and site preferences are removed.
- Remove data for one site only. Use the per-site controls in Chrome’s cookie settings. This is the least disruptive option for a single problem site.
Avoid clearing all browsing data as a first step. Chrome warns that deleting browsing data while you are signed in to Chrome can remove that data from your other devices and your Google Account. Clearing everything is also the step most likely to sign you out of sites you did not mean to touch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When Incognito helps and when it does not
Incognito is useful for a temporary session. Chrome says it does not automatically sign you in to Google or other websites in Incognito, and the session ends when all Incognito windows close. That makes it a good place to test whether a site behaves differently without your regular cookies.
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It is not a fix for retaining sign-ins in your normal profile. If you want sign-ins to persist, change the settings described above instead.
What the evidence does and does not establish
The causes above are ranked by what Google’s official Chrome documentation describes, not by how often each occurs. Google does not publish how many users see this symptom, so no frequency figure is given here.
A Google Chrome Community thread reports a very similar complaint, with the wording “Chrome keeps logging me out of the account every time I close the browser tab.” Community replies are useful leads, but they are not official troubleshooting guarantees, so verify any suggestion from a thread against the settings on your own device.
Chrome menu labels change between releases, so if a setting you read about here is missing, search Chrome’s settings for the underlying term, such as “cookies” or “site data,” rather than assuming the feature was removed.
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