To switch from Chrome you need to export your bookmarks and passwords from it. This guide will show you, step by step, how to do it and how to install a password manager. This allows you to use your passwords in any browser, which in turn allows you to easily switch browsers at any point, making you truly independent.
- Install the Brave browser [download here]. Do it for all your devices, including mobile ones. Set it as a default browser if it asks you to. If it does not, follow the instructions:
- On Desktop
- On iOS
- On Android – see the “How do I set Brave as my default browser?” section.
- Import you bookmarks from Chrome. You will need to do it on your desktop computer/laptop.
- In Brave, go to Menu (three horizontal lines in the top right corner) –> Bookmarks –> Import bookmarks and Settings
- Select your Chrome profile in the drop-down menu
- Select “Bookmarks” (and “Browsing History”, if you want) and click “Import”
- Your bookmarks should be now available in Brave
- Install a password manager. You should use one anyway for security reasons, if you do not already. You can you any manager you like, but if you are unsure, you can just go with our pick and use BitWarden. It is both open source and end-to-end encrypted, so no-one can see your passwords except you. It should ask you to create an account and set the master password after installing it. If you choose a different password manager, make sure it is end-to-end encrypted and open source. Your chosen password manager should also have an app for all devices you use and you should install it everywhere. They usually also have a browser extension, so you should install the one for Brave (it uses the Chrome Web Store).
- Export your passwords from Chrome. Just follow the steps described in the help section of the password manager you chose, although those steps should be the same regardless of which password manager you are using. For BitWarden, they can be found here – see the “Export from Chrome” section. Note: make sure you do it on a desktop/laptop and not on mobile, it is much easier this way.
- Import your password to the password manager. Import the password file you saved in the previous step to your password manager. For BitWarden the instructions can be found here. Remember to delete the password file after importing it.
- Done! Now learn how to use your password manager to access your websites. It should be pretty intuitive, but if you are looking for a quick introduction to BitWarden you can find it here:
And remember from now on to save all your new passwords in your password manager and not in the browser. This way you can always change a browser to a different one without having to perform all the above steps again. Plus, you can keep your other passwords there too (and things like credit card details) – not only for your browser but also for other applications. Well done, you have just made a big step to reclaiming your privacy from Google’s prying eyes and preventing them from making money from your personal data. Please see the other things you can do to Remove Google From Your Life.