How to Reset Your Browser to Its Default Settings

A reset puts your browser's settings back to how they were on day one, usually without touching your bookmarks or passwords. Try turning off your extensions first: that alone often fixes the problem.

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A reset helps when something has taken over your browser: the search engine or homepage keeps changing, pages fill with ads and pop-ups, or the browser has become slow and unstable. The usual cause is an extension, often one bundled with other software.

Two things to know before you start:

• Try disabling extensions first. Turn them all off, then back on one at a time to find the culprit. A reset does this too, but it also clears your cookies, which signs you out of most websites.
• A reset is not a wipe. On computers, Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera and Firefox keep your bookmarks, history and saved passwords. On phones there's usually no reset button, and the closest equivalent deletes everything stored in the app.

Google Chrome

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS)

1. Click the More menu (three dots) at the top right and choose Settings. Shortcut: type chrome://settings/reset in the address bar.
2. Select Reset settings.
3. Select Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings.

This resets your default search engine, homepage and startup tabs, new tab page, pinned tabs and site permissions (such as pop-ups or microphone access). It also clears cookies and site data and turns off your extensions and theme. Bookmarks, history and saved passwords stay. If you're signed in with sync on, Google says the reset applies on all your devices. Fonts and accessibility settings aren't reset; for a truly clean start, add a new Chrome profile.

On Android

Chrome for Android has no reset option. The equivalent is clearing the app's data:

1. Open your phone's Settings app and tap Apps > See all apps > Chrome.
2. Tap Storage & cache, then Clear storage. On many phones Chrome shows Manage space instead: tap it, then Clear all data.

This deletes everything Chrome stores on the phone. Anything synced to your Google Account returns when you sign in again.

On iPhone and iPad

There's no reset option. Delete the app (see the iPhone note under Safari), reinstall it, and sign in again to get synced data back.

Microsoft Edge

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

1. Select Settings and more (three dots) > Settings. Shortcut: edge://settings/reset.
2. Select Reset settings, then Restore settings to their default values.
3. Select Reset to confirm.

Your startup page, new tab page, search engine and pinned tabs go back to their defaults, extensions are turned off and cookies and other temporary data are cleared. Favorites, history and saved passwords stay. Read more in our Edge review.

On Android, iPhone and iPad

Edge's mobile apps have no reset button. On Android, clear the app's storage in your phone's settings, as described for Chrome above. On iPhone and iPad, delete and reinstall the app.

Apple Safari

Safari has no reset button on any device. You get the same result in a few steps.

On a Mac

1. Turn off extensions: choose Safari > Settings > Extensions and deselect each extension's checkbox. Remove anything you don't recognise with Uninstall.
2. Check your search engine and homepage: in Safari > Settings, look under Search and General, and set them back to what you want.
3. Clear website data: go to Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, then click Remove All. This signs you out of websites.
4. Clear history (optional): choose History > Clear History and pick a time range. With iCloud set up for Safari, this clears history on your other Apple devices too.

Bookmarks and saved passwords aren't affected by any of these steps.

On iPhone and iPad

1. Open the Settings app, tap Apps, then Safari.
2. Tap Extensions and turn off anything you don't recognise.
3. Tap Clear History and Website Data, choose a time range, and tap Clear History. AutoFill information isn't changed. To keep your history, use Advanced > Website Data > Remove All Website Data instead.
4. Go back to the main Settings screen, tap Search > Search Engine, and check it's set to the one you want.

A note for every other iPhone browser: under Settings > General > iPhone Storage, Offload App keeps the app's documents and data, so it doesn't reset anything. Delete App removes the app with its data.

Mozilla Firefox

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Firefox calls its reset Refresh Firefox. It creates a new profile and copies your essential data into it.

1. Click the menu button (three lines), then Help and Report > More troubleshooting information. Shortcut: type about:support in the address bar.
2. Click Refresh Firefox…, then Refresh Firefox again to confirm. Firefox closes and restarts.
3. When the list of imported data appears, click Finish, choose which windows and tabs to restore, and click Let's go!

Firefox keeps your bookmarks, browsing and download history, passwords, cookies, form autofill data and personal dictionary, and offers to reopen your windows and tabs. It removes extensions and themes and resets your preferences, site permissions, added search engines and toolbar customisations. Your old profile is saved to your desktop in a folder called Old Firefox Data. It contains personal data, so delete it once you're sure you don't need it. If you use Firefox's new profile manager, Refresh needs Firefox 150 or later.

To test without changing anything, try Help and Report > Troubleshoot Mode first: it temporarily turns off extensions and themes, and offers Refresh Firefox if Firefox won't start normally. See our Firefox review.

On Android, iPhone and iPad

There's no Refresh option in Firefox for mobile. On Android, clear Firefox's storage in your phone's settings, as described for Chrome. On iPhone and iPad, delete and reinstall it. Sign in to your Mozilla account to get synced data back.

Brave

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

1. Open the main menu (three lines) and choose Settings. Shortcut: brave://settings/reset.
2. Select Reset settings at the bottom of the sidebar.
3. Click Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings.

Brave's reset works like Chrome's: it resets your search engine, homepage, new tab page, pinned tabs and site permissions, clears cookies and site data and turns off extensions and themes. Bookmarks, history and saved passwords stay. More in our Brave review.

On Android, iPhone and iPad

No reset option. Clear the app's storage on Android, or delete and reinstall on iPhone and iPad. Without Brave Sync, your data isn't backed up anywhere, so export bookmarks first.

Opera

On a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Opera's reset lives in its recovery tool:

1. Click the O Menu at the top left (on a Mac, Opera in the menu bar).
2. Click Update & Recovery…, then Recover….
3. Choose Keep my data and only reset Opera settings, then click Recover.

This resets your search engine and browser settings, removes pinned tabs, turns off extensions and clears temporary data such as cookies. Bookmarks, history and saved passwords stay. The other option, Reset my data and Opera, also deletes bookmarks, history, passwords and extensions, so avoid it unless that's what you want. See our Opera review.

On Android, iPhone and iPad

Opera documents recovery for its desktop browser only. Clear the app's storage on Android, or delete and reinstall it on iPhone and iPad.

After the reset

• Turn extensions back on one by one, and only the ones you trust and recognise. Remove anything you don't remember installing, since one of those is the most likely cause.
• If the problem comes back, a program on your computer may be changing the settings. Uninstall apps you don't recognise and run a malware scan.
• Sync can bring a bad extension back. If an extension reappears, remove it on every device, or turn off extension sync while you clean up.