Ubuntu – Clearing all private user data from Chrome from the command line

google-chrome

After a cross-country move, I no longer physical access to a certain computer running Ubuntu 12.04, but I do have ssh access. I never plan on using Chrome on that computer again, and I would like to clear my cookies, history, cache, and all other private data on that computer from the command line.

I was surprised that I couldn't find any google hits on this topic. Here's one that is close, but it only works for Windows and/or OSX.

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/61121/clear-out-chrome-history-from-command-line

That site also includes the following warning:

Google Chrome settings and storage represent user-selected preferences
and information and MUST not be extracted, overwritten or modified
except through Google Chrome defined APIs.

Is that something to worry about in this case?

Best Answer

For the default Chrome configuration, run

rm -rf ~/.config/google-chrome/Default

and

rm -rf ~/.cache/google-chrome

As to the warning from Google, since you aren't going to use it again, and the locations are specific to your HOME location on that machine, don't worry, be happy.

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – What are all of the command line options for Google Chrome

Google Chrome has these stable options. There are other non stable ones, but they can be added and removed whenever the developers want, so I haven't included them, to keep this up to date.

I have written the option, then example, then explanation.

--user-data-dir=DIR

google-chrome --user-data-dir=/home/tim/chromedatadir

This is used to tell google chrome where to save your data (bookmarks, history, anything peronalised to you). This is the way to create a new session - just running google-chrome simply opens a new tab. Use a directory you have just created. The default is ~/.config/google-chrome.

--app=URL

google-chrome --app=http://google.co.uk

This creates a new window with no tool bars - e.g. No bookmarks bar, or tab bar or omnibar. See the screenshot below (that is Google, I just have a custom background ¹).

enter image description here

--incognito

google-chrome --incognito

Opens an incognito window.

Pages that you view in incognito tabs won’t stick around in your browser’s history, cookie store or search history after you've closed all of your incognito tabs. Any files that you download or bookmarks that you create will be kept.

As you can see (top right) all my extensions (except ad block, because I have enabled that) are disabled in incognito.

enter image description here

--proxy-server=host:port

google-chrome --proxy-server="socks5://foobar:66"

This specifies the HTTP/SOCKS4/SOCKS5 proxy server to use for requests. It overrides any environment variables or settings picked via the options dialog, via the GUI settings. An individual proxy server is specified using the format:

[<proxy-scheme>://]<proxy-host>[:<proxy-port>]

<proxy-scheme> is the protocol of the proxy server, and is one of the following 4:

"http", "socks", "socks4", "socks5"

--no-proxy-server

google-chrome --no-proxy-server

Disables the proxy server. Overrides any environment variables or settings picked via the GUI settings.

--proxy-auto-detect

google-chrome --proxy-auto-detect

Autodetect proxy configuration. Overrides any environment variables or settings picked via the GUI settings.

--proxy-pac-url=URL

google-chrome --proxy-pac-url=URL

Specify proxy auto configuration URL. Overrides any environment variables or settings picked via the GUI settings.

--password-store=<basic|gnome|kwallet>

google-chrome --password-store=gnome

Set the password store to use. The default is to automatically detect based on the desktop environment. basic selects the built in, unencrypted password store. gnome selects Gnome keyring. kwallet selects (KDE) KWallet. (Note that KWallet may not work reliably outside KDE.)

--version

google-chrome --version

(return Google Chrome 36.0.1985.143)

Shows version information.

Perhaps more useful is

echo 'google-chrome --version' | sed -nre "s/.* ([0-9.]+)/\1/p"

(return 36.0.1985.143)

As that returns just the version number, without Google Chrome at the beginning.

There is more information here about ways of manipulating the --version option.

^{1 Custom Google™ Background}

Ubuntu – pause YouTube in Chrome from the command line

Well, I guess you could always use a tool like xdotool to send a k key-press to your YouTube window. The downside to this method is that you have to activate the window before sending the key-press (Chrome ignores keyboard input when it isn't focused).

The following script might work for you

#!/bin/bash

# Dependencies: xdotool (sudo apt-get install xdotool)

# Functions

save_active () {
    # get current workspace
    ActiveDesktop="$(xdotool get_desktop)"
    # get current active window ID
    ActiveWindowID="$(xdotool getactivewindow)"
    # get current active window name
    ActiveWindowName="$(xdotool getwindowname "$ActiveWindowID")"
}

restore_active(){
    xdotool set_desktop "$ActiveDesktop"
    # Activating the root window (Desktop) results in an error message, so we
    # try to avoid it
    [[ "$ActiveWindowName" != "Desktop" ]] && xdotool windowactivate "$ActiveWindowID"
}

youtube_playpause(){
  xdotool search --name YouTube windowactivate
  sleep 0.1
  xdotool key --clearmodifiers k
}

# Main

## save active window and desktop
save_active
## activate Chrome YouTube window and send keyboard event
youtube_playpause
## restore previously active window/desktop
restore_active

If controlling YouTube with your media keys is what you're after, there seem to be some extensions out there that claim to add this functionality to Chrome:

I haven't given them a try myself, yet.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Ubuntu – What are all of the command line options for Google Chrome

Ubuntu – pause YouTube in Chrome from the command line

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