Chrome prompting “Unlock keyring” on Linux? Here’s a clean fix

If you're on Linux and Chrome-based browsers keep asking for your keyring password at launch, here’s a simple tweak:

• Pick your favorite text editor (e.g., leafpad, gedit, nano, vim – install if needed).

• Open the browser’s desktop launcher file For Chrome:

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/google-chrome.desktop

• Add the simple flag Look for the line starting with Exec=…, and add --password-store=basic at the end. For example:

• 

• Save, close, and relaunch Chrome (or Chromium, Edge…) will now skip the keyring prompt.

✅ Chrome defaults to using the GNOME keyring, which triggers that annoying unlock dialog. The --password-store=basic flag forces Chrome to use its own unencrypted password store. So it makes sens if you're not storing passwords in Chrome (or you use a third-party password manager like bitwarden).

⚠️ When you shouldn't disable it:

• You store saved passwords in Chrome and care about encrypting them properly.

• You use multiple user accounts or want to protect your data from casual access.

• You're in a professional or shared environment where privacy and security matter more.