Logout out Gmail (not Google) in Chrome

[pjtwyman]

Can anyone advise how to sign out of Gmail email in Chrome. I inadvertently opened my Gmail email account in Chrome and now cannot log out of it.

I am signed in to Chrome and synced across devices. Looking at the web it seems to suggest that the only way is to sign out of Google completely or to desync Chrome. Neither of these is optimal.

If I do these will Gmail email still be accessible (without password) when I sign into Google again?

 

[VidJunky]

If you intend to stay logged into Chrome you will by default be logged into Gmail. Chrome, Google's browser, does everything it can to make your experience seamless. You will find that simply by being logged into Google Chrome you are also logged into your Google Contacts, Google Maps, Google Photos, are you seeing the trend? There is no way to separate these things, if you're logged into your Google account you're logged into your whole Google account, everything Google and you.

I guess I'm also confused by what you mean logout. Obviously you cannot log out if you intend to stay signed in for the browser in general but you can close that page and not have to look at it. It won't stop notifications, if you've allowed them, and you would still be one click to log in if you navigate to Gmail. What would your ideal condition be? What is the problem with being one click to access Gmail and just closing the tab you're displaying? I had to look it up but even if you enabled 2step verification it would be for your entire account and not possible for it to just be for your Gmail account. I thought maybe it could be done to half of the account but it cannot.

 

[spARTacus]

I think you should be able to clear gmail.com site data as a site, from chrome. However, you might want to proceed carefully. For example, google password manager is tightly integrated with chrome. So, clearing passwords in one of the places about clearing chrome site data, will I think also clear all your passwords out of google password manager.

 

[pjtwyman]

Thanks for your replies. I normally access Gmail email via the app. I used it in the browser the other day because I was under the impression (mistaken) that I could set up separate mail folders (as in Yahoo). This is unimportant now as the main concern is signing out of email for security reasons. "Seamless" is OK but not if it jeopardises security.

I know I can desync Chrome but re-syncing it would just repeat the problem. And of course as it is currently synced this problem will occur on all my devices.

 

[pjtwyman]

PS
I have cleared site data (I don't use Google password manager) but this doesn't solve the problem. You can access the email by simply typing Gmail.com.

 

[VidJunky]

I'm still confused as it is not possible to only be signed into your account and not Gmail. Not ever! It sounds like you've always been logged in this way but because you never tried to access your Gmail this way you were just not aware this was a thing. This is true for anyplace you're signed into your account and do not sign out. So if you use Chrome at work and do not sign out, anyone coming behind you using Google search where you're logged in has access to your Gmail. And not just your Gmail, your Google Photos, Google Contacts, Google Translate history, your Google Search history. The only way to avoid this is to log out. As it stands it sounds like this question has opened your eyes to this vulnerability that you were unaware of.

Your only option is to log out when you close the browser, especially on machines that you are not the soul user of. This can be done automatically in the browser settings. For added security you can add 2step verification, but it would still require you to log out one way or another and selecting the option to sign you out of all instances and then when you log in to not allow recognized devices so that some verification is required for each session. Google offers a popup that can be tied to your mobile for this which gives you a one tap option anytime you log in. It just asks if you are attempting to log in on device X, laptop, PC, Tablet something other than your phone.

 

[VidJunky]

On a side note you can go into your Google settings and sign out of devices you're logged into remotely.

It says all devices but there is an option to select devices too.
To sign out of your Google account on all devices, navigate to your Google Account settings, then go to the Security section and manage your devices. From there, you can sign out of individual devices or all other sessions, effectively logging you out of your account on all other devices except the one you're currently using. [1, 2, 3]
Here's a more detailed breakdown:

1. Access Google Account Settings: Go to your Google Account (myaccount.google.com). [1, 4]
2. Navigate to Security: On the left navigation panel, click on "Security". [1, 4]
3. Manage Devices: Find the "Your devices" panel and click on "Manage all devices". [1, 4]
4. Sign Out: You'll see a list of devices where your account is currently signed in. Select the device you want to sign out of, and click "Sign out". [1, 4]
5. Sign out of all other sessions (optional): If you want to sign out of all other devices, you can click "Sign out all other web sessions" or a similar option depending on the interface. [1, 2, 3]

By following these steps, you can ensure your Google account is logged out of all other devices, enhancing your account security, according to Google Help. [1, 2, 3]

 

[pjtwyman]

Thanks

I think signing out of Google altogether is a bit much. I think that would mean losing downloaded videos and music from YouTube. I would prefer to simply disable sync for Chrome or to include Chrome under AppLock.