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.

 

[Sizzers]

Is this using the Chrome app or viewing on PC? If the app then I may have a bit of a solution.

 

[pjtwyman]

The Chrome app on my Android devices.

 

[Sizzers]

The Chrome app on my Android devices.

So if this is really important to you I've had a play and this is what I've found.

Okay, now I don't use Chrome and so the app is disabled but on this occasion I enabled it, updated it from the Play Store, signed in then exited.

Next, I disabled Gmail and went back to Chrome, where I was still signed in and worked as it should but without bookmarks etc as I simply don't use it or have anything synced. Now if by disabling Gmail this affects syncing I have no idea so this is something you would have to test for yourself, but should you search for Gmail for any reason you would need to sign in to it, so if all is good and everything still syncs how do you access your emails.

Download Thunderbird - https://play.google.com/store/apps/...b&utm_source=thunderbird.net&utm_content=link - where you can amalgamate as many or few email accounts as you wish (brilliant app IMO but their are other app options).

Now when you've linked Thunderbird to your email account/s you can receive and send emails as normal along with everything else, even though Gmail is disabled.

For the settings, after you click on the gear cog it will show 'General settings' but importantly click on your email account address where the proper settings for everything else are found.

This may sound a bit convoluted but Thunderbird works just fine for me and so if you're inclined give it a try if this as made sense!

 

[spARTacus]

I thought the main problem the OP had was an issue with Chrome staying signed into the web browser version/site of Gmail.com, because of the way that Chrome stays signed in with a Google account from the device. If so, one shouldn't need to move away from using the Gmail App if one doesn't mind that App. Instead, just move away from using Chrome.

 

[spARTacus]

...You can access the email by simply typing Gmail.com.

If clearing gmail.com site data didn't help, then I don't think you can get away from what happens, since Chrome will automatically sign you back in with a Google Account, for almost all/any google sites it happens to visit.

 

[pjtwyman]

I think Spartacus is right and there is nothing I can do so as I am signed into Chrome. I think protecting Chrome with AppLock is the way.

Google and others are always talking about security but they either make things too difficult or leave holes like this.

 

[spARTacus]

I get what you are saying and also don't like that too many of the Google Apps seem to automatically sign-in, no way around it.

However, from their (Google) perspective they probably argue they are making things simpler and more secure and seamless, and probably the only reason it causes grief for some of us is because we haven't yet surrendered to the Google way they want to do everything. Apple basically does the same in its own way for example, and so also Microsoft (and especially now with anything Office365 related).

I don't use the Gmail App for email (I currently use Samsung's email client app), I don't use Chrome for most web browsing (only for some specific sites), don't know use the YouTube App anymore but instead use web browsing to the YouTube site (see other recent related thread here in AC), and I try to draw a thin line around whatever I do with a Google account vs a Samsung account, as the main "device account". It's all kind of messy, if one does not fully surrender to Google (or to Apple, Microsoft, Samsung...).

 

[Sizzers]

I said I may have a solution but I couldn't say it would be ideal; as Spartacus said, like me it's messy!

Now I don't know what phone you use but should you use Samsung you could also uninstall Chrome and set it up in 'Secure Folder' which is far, far more secure and convenient than using any third party app lock.

Also, if you use an alternative browser not linked to your Google account you can log into Gmail from there for the desktop version to set up labels or anything else which can't be done in the app (this also applies to other Google apps like Drive, for example).

I'm sorry I didn't think of this earlier but I'm elderly and in failing health and memory. My focus isn't what it was and my thoughts can sometimes get a bit muddled in trying to write them down but I hope these may be more helpful suggestions.

 

[spARTacus]

I'm sorry I didn't think of this earlier but...

You seem to be as sharp about this stuff as any of the rest of us.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I said I may have a solution but I couldn't say it would be ideal; as Spartacus said, like me it's messy!

Now I don't know what phone you use but should you use Samsung you could also uninstall Chrome and set it up in 'Secure Folder' which is far, far more secure and convenient than using any third party app lock.

Also, if you use an alternative browser not linked to your Google account you can log into Gmail from there for the desktop version to set up labels or anything else which can't be done in the app (this also applies to other Google apps like Drive, for example).

I'm sorry I didn't think of this earlier but I'm elderly and in failing health and memory. My focus isn't what it was and my thoughts can sometimes get a bit muddled in trying to write them down but I hope these may be more helpful suggestions.

What's even more secure is to just use Cromite (Bromite successor). Usually updated shortly after official patches, sometimes in between based on Chromium and is Open-Source.
Only downside as with and non-Google Chrome is there is no syncing.

Otherwise there's Chrome-based with proprietary sync like Vivaldi, Quetta, Samsung Internet, etc..

 

[spARTacus]

And if we are really annoyed by all of what unfortunately comes with Google (because ultimately this is about our happiness with what Google may do with leveraging information it can glean about us) there's GrapheneOS as an alternate android based operating system, and whatever comes with that ecosystem, which I think behaves more in line with what some of us would like but unfortunately at the impact of loosing lots of the functionality and seamless aspects Google offers that we have come to like.

 

[pjtwyman]

Thanks.

I am not so concerned about logging into Gmail via a browser but more with logging OUT in case an intruder (online or in person) accessed my phone.

I usually use the app anyway. But I suppose a non-Google browser or Chrome Incognito would do if I needed browser access.