I use Google Chrome as my default browser. So when I started getting errors saying "Your profile could not be opened correctly" , it was quite annoying. I tried lot of fixes on my own and nothing seemed to work. I checked the forums and most of the solutions were to basically create a new profile which was not acceptable to me.
I had quite a bit of idle time today and hence decided to find the root cause. One of the main reasons for my anxiety was the nagging doubt that this might be due to my recent Chrome Extension – Chrome Nanny (for more details see Chrome Nanny – A Leech Block like Extension for Chrome ). It turned out that my extension was innocent but in the process , I found the root cause !
The cause of this issue seems straightforward – Some file or database is corrupted. I tried opening all SQLite databases and they all worked correctly. Most of the other files (esp which had JSON data) too seemed fine to me. The remaining was some data files and I had no way to find how to verify their integrity.
I was able to finally solve the issue. I had few solutions which should work. I had listed all of them – so use the one which works for you.
Method 1 : Check if there is any zombie processes
This is probably the most common scenario. If you get an error “Your profile could not be opened” , close all Chrome windows. Now check using ps if there is any chrome process still alive. A simple ps –aux | grep –i chrome or ps –aux | grep –i chromium should do. If there is any processes still alive kill them (use kill, pkill or killall). Make sure all chrome processes are dead and start Chrome again. If the error does not come again, great ! Else follow the other steps.
If you are in Windows, then use the task explorer to kill all chrome processes.
Method 2 : Removing Web Data file
Try this method first as this was the issue in my system. Google Chrome has a file called "Web Data" which stores lot of info in it – including your passwords (wink wink). In my case this file was corrupted. I deleted this file and all worked well.
If you are in Linux , you can find the "Web Data" file at ~/.config/google-chrome/Default (if you are using Chrome) or at ~/.config/chromium/Default (if you are using Chromium). If you are in Windows (atleast in Windows 7), the file is at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\ . Delete the file and restart Chrome. Hopefully everything should work well. Of course, you will lose all your stored passwords and the search engines.
Method 3 : Check if any of the SQLite databases is locked
Chrome uses SQLite to store lot of information. Some times, the database might be locked and Chrome might not be able to access it. In this case, follow Kyron’s script in this Chrome forum.
Basically what he does is this : he dumps the SQLite database data into an SQL file, deletes the database , recreates it using the SQL file. This script should work if you are in Linux. (I think it should work for Mac too). His script is written for Chromium. If you are using Google Chrome, change the folder ~/.config/chromium/Default/ to ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/ .
Method 4 : Creating a new profile with most of the data from old profile
This method is very similar to the previous methods where instead of removing "Web Data", it tries to create a new profile with most of the useful data from old profile copied in to it. The steps are :
a) Rename the Default folder at ~/.config/google-chrome/Default or ~/.config/chromium/Default to say backup. For Windows, the folder is at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\
b) create a new folder with name "Default"
c) copy the files/folders given below from original Default folder (currently named as backup) to the new Default folder one by one . After each step, try opening Chrome to see if the error comes. If an error comes, then the latest object you copied caused the issue.
Preferences file
Bookmarks file
Extensions folder (contains all your extension’s source code)
Local Storage folder : copy only files beginning with "chrome-extension_" (other files are most likely not needed )
History* (all your history )
Again note that you will get a profile that is very close to the previous profile but it will not have the old stored passwords or the custom search engines you had.
Hope this post helped to solve a nagging issue !
[Update 12 May 2010] : Added more scenarios.
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thanx man 2 worked for me thanx for your hard work there shan
Thanks Shan !
Hi Saravanan
Thank you very much for the info about the methods . I used Method 2 and so far so good.
My mood improved because whilst I was trying this and that I spent a lot of time on the PC and my wife got angry about the length of it.
Cheerio
Method 2 worked flawlessly on my Windows 7 laptop. Thank you very much!
linked you on ubuntuforums.org hope you do not mind
shan
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1485136
Hope this works…
YAY. THIS WORKED!!!!!
THIS IS SO COOL.
THX MAN.
@yo2boy_ , glad that it worked for you !
No, I do not use Twitter. If the intent was following the blog, you can subscribe using either the reader or email 🙂 Thanks for the comments !
Hey do you have a Twitter?
Method 1 worked fine on ubuntu, thanks!
@anonym,
Glad that it worked for you !
Somehow my history was corrupted. Strange. Thanks for the tip.
@Leo,
Glad that this worked for you. I now have a cron script which backs up Chrome’s Default profile folder every night. This kinda allows me to move on with least inconvenience.
method 2 works in my WInXP …
been stucked with this stupid Profile crap for months …
thanks for the tip mate … cheers .. bless you
@Desmond, glad that it works in WinXP. Hopefully, Google adds a self correcting feature in Chrome.
Thanks for the post Saravanan…. Method 1 works for me.
Hello Mallesh, glad that it works for you !
A+++ – had the ‘You profile could not be opened correctly’ on the latest build on Win 7 64. Never thought to check the running processes – so just killed all chrome and everything ok. And here I was getting ready to mess around with the profiles themselves.
Hello Pete,
I learnt it the hard way after messing up my profile once ! The simplest solutions works a lot of time !
2nd tip work for me in Ubuntu Lucid.
Thanks.
Hello Ari,
Glad that it worked. It is interesting to note that the most common root cause for Windows and Linux seems to be different ! Probably , I should rewrite the article to emphasize the point .
[…] and you have permission to read and write its contents. Tra i tanti post che ho trovato in rete saravananthirumuruganathan sembra essere il più completo. Ho letto a grandi linee quello che vedevo scritto così sono andato […]
Option #2 worked like a charm.
Thanks so much.
@Ari, glad that it worked out for you !
[…] How to solve “Your profile could not be opened correctly” issue in Chrome or Chromium wi…. […]
Yep, method 2 works but its also painful.
I did exactly what you said and after a few days the problem returned. This is frustrating.
Anyway, thanks for taking your time for writing this.
Hi
Method 1 worked for me. thanks
suresh
Hello Suresh,
Glad that it worked – it is quite surprising that this issue is not yet fixed from Google !
method 2 did the trick.
thanks!
Thanks a lot. Method 2 worked for me perfectly on Ubuntu.
I just figured out the ~/.config/chromium/Default/Web Data thing by using “the bisection method” (move half of the files, check if it works, restore them, move half of the files on the half that did work, etc…). Had I read this blog before and I might have fixed it earlier.
Why this file got corrupted is something I don’t know for sure, but probably has to do with the netbook suddenly shutting down (don’t know why, it didn’t keep up for more than a minute or so… but got fixed after a fsck).
Cousteau,
In fact the first time I followed exactly the bisection method to find the issue. It is a very handy idea.
It is really a pity that Chrome has not yet fixed it programmatically !
Number 4 worked for me, although Windows wouldn’t let me rename the Default folder. I created a Backup folder within the Default folder, moved everything to that, and then file by file moved them back to default.
By the way…THANK YOU!
thank you, number 2 worked for me
@hugo , glad it worked for you!
“A simple ps –aux | grep –i chrome or ps –aux | grep –i chromium should do. ”
->
“A simple ps –aux | grep –i chrom should do.”
🙂 That is true !
Thanks man! This was driving me crazy!!! You were right on the money.
Thanks so much. Method 1 worked for me. I can’t believe I’ve spent 5 days trying to figure this out when it was so easy. Thanks!
Deleting the Web Data file worked just fine for me, and no bookmarks or extensions are lost!
I never imagined that one message box could be so annoying,
really thanks man!
Method 4 worked for me, history file appeared to be corrupted.
I use Privacy Eraser now and then to clean out a lot of junk, it appears to be this that is causing the problem for me.
I have just stopped cleaning Chrome when running this program.
Many thanks
I had the same problem. I just deleted the “History” file.
Thanks so much! You sorted out my problem from Step 1!!! And it only took a couple of seconds. Thanks again.
THANK YOU!!! 😀
Thanks, method 2 works!
Thanks Man, 1st Method fixed it 🙂
#2 and #4 worked for me…Thanks for the tips..
..
This tip worked for me. first- To be able to find this folder you have to enable “show hidden files” from the preferences menu in the file browsing edit menu. Renamed default to backup, removed webdata folder. tested by opening and it worked. At this point, moved rest of folders from backup to new default and was able to get my data restored.
Thanks for tips.
Method 1 worked! Thanks a lot!
Your methods are advanced for me. Could you tell me where to go to do these things? For example, finding the folders you refer to and the like.
Thanks
@Mind Me, can you give me any other details about your system – Which OS are you having? I can provide more specific details then !
I have at least 5 Chrome.exe zombie processes running, but when i end the process, they continue to run, I cannot shut them down. Any advice?
Thanks!
Mitch, if you are in Linux , kill -9 should do the trick.If in windows, can you also try kill process tree option? Of course there is always the option of logging out and in 😀
Ya, I’m on Windows (sorry for not putting that up). I also tried the process tree and it didnt work as well, I restarted my comp and its still creating zombie processes, but at least i can shut them down and the problem seems to be fixed.
Thanks!
Chrome on XP would not run ‘profile problem’ – back to IE (yeuk), found this fantastic page. ‘End process’ and ‘end process tree’ would not stop my 7 chrome.exe processes. Shutdown failed. So reluctantly it was hard re-boot time. Started Task Mgr then started Chrome … and it worked! So I didn’t need step 2 (maybe until next time).
Interestingly there’s 2 Chrome.exes when it first runs, a 3rd when I load a page, a 4th when I open a new tab. I have no idea if that’s normal.
Nic , thats perfectly normal. For Chrome, each tab is a separate process. This way anything that happens to one tab does not affect another.
Thank you for maintaining this excellent post for over a year
rgds/Nic
Thank you for maintaining this excellent post for over a year – it’s still generating value.
Thanks Nic !
Thanks, the kill command did it! 🙂
Thank you very much! The second method did the job!
omg u save my day 🙂
thankx alot
Thank you so much! I noticed you didn’t have the directory for XP so here it is:
C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
Thanks again!
Thanks ! will add it to the post 🙂
I followed your advice, but still no old data recovered, especially bookmark… any other suggestions?
Robby,
Sorry for the delayed reply. Was busy with my research. Chrome stores Bookmarks as an ascii text file (JSOn encoded) inside the profile folder. Simply dropping it in the current folder seems to make it appear. I tried this in my system and it seems to work. Perhaps, you synced with Google account and that is causing some issue?
None of these work for me, really getting annoyed now. This happened before but I tried the other method, renaming the default file as this (default_a) this worked up until today where it’s decided to stop again. I seem to have two default files, one which does not delete as it’s corrupt 😦
Method 1 worked for me. Thank you!
nice!
on me the error showed 2 times (after clicked ok it showed up again) i used the method to delete Web Data and then i saw error one time only then i did the last step and it worked! tnx man!
Thank you! The method 3 worked for me after crash.
Nicola.
MAN YOU ARE GREAT….
METHOD 2 WORKED FOR ME…
THANKS A LOT….
Damned!…THANKS a lot….method2 worked!!..i had this error for months just ignoring it…you ROCK!!!……
thanks method 1 helped on ubuntu 11.10
Great document – solved the issue for me. Thanks!
Nice 🙂 method 2 worked well.
Thank you a lot.
I tried all of these i was banking on method 4 but first off it wont let me rename the default file, i was messing around with the files inside the defualt folder and there were several that said that it could not read because file was corrupt so i try to delete them and it just says that they cannot be deleted because they are corrupt can someone help me out please!
Thank u so much….i am using XP. i didnt found that path first…so i followed ANONYMOUS given path…i got that my problm solvd..thnx anonymous…
thank u so much saravanan..!!!!.i found difficult to get that method 2 path for XP …finally i hve followed ANONYMOUS givn path…thnks anonymous …i get solved the problm….
Thanks. 1st one worked perfectly. I posted your solutions elsewhere also.
Sorted – Method 2 : Removing Web Data file
Removing Web Data fixed things for me, too. (Chrome 25.0.1364.172 running on CentOS 5.9) Thanks for the tip!
Method 2 worked and fixed all of the other weird problems that I was having the last two weeks, but… Holy crap would you please add a disclaimer that it deletes all your extensions and bookmarks? I guess I should have guessed, but …. I hate myself so much right now. 😦
WHEW! TIME MACHINE TO THE RESCUE!
2nd one worked, simple as that. Thanks!
Method 2 worked for me. But after I restart my laptop, the problem comes again ! Any advise on this please ??? =(
Thank you very much…Option 2 worked for me…..
none of these worked for me, the error message reappears as soon as I sign in and sync with Chrome again
any ideas?
Andy, I am sorry that none of these worked for you. I did some search in google for other ideas/solutions but did not find much. Which OS are you in ? If Windows, I think it is a bit nitpicky about when you can delete a file. Can you try creating a new profile and try the sync ?
I’m using Windows 7. I tried creating a new profile to start with before I came across this post, it started happening again the next time I turned my computer on. I even uninstalled Chrome altogether and started again, which made me think it must be something in my Google account itself when I synced up. However, I’m less sure now – this problem is on my desktop, and when I checked on my laptop where I use Chrome too and I am signed in and synced up, and there’s no problem.
Thanks for the help btw! It’s so frustrating!
Thanks!!!! Great post. Number 2 worked for me.
Thank you very much. Option 2 had worked for my computer.
method 2 it is!tnx man
i know how to solve it. First, you must download and Install Google Chrome. Second, you open it and close it. Then you uninstall the Chrome from your PC or Laptop. Do this for at least 3-4 times. I just solve this problem at 3 July, 09:00 AM.
Brilliant! I am no computer expert by far but managed to find and delete the “web data” file, problem sorted. Many thanks.
Method 2 worked here as well; thanks.
2 worked for me too! THANKS!!!
Very Helpful, looks like the majority of people were having problems with their Chrome Web Data file.
Hi Saravanant
Read your post on abovementioned problem.
I think that my problem is addressed in Method 3 as I receive an error message that SQL cannot be opened every time I boot up.
So, forgive my ignorance but can you just put the steps in laymans terms. I am using Windows 7.
Thanks
Reg
I just did method 1 and 2, it worked after I did method 2, but after I restart my pc the problem show again. I re-install my chrome and I restart my pc and it worked, but when I synced my account to the chrome the prolbem show again. help me please
Thanks Dude, Method 2 worked for me (win7) and it was becoming a pain in the ass. You listening Google? Are you slipping?
I finally found and deleted the”web data file” and today after switching on my computer It’s back. I notice that this original post is from 2010 so it’s been happening over all this time, I’m not up on all the computer tech talk but I was wondering if this might be some sort of virus.
thanks second method worked for me
That’s a little silly to think that a browser needs to have these troubleshooting steps followed every single time the profile can’t be loaded. And that the previous fixes were to just make a new profile. A browser shouldn’t have this kind of critical error! I will try these steps but it Chrome does this again, I’m using a different browser. Firefox never screwed up on me like this.
Just as an update, the error seems to come up when you start using google chrome on another machine and import your user profile. Then machine 1 gets the error. Happened twice for me. It may have to do with the fact that my 2 laptops are using different versions of Windows. Not sure if this will help, but it may be worth disconnecting your profile on computer #1 before installing chrome on computer #2?
method 2 worked for me. but when i restarted my computer, the box came up. i have also used method 4 but again, when i restarted my computer the box came up. it all happened after chrome seemed to update itself
Method 2 worked for me! Had to un-hide the folders in XP in order to find the “Web Data” file. I also deleted the “Web Data – Journal” file as well.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain several solutions. Method 2 worked for me — at least for now!
It’s like a bad penny, it keeps coming up. This has been an issue for months. Google ought to do something about it, they can’t be bothered. If they think that little of their “valued customers” they can bugger off. In case they are not aware, there are other browsers out there.
Method 2 worked for me and now the msg is not appearing when i open chrome. thanks a lot.
Solved the problem with the second method in less than a minute thanks to you! Appreciate your hard work!
Option #2 seems to have done it for my Windows XP machine with Chrome. Thanks so much for taking the time to research and share.
me too….i tried method and method 2….First it appear Ok. Then if we shut down and on google chrome again, the message came out again and again!!!
I have even tried to uninstall it, delete all files and download chrome again……….But it is still there!!!!!! So I planned to reinstall the old version until they resolve this….Will by reinstalling old one resolve this problem??
Thank you so much. Method #2 worked for me. I appreciated the effort you put in to solve this.
Dear Saravanan, Method 2 worked perfectly for me. Thanks a lot for the effort and timw you have put in. Internet is less irritating for people like you.
Thanks method 2 did the trick!
thanks a lot .. 2 worked for me too.. 🙂
If your going to use Method 2 and your running Windows 7, try renaming it to something first like 1Web Data. Start Chrome it will create a new file if this was the root cause of the issue, Chrome should load without the error. Now close Chrome, delete the new file, rename the old one back to Web Data. Right click on the file –> properties –> previous version (will only work if you already had Sytem Restore turned on). Restore file to a previoius date, preferably a date before you noticed the error. Now you will have all your saved passwords and auto-fill data. :).
This should work for anything that has some method of backing up this file, if you do regular backups, system restore for XP through 8, or snapshots in Unix.
Thanks Saravana, Method 2 worked!!!
Web Data file was corrupted for me…never would have found it with out the help, thanks a lot!
Thanks for the help. saved me a lot of time. kudos to you.
method 2 worked for me, so happy to get rid of the issue – this should be easier to find than relying on your good self – google should be flagging this as an issue!
Thank you Saravanan. Removing Web Data file worked!
Thanks alot…. I tried many uninstalling…. items but never resolved and now there is no problem.
No luck! Method 4 gave the error message with an empty Default folder. I had tried 1 and 2 before with no success, and could not see how to use Method 3 in Win 7.
It looks as though Chrome is looking for something that is not there. It’s working fine on my laptop but gives the profile message on my desktop computer.
Uninstalling and reinstalling also didn’t help – I guess I’ll just ignore the message, because everything else works OK.
Simply uninstall the chrome and install it again. It is because malware from other programs that you are installing. like… anady.com toolbar.
[…] How to solve “Your profile could not be opened correctly” issue in Chrome or Chromium wi… […]
Thanks I had method two
Method 2 working thank you
Well, I’m having a different problem than this. The problem I’m having is, most of my history is missing, save for the last couple days or so. I have no idea where it went, as I didn’t delete it. All I know is, my browser crashed a few days ago; and ever since then, none of my tabs will restore. (The “closed unexpectedly” yellow toolbar with the “restore” button won’t appear) My bookmarks are also gone. Please help me!
I have the same issue, I tried to uninstall chrome and use fireforx for a month, sure the adjustment is difficult but its so annoying to log in everytime I use chrome.. I now just figured based on forums that AVG antivirus is the culprit of all this mess (In my case), tried to uninstall both AVG and Chrome, restart my system, reinstall chrome, and alas!!,, the error “your profile could not be opened correctly” is gone for good….
the defult folder on AppData directory might work as well, I have this error I guess about a year or 2 ago, and that one helped, and also the webdata deletion works too in some cases..
but check for forums if you are still encountering this error, see if its another third party software that is affecting your Chrome browser (for me its AVG), I have this feeling that its one of my softwares, but never thought that it was my native antivirus..
Hope this helps for you people out there seeking refuge (.. I think this one is a movie line from a sci-fi movie,.. well anyway)…
God bless
I had a variant of this problem where the Web Data file was marked read only, and merely needed
chmod 777 Web\ Data
AVG causes the “profile couldn’t be opened” problem in Chrome. It comes as an add-on with a lot of free programs so you may not know you installed it. Also, if you ever had it on your computer and uninstalled it there are some hidden files lurking that mess with Chrome. To fix the problem use the removal tool at: AVG.com/us-en/utilities. I tried all the other fixes and and it kept coming back. I was about to get rid of Chrome when I found how to solve it.
Wish I found this page an hour ago.
Hi, it doesn’t work for me. I had a problem with AVG on my chrome, then we deleted the virus via Regedit. Now chrome never works for me.
I have send a new email. I want to removed it.
method 2 works fine for me,,,
thanks alot
Thanks for the info. Killing the zombie processes worked for me. I’ve linked to your page in my blog for other readers who may have the same issue: http://www.benmctee.com/2014/01/google-chrome-profile-error-on-ubuntu.html
Thank U!
Thank you! 2 1/2 years later after your post – your solution still works!
Step 1. worked for me on Ubuntu 10.04. Thanks.