Fix: Sync is Paused; sign in again in the Chrome browser

Google Chrome is integrated with the Google account; signing in to the browser will automatically sync data and settings. But sometimes, we face an issue where sync is paused, and Chrome asks us to sign in again. To fix it, the users can Disable Identity Consistency, Whitelist Google Account Cookies, or Update Windows. 

Chrome’s sync function allows you to save your browser settings, saved passwords, bookmarks, and history, among others, across all the devices signed in with the same Google account. It effectively streamlines the workflow across all the linked devices and is often regarded as among the most valuable features of this browser.

So with such a long list of perks attached, there are no points in guessing why it’s always recommended to keep this feature enabled. However, for some, the browser seems to be automatically pausing the sync without any manual intervention from the users themselves.

Signing in to Chrome once a month or two is okay, but frequently pausing the sync is often painful.

More concerning is that this issue seems persistent for nearly a year, as evident from the Google Support Forums and this Reddit thread. The fact that this issue seems to behave somewhat arbitrarily and unsystematically only makes it worse.

Note: The Google account is automatically signed out after 30 days on the Chrome browser profile. It’s expected behavior. But if it’s asking to sign in every time you open the browser, then it might be an issue.

With that said, there do exist some handy workarounds that seem to have worked out for quite a lot of affected users. And this guide will make you aware of just that. So without further ado, let’s check out the methods to fix the ‘Sync is paused, Sign in again’ issue in Chrome.

Whitelist Google Account Cookies

Cookies generally store data such as the login info to the sites you visit, your preferences, and your browsing activities so that the offerings are tailored and made for you. However, for some users, the data related to Google Accounts are no longer stored in the cookies.

Hence as there is no data to deal with, Chrome seems to be pausing the sync functionality across all the synced devices. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to deal with this issue by manually adding the Google Accounts Site to the cookies allowlist.

Here are the steps to allowlist Google Account cookies in the Chrome browser:

1. Under Chrome’s Settings page, go to the Privacy and Security section and click Site Settings.
   
2. Select and open the Cookies and other site data menu tab.
   
3. Scroll to the Sites that can always use cookies option and click on the Add button.
   
4. Enter accounts.google.com in the site address field.
5. Hit on the Add command button.
   
6. Restart your browser and check if it fixes Chrome’s Sync is paused issue.

Adding to the above point, ensure you access this page in a normal window, not an Incognito tab. This is because the Incognito window will overlap all the existing cookies rules and wouldn’t allow any site to access the stored cookies, re-creating the sync issue.

Turn off auto-clear cookies

The Chrome browser has the option to automatically clear the cookies when you close all the browser windows. If the option is enabled, then it would lead to clearing the Google account cookies resulting in a sync paused issue. Hence, it’s better to turn off the option. Follow the steps:

1. Launch the Chrome app on the computer.
2. Click on the More menu and select Settings.
3. Navigate the Privacy and Security tab and select the Site Settings tab.
4. Open the Cookies and site data option.
5. Finally, disable the toggle button for Clear cookies and site data when you close all windows option.
   

It will stop the cookies from automatically clearing when we close the Chrome browser hence avoiding the signout issue with the profile.

Update Windows OS

This might arouse a genuine query how would updating the OS be able to rectify an application-side issue? I was tracking the Chromium Bugs page, where I got hold of this same issue. While it dates back a year, the OS giants seem to have finally addressed it.

As per a Microsoft Contributor, this issue has been fixed in the latest Windows 10 insider channel build and is slated for a stable rollout. To check if your PC has been blessed with the latest update, proceed with the below steps:

1. Use the Windows + I shortcut key combinations to bring up the Settings page.
2. Open Update and Security and check whether there is any pending update.
   It will check for pending updates and install it on Windows OS.
3. Download pending updates, and install them right away.
4. Hit on the Restart now your PC for the update to be successfully applied.
   

If the issue persists, then the patch update has not yet arrived on your PC. Unfortunately, there’s no specified timeline for the update to go live. But when it does, we will update this post accordingly, so don’t forget to bookmark this page.

Disable Identity Consistency

Note: the following method no longer work; please skip this.

Chrome’s Identity Consistency setting manages the synced accounts; however, it seems to be behaving inconsistently across various signed-in devices. In this regard, you should consider disabling this feature.

Here are the steps to disable the identity consistency settings in Chrome:

1. Head to Chrome’s browser’s address bar and type in chrome://flags in its address bar.
2. Now search for the Use Multilogin endpoint flag and change its state from Default to Disabled.
   

However, if you are using an older build of Chrome (73.0.3683.103 or lower), the above flag wouldn’t be there. Instead, you must disable the Identity consistency between the browser and cookie jar flag.

Once done, it will notify you to relaunch the browser as instructed. When Chrome restarts, verify whether the Sync is paused issue has been rectified.

These flags are experimental features; hence you might experience performance and stability issues with the browser. If that happens, it’s better to revert the Chrome flag to its default state and try the other fixes mentioned below.

Bottom Line

With this, we conclude the guide on how to fix the Sync is Paused; Sign in again issue in the Chrome browser. We have shared three different workarounds to rectify this issue.

Instructing the browser to store the accounts.google.com cookies restored Chrome’s sync functionality. Generally, when we clear the site data and cookies, the signed-in accounts will automatically log out.

If you are also on the same page, make sure not to delete the browser’s cookies shortly (until an official patch is released); otherwise, this fix will be null and void.

Please let us know which method spelled out successfully for you in the comments. What has worked to fix the Chrome Sync is Paused, Sign-in again error?

FAQs

Here are the frequently asked questions regarding how to fix Sync is Paused; sign in again on Chrome Browser.

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