Resolve Chrome sync issues 1

The background of the problem

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As a background, I use multiple systems (two desktops at work and homernas well as two laptops) and had an add-on called “Xmarks” set up to synchronize my bookmarksrn(which number about 450 total) among Firefox and Chrome using the respectivernadd-ons for each.

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I had the Google Chrome bookmark sync turned off at this point (I’llrnexplain where to turn this on or off below) so as to not make things toornconfusing; the goal was to let Xmarks handle synchronization on its own.

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I found Xmarks worked fine with just Firefox in the recipe, but unfortunatelyrnonce I added Chrome into the mix I found a seemingly never-ending parade ofrnduplicate bookmarks piling up on all my systems. Figure A shows what I wouldrngenerally see every time the problem exploded.

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Each time I deleted all my bookmarks and restored them from backup. Thenrnthere would be a next time.

rnrnAt first I thought Xmarks was to blame, sincernthe duplicate bookmarks also showed when I logged directly into my Xmarksrnaccount, and even deleting them there didn’t seem to do anything. I removed Xmarksrnfrom my browsers and switched Google Chrome bookmark sync on by accessing chrome://settings in the browser, clicking the “Advancedrnsync settings” button and checking off “Bookmarks.” (Figure B)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Unfortunately, this didn’t work either – I kept encountering duplicaternbookmarks, and what was odd was seeing deleted bookmarks – which had been gonernfrom all my computers – mysteriously reappear like a scene from “The SixthrnSense.” 

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I cleaned out the duplicates, exported my known good set of bookmarks tornan html file and turned off Google Chrome bookmark sync. However, this meant Irnhad to export my bookmarks every time I made a change and reimport them on allrnmy systems. I put up with this for a bit since I had other priorities to wadernthrough. Finally just before leaving on my trip I thought: “This isrnridiculous. Technology is supposed to solve problems, not create them.” Irnknew I’d be adding a lot of links at the conference and wanted one less chorernon my to-do list, so I began digging into the issue to see what I could do.

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Looking for the fix

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Based on some quick research, I checked my Chrome Sync settings to seernwhat sort of data was being synchronized from Google’s servers among my variousrncomputers. You can do the same at https://www.google.com/settings/chrome/sync. Here’s what I saw. (FigurernC)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Everything looked normal to me – except the “OpenrnTabs” and “Bookmarks” fields – Google thought I had seventeen times as many bookmarks as Irnreally possessed, even after multiple deletions and manual imports on all myrncomputers. I knew I had nowhere near that level of open tabs, beingrnconservative about the ones I use.

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Clearly it was time to flush everything out and start over.rnI did this by clicking the “Stop and Clear” button in the lower left,rnwhich invoked the prompt shown in Figure D.

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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I clicked OK. Then to be on the safe side I waited severalrnhours as the box indicated. When I returned to the Google Chrome Sync settings page Irnobserved Figure E.

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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I signed into Chrome which brought me to the Advanced Syncrnsettings dialog. (Figure F)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Once I clicked OK, I checked out the Google Chrome Sync settings page oncernmore and beheld the following. (Figure G)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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This seemed like a good sign; synchronization had startedrnaccording to that count of “2” in the “Bookmarks” field. Irnwaited a couple of days and checked my various computers, testing the processrnby adding new bookmarks and removing obsolete ones. Everything seemed to workrnsuccessfully and my Chrome Sync settings currently show the appropriate figuresrn(I have added over 60 bookmarks since the problem appeared resolved). (FigurernH)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Wow, I guess luck really isrnwith me in Vegas! Maybe it’s time to visit the roulette table.

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What else can I try if this doesn‘trnwork?

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If the above steps don’trnhelp you, you might also try forcing synchronization in Chrome.

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Go to chrome://settings.rn(Figure I)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Click “Disconnect your Google account” (if thisrnoption is greyed out it may be due to the fact the setting is enforced by yourrnadministrator, with whom you should discuss this problem); a yellow diamondrnwith what appears to be a black necktie in the middle of it will be shown nextrnto the button. (Figure J)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Assuming you can click “Disconnect your GooglernAccount” you’ll see the confirmation box shown in Figure K.

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Click “Disconnect account.” The Chrome settingsrnpage will appear as follows. (Figure L)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Wait a bit to ensure the changes take effect then restartrnChrome.

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Access chrome://settings again, thenrnclick “Sign in to Chrome” to connect your account once more.

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You’ll be prompted to choose what to sync. (Figure M)

Leave the defaults (unless there is a category which yourndo NOT want to sync) and click “OK.”

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Repeat this process for every system on which you arernsigned into Chrome. Hopefully everything will begin evening out among yourrnbookmarks and/or data.

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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Android users

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I also found a good tip for Android users in the Google Chrome forumsrndescribing an issue withrnAndroid phones causing duplicate bookmarks. The poster, JL King, stated:

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“The Android browser (called “Internet” on Samsungrnphones) has been known to cause duplicates. I recommend the following:

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Access Android Settings | [accounts] | Google | select your account name

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Scroll down and uncheck “Sync Internet”

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This should prevent new duplicates. Then you’ll need to clean up thernexisting duplicates, which might be easier from a desktop:

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Open Chrome from a computer on which you’re signed into that samernaccount.

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Type chrome://bookmarks into the Omnibox

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Find your Mobile Bookmarks folder in the left nav.

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Select the duplicates and delete.

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As an alternative to the last four steps, there are several bookmarkrnmanagement extensions in the Chrome Web Store that will automatically find andrndelete duplicates.”

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I got curious about the extensions mentioned in the post above and foundrnan add-on for Chrome called Bookmark Sentry. I installed itrnin Chrome then accessed chrome://extensions to configure it.rn(Figure N)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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I clicked “Options” underneath “Bookmark Sentryrn(scanner). (Figure O)

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.

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The extension is ad-supported, but you can turn the ad option offrn(albeit by checking a box that states “I don’t want to support you,”rnwhich seems to be a bit of a tearjerker).

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You can set the scanning frequency and the options (check for duplicatesrn/ check for bad links / check for duplicates and bad links). I left the defaultrnof “Check for bad links & duplicates” and ran it. The add-on showedrnme some bad links but no duplicates (it does not actually appear to say “Nornduplicates found!” but I tested it by adding a duplicate of my “DeployrnGoogle apps” bookmark and reran the scan). (Figure P)

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There doesn’t seem to be a way to prevent duplicates from occurring on arnproactive basis, but this add-on can be quite helpful if you’re experiencingrnhassles of this nature and need to comb through various bookmark folders andrneliminate any extras.

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Other resources

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Google offers a page discussingrnthe synchronization setup process which is worth reviewing. They also have arnsupport page on troubleshootingrnsynchronization issues. Finally, there is also a Google Chromernforum where problems can be reported and discussed. 

rnrnCredit: Images by Scott Matteson for TechRepublic.