You can no longer clear Chrome browsing data by pressing the Enter button on the keyboard as Google has made a change to Clear browsing data dialog code in the Chrome browser to ignore it to prevent accidental data loss. The nifty change already made into Chrome 86 Canary, with Dev and beta versions to follow.
Google Chrome lets you manage browsing data and history. It lets you clear all your data or from a specific time. You can also select which items to delete in the Clear browsing data dialog.
To delete Chrome browsing data
1.Launch Chrome browser
2. Click on menu icon > Settings > More tools > Clear browsing data
3. Choose the time range and select items you want to remove and click “Clear data”.
When you visit “chrome://Settings/ClearBrowsingData” in the address bar or open clear browsing data dialog by selecting the sub-menu item in more tools menu or via keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Shit+Del), the “Clear data” button is highlighted by default.
Pressing the “Enter” button on the keyboard is all you need to lose everything.
Chromium employee, Orin Jawaroski filed a bug indicating the Clear browsing data dialog is “trigger-happy ” and damages data by clearing everything when the user presses Enter button by mistake, this is because of Clear data button is highlighted.
He suggests making the “Cancel” button focus by default to avoid this. The user needs to use the tab button to switch to a clear data button then.
“Let’s consider having the consider cancel button focussed by default instead. This way we can press tab once to arm the Clear Data button. It’s a safety mechanism that protects all users while not causing too much burden for those who like quick keyboard-driven clearing.” Orinj said.
Here, Chrome with Clear data button focussed, should prompt or warn the user when he presses the Enter button, which is not happening.
The chromium team now made a change to clear browsing data dialog code in the Chrome browser to ignore the Enter key.
What this means is pressing the Enter key does nothing now.
You need to use the mouse to clear data from now onwards if you’ve accustomed to using the Enter keyboard button.
Related articles:
Chrome’s Clear Browsing Data dialog now shows how much data you’ll lose
“Deauthorize content licenses” Option Added to Chrome’s Clear Browsing Data dialog
Enable Microsoft Edge’s New Clear browsing data dialog in Canary
Google Chrome: “Obliterate the following items from the beginning of the Time” [Meaning]
Dear Sirs,
as a js developer I have to press the “Clear data” button HUNDREDS of time a day, otherwise my js scripts wouldn’t load as aspected. Now it’s way more uncomfortable because after your latest browser update this has to be done by clicking with the mouse instead of using the keyboard.
Please establish a possibility in your next Chrome browser update to reactivate the old behavior where one could press the “Clear data” button by simply pressing the ENTER key (perhaps by advanced browser settings?).
The Chrome browser is strongly appreciated by developers and should continue beeing the best decision for our purposes. Developing websites by doing louds of compiling roundtrips a day is extremely time consuming. Therefore every small optimisation is highly welcome.
Sincerly,
Egmont Gabler
Hey, we’re not Google. Post your comment here https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1108630 and give them your valuable feedback on issue you’re having.