The dialog is usually generated by GNOME Keyring or Libsecret, not by Google. Chromium is trying to unlock Linux’s protected credential storage, commonly because automatic login bypassed the password, the account password changed, or an existing keyring came from another installation. The safest fix is to use a normal password login and make the Login keyring password match your current Linux account password.
What the keyring prompt means
A keyring is a local, password-protected credential store used by desktop applications. GNOME documents it as a collection that must be unlocked before stored secrets can be accessed: GNOME keyring unlocking.
This is not normally your Google password and not usually your sudo password. It may be your previous Linux password if you changed it recently. The keyring can also hold Wi-Fi, VPN, mail, SSH and other application credentials.
Chromium stores browser credentials in its profile’s Login Data database and protects them with a key associated with GNOME Libsecret, GNOME Keyring or KWallet when a supported backend is available. The keyring is therefore part of Chromium’s encryption system, not simply a folder containing every browser password. See Chromium’s security FAQ.
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Why it appears after a Zorin installation or rebuild
- Automatic login: the session starts without entering the account password, so the Login keyring is not unlocked at sign-in.
- Password change: the Linux account now has a different password from the one protecting the keyring.
- Reused or migrated home directory: Chromium finds keyring files created by an earlier installation.
- Separate keyring password: the keyring was given its own password during setup.
- Session or database problem: a non-GNOME session, stale files or a damaged keyring prevents normal unlocking.
Reports exist for older Zorin releases and Zorin 17.x, but this is a desktop keyring/session integration issue rather than a defect unique to one Zorin version. See the original Zorin symptom report and Zorin community guidance.
Try the likely passwords first
- Enter your current Linux account password.
- If you changed it recently, try the previous Linux password.
- If you deliberately created a separate keyring password, enter that.
Do not keep guessing indefinitely. A correct password that is rejected points to a mismatch, a different keyring, or damaged keyring data.
Best fix: turn off automatic login
Automatic login is convenient, but it removes the password entry that normally unlocks the Login keyring.
- Open Settings.
- Open Users or User Accounts.
- Unlock the settings panel when asked.
- Disable Automatic Login.
- Sign out or reboot, then sign in by typing your account password.
- Start Chromium again.
Names and locations differ between Zorin Core, Lite and release versions. Zorin users specifically connect repeated prompts with auto-login and recommend a normal password login: Zorin auto-login discussion.
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Match the Login keyring password in Seahorse
This is the preferred repair when you know the existing keyring password.
- Open the application menu and search for Passwords and Keys or Seahorse.
- Expand Passwords in the left pane.
- Select Login.
- Right-click it and choose Change Password.
- Enter the current keyring password.
- Set the new keyring password to your current Linux login password.
- Log out and back in, then launch Chromium.
GNOME’s documented workflow uses the keyring context menu to unlock or change a keyring: Passwords and Keys instructions. This procedure cannot normally be completed without the old keyring password.
If Seahorse is not installed
Open Zorin’s Software application, search for Seahorse or Passwords and Keys, install it and repeat the steps above. On standard Ubuntu-based Zorin editions, the terminal alternative is:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install seahorseUse the graphical Software application if that package command is unavailable in your edition.
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Forgot the keyring password? Recreate it carefully
Resetting a keyring can make locally stored secrets inaccessible, including credentials used by applications other than Chromium. Before proceeding, close Chromium and every Chromium-based browser, verify important passwords elsewhere, and check that synchronization is not your only copy. Sync does not guarantee recovery of every local secret.
Back up the existing directory, then move it aside instead of deleting it:
mkdir -p ~/keyring-backup
cp -a ~/.local/share/keyrings ~/keyring-backup/
mv ~/.local/share/keyrings ~/.local/share/keyrings.old
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/keyringsLog out and back in, then launch Chromium. A new keyring can be created; use the same password as your Linux account. Moving the directory preserves a recovery copy, unlike immediately deleting its contents.
Restore the old keyring if necessary
If the new keyring causes problems, close the affected applications and restore the old directory through the file manager where possible. A terminal recovery sequence is:
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rm -rf ~/.local/share/keyrings
mv ~/.local/share/keyrings.old ~/.local/share/keyringsRun that only when the newly created directory exists and you understand that it removes the new keyring state. An older report demonstrates deletion, but moving and backing up is safer: BleepingComputer report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Less-secure ways to suppress the dialog
Use a blank keyring password
In Seahorse, some systems allow Change Password, entering the old password and leaving the new password blank. This can permit automatic unlocking, but it weakens protection: anyone who gains access to the unlocked session or device may have an easier path to stored credentials. Consider it only for a low-risk, physically controlled machine—not a laptop, shared computer or system containing sensitive accounts. Zorin community guidance labels this the unsafe option: Zorin keyring discussion.
Use Chromium’s unencrypted basic backend
Current Chromium Linux documentation lists these backends:
--password-store=gnome-libsecret
--password-store=kwallet
--password-store=kwallet5
--password-store=kwallet6
--password-store=basicbasic stores browser passwords without encryption. It can stop keyring prompts, but it is a security downgrade and may make an existing password database appear empty or cause credentials to be recreated under another storage mode. Mixing launches with and without the flag can create further confusion. Chromium may also fall back to basic when a protected backend is unavailable. Details: current Chromium password-storage documentation.
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Older articles use --password-store=gnome; that spelling belongs to historical documentation and should not be treated as interchangeable with the current gnome-libsecret name. See the historical Chromium documentation.
Test the flag temporarily
Test from a terminal before changing a launcher:
command -v chromium
command -v chromium-browser
chromium --password-store=basicUse whichever executable path exists. If the visible password state changes, close Chromium and relaunch it normally before deciding what to do.
Make a launcher change only if you accept the risk
Copy the desktop file to your user profile rather than editing the package-managed file:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications
cp /usr/share/applications/chromium.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/Edit the copied file and add the flag to each relevant Exec= line. Desktop-file contents vary by package and release, so inspect the installed file instead of applying a universal replacement command.
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| Symptom | Likely explanation | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Current password is rejected after a password change | Login keyring still uses the previous password | Try the old password, then synchronize the keyring in Seahorse |
| Prompt returns after every reboot | Automatic login or session startup is not unlocking the keyring | Disable automatic login and perform a full password login |
| Prompt appears once after reboot | A protected keyring has not yet been unlocked | Enter the valid keyring password; a one-time prompt can be normal |
Chromium forgets passwords after testing basic |
The storage backend changed | Close Chromium, restore the original launch method and keyring; do not delete the profile |
| Every Chromium-based application prompts | Desktop session/keyring integration problem | Check auto-login, keyring passwords and session type |
| Only Zorin Lite is affected | Seahorse may be absent and auto-unlock behavior differs | Install Seahorse and review the Lite user settings |
| Several keyrings are listed | Chromium may use Login, not Default, or vice versa | Unlock or change the keyring actually used by the session |
| Home directory came from another installation | Old keyring files have a different password or ownership state | Try the old password; back up and recreate the keyring only as a last resort |
What not to do
- Do not uninstall
gnome-keyringmerely to hide the dialog. Other applications may lose protected-secret access, and saved browser passwords may stop working. See Zorin’s report on this consequence. - Do not delete
~/.local/share/keyringswithout a backup. - Do not edit
/usr/share/applications/chromium.desktopdirectly; package updates can overwrite it. - Do not treat
--password-store=basicas an equivalent secure replacement for a working keyring.
Recommended outcome
For most Zorin installations, disable automatic login, sign in with the Linux account password, and set the Seahorse Login keyring to that same password. Recreate the keyring only after backing it up and verifying important credentials. Blank passwords and --password-store=basic can suppress prompts, but they deliberately trade away protection and should be chosen only with that consequence understood.
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