1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication for Your Account
Enabling two-factor authentication for your Google account adds another layer of protection to the standard password method of online identification. Doing so also has an additional effect – it logs you out of your account each time you close your browsing window. If you wish to jump onboard with two-factor authentication, this is how to do it. Two-step verification is now enabled. You can opt for additional layers of protection including Google prompts or verification via an Authenticator app. You can activate the privacy feature on your mobile device, as well. The process is quite similar to the one we described above. With this option enabled you will have to sign in every time you wish to use your Google account. Even if this might seem a little repetitive, the privacy benefits are pretty great. You also have the option of making the process a bit easier by using autofill to insert your login credentials automatically.
2. Use Private Browsing
Another method to ensure you log out of your Google account after every session is to opt for private browsing instead of normal browsing. Private browsing is a feature that major web browsers offer that keeps your temporary browsing data private including browsing history, search records, log ins, and cookies. Since none of this data is saved, your Google login will be automatically reset once you end your private session. In this section we’ll show you how you can activate private browsing in major browsers.
Chrome
If you’re using Chrome on your PC or mobile device, here’s how you can open a private session in your browser.
Firefox
Firefox users can also turn to private browsing if they wish to make sure their Google login isn’t saved. Here’s how to access the feature. Alternatively, you can use the Firefox Focus browser, which runs on private mode by default.
Opera
Those who prefer using Opera on their PC or mobile device, can access their private browser by following these steps.
3. Clear Cookies After Each Session
Another solution for when you want to automatically log out of your account(s) is to remember to delete cookies after each browsing session. Here’s how it’s done in major browsers on PC and mobile.
Chrome
If you’re a Chrome user, then you should know that you don’t even have to clear cookies manually (although it’s possible to do so). The browser allows you to enable an option that deletes cookies automatically.
Firefox
Firefox has a similar option that allows you to automatically delete cookies after each browsing session, which is available in the desktop, as well as mobile versions.
Opera
Opera users also have a similar option at their disposal, and here’s how you can activate it on desktop and mobile.
4. Create a Sign-out Shortcut on Your Screen
Deleting cookies will have the effect of removing your saved settings for the sites you’ve visited. If you don’t want to happen, and you’re also not keen on using any of the other methods described above, you can simply manually sign out of your Google every time you use it. The problem is that you might forget to do so sometimes. In order to solve this problem, you can create a shortcut to the Google Sign-out page on your desktop. It’s really easy to do so. If you end up opting for this method, there’s a few things you need to do for it to function properly. You see, if you previously instructed your browser to save your password, when you will go ahead and use “Sign in” button again, it will remember the password. In which case, you need to delete your Google account password and instruct the browser not to save it the next time you log in with it. Here’s how to do that.
Chrome
- On mobile, go to “Settings -> Passwords”.
- Tap on “View and manage saved passwords in your Google Account” to view a list of your passwords.
- Find your Google account and tap on it.
- Tap on the Delete button to get forget this password.
Firefox
Opera
5. Sign Out Remotely
If you find yourself in a situation where you just forgot to log out from your Google account, don’t worry you can do so remotely. Here’s how.
1. What are some of the best authenticator apps out there?
If you enabled two-step verification for your Google account, then an authenticator app will come in handy. Perhaps the best known is Google Authenticator, but there are some other worthy alternatives out there. Learn about the top 8 by reading our previous article on the matter.
2. How can I sign out of multiple Google accounts at once?
If you routinely use multiple Google accounts throughout your day and you’d like to sign out of all of them automatically once you’re done with your session, the good news is that all methods above work.
