I use these settings:
PortablePasswords=true
EncryptPortablePasswords=false
However, it never writes the password to the "Portable Passwords" file. It keeps using the regular profile db. If I use the same computer, the saved passwords are there. If I use a different computer, it does not know the passwords.
I've done a new install to a new folder. Created the above settings. Logged into websites and saved the passwords. It still doesn't save to the portable passwords file, and it still doesn't work on another computer. It's like those settings are not being used.
However, if I change EncryptPortablePasswords=false to true, then it does prompt for a master password... so I know that it is using the settings file.
I need it to save passwords in plaintext without a master password.
Can anyone else confirm that this is not working? You will need to try on 2 computers to know for sure, and there should be no master password prompt
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I can confirm that this feature no longer works regardless of whether or not you encrypt the passwords. A sqlite3 database called Portable Passwords is created within GoogleChromePortable\Data\profile\Default directory. It includes the logins table but it is blank. It's likely Chrome made an internal change to how passwords are stored and that's when it stopped working.
The passwords import/export code hasn't been updated since 2009 and the developer who coded it no longer works on the PortableApps.com project. If someone is interested in picking it up and has the time, it's up for grabs.
I don't personally have the time to learn and work on it at the moment. I'm not sure how much interest there is either as Google Chrome Portable isn't really that functional without logging into and syncing with Google due to all the lock-down changes to Chrome itself over the last 13 years anyway. I'm sorry it's not the answer you were hoping for, but I wanted to at least confirm it for you and do a small post of details about what's likely going on.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!