User Data Directory
Definition
The Chromium profile root that holds History, Cookies, Login Data, Web Data, Cache, Local Storage and Sessions. The Default profile is the one the user sees if they have not created a second profile.
- Browser family
- Chromium-based browsers
- Default profile name
- Default
- Key artifacts stored
- History, Cookies, Login Data, Web Data, Cache, Local Storage, Sessions
- Forensic relevance
- Central location for browser activity reconstruction
Common questions
How does an examiner handle multiple profiles in the User Data directory?+
Each profile (Default, Profile 1, Profile 2, and so on) holds its own independent set of History, Cookies, and Login Data files, so examiners must process every profile folder separately to avoid missing evidence tied to a secondary account.
Are the artifact files in the directory human-readable?+
No, most are SQLite databases (History, Cookies, Web Data) or LevelDB stores (Local Storage), so they require a SQLite viewer or forensic parsing tool rather than a plain text editor to review.
Related terms
- Hindsight
- An open-source Chromium artefact parser maintained against NIST CFTT-friendly test data. Parses History, Cookies, Local Storage, Downloads, Login Data metadata and Cache...
- Login Data
- Chromium SQLite database of saved credentials. Passwords are stored encrypted; on Windows the OS master key sits under DPAPI scoped to the...
- Places.sqlite
- Firefox's combined history and bookmarks store. Visit timestamps are PRTime (microseconds since 1 January 1970). cookies.sqlite, formhistory.sqlite, key4.db and logins.json live alongside...
- Section 63 BSA
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 provision that requires a statutory certificate for admissibility of a copy of an electronic record. Applies to browser-extracted...
- Session Restore
- The browser feature that reopens tabs after a restart. Chrome writes Current Tabs / Current Session / Last Tabs / Last Session...