The goal is to move your Google Chrome profile to an encrypted volume. You’ll need to take three basic steps to get private browsing to the extreme:

1. Create an encrypted volume using TrueCrypt.
2. Move your Chrome profile to the encrypted volume.
3. Tell Chrome about the new location of your profile.

Step 1: Create an encrypted volume using TrueCrypt.

TrueCrypt is an open-source disk encryption tool. Using the TrueCrypt volume creation wizard, you create a TrueCrypt volume file (basically a large password-encrypted file). Using TrueCrypt, you mount the volume as a disk drive, and it shows up in Windows as a hard drive just like your C-drive.

You can create files, delete files, manipulate directories, and basically anything you normally do with a disk drive. The main difference is when you unmount the volume, the volume file is encrypted. Without the password, the volume file is completely useless and unreadable.

For more detailed directions on how to create a volume and mount it, check out the TrueCrypt Beginner’s Tutorial.

Step 2: Move your Chrome profile to the encrypted volume.

Once your volume file is mounted, you’ll want to move your existing Chrome profile to the encrypted TrueCrypt volume. Let’s say your TrueCrypt volume is mounted as the Z-drive.

• Shutdown Chrome.
• Create a directory on the Z-drive named ChromeUserData\.
• Copy files from C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\ directory to the TrueCrypt Z:\ChromeUserData\ directory.
• Rename C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\ directory (you can delete this later).

Step 3: Tell Chrome about the new location of your profile.

• Create a symbolic link to directory on the TrueCrypt volume. I had to run the command shell as Administrator.

cd C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\
mklink /D "User Data" "Z:\ChromeUserData"

• Launch Chrome.

If your version of Windows doesn’t support symbolic links, a comment from cRaig indicates Chrome supports the -user-data-dir switch.  By changing the Properties > Target for the Google Chrome shortcut in your Start Menu, you can tell Chrome about your new profile location. Your Target text might look something like this:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe -user-data-dir="Z:\ChromeUserData"

Using either approach for changing your Chrome profile location, once you unmount the TrueCrypt volume, no one will be able to look at your profile. If someone gets a hold of your computer, they won’t have a chance at getting to your Google Chrome profile.