How to downgrade Chrome from dev to beta channel without losing my profile?

Question

Would it be possible to downgrade from the dev channel (6.0.477.0) to version 5 without losing my profile(s)?

I was thinking either by downgrading without having to uninstall my current version, or by backing up the profile folders. Would this cause any issues?

Answer 1

I've found that you only need to copy that folder, remove the newer version, and install the older.

User profile location in Chrome (stable, beta, dev)

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data

Vista/Win7: C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data

User profile location in Chrome (canary)

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<Username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome SxS\User Data

Vista/Win7: C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome SxS\User Data

Unfortunately, it may cause some issues, because Chrome shows the following alert on every start:

Your profile can not be used because it is from a newer version of Google Chrome. Some features may be unavailable. Please specify a different profile directory or use a newer version of Chrome.