Question Chrome Downgrade: Can't Restore Backed Up Cookie and Password Files

[AARRGGHHH]

Recent versions of Chrome have been a disaster, crashing constantly and frequently taking windows with it. I backed up everything in C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data.
I uninstalled the current version of Google and installed a recent version (86.0.42x). I then copied the cookie and login data files from the backup to C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.

It seems, from what I've read, that this should have worked. But it didn't. Chrome does not know any of my user names and passwords. What did I do wrong, and what else can I try?

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Well, according to you you backed up "C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data" but restored to "C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default". See the problem?

It may also be that a downgrade via this path isn't possible due to changes in one or more involved files.

 

[AARRGGHHH]

Thank you.

I backed up everything in C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data including C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default and then restored the cookie and password files to C:\Users\me\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default.

In regard to changes in the files, both appear to use the same format, and the versions are only a few weeks apart. So this could be the issue, but it seems more likely that I'm overlooking something.