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Chrome Profiles: Sign In and Use Multiple Google Accounts

Use separate Chrome profiles to keep browser data organized across Google Accounts. Learn how to add and switch profiles, and what changes on Android, iPhone, and managed devices.
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To keep Google accounts and browser data separate in desktop Chrome, create a different Chrome profile for each browser context. Open Chrome’s profile menu, select Add Chrome profile, and decide whether to sign in to Chrome with the Google Account for that profile. If you only need another account on a Google website, you may be able to sign in there without making a new profile.

What a Chrome profile does—and what signing in does

A Chrome profile is a separate browser space. Its bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings can be kept apart from those in your other profiles. That makes profiles useful for separating work and personal browsing or keeping different users’ browser information organized.

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Signing in to a website with a second Google Account is not the same as creating a Chrome profile. A website sign-in gives that site access to the account you selected; a new profile creates a separate Chrome data context. If you also sign in to Chrome within that profile, supported profile data can be saved to the Google Account and made available on other devices where you sign in with that account. Google’s instructions describe these distinctions in its Chrome profile help.

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Create and switch between Chrome profiles on a computer

  1. Open Chrome on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
  2. Select the profile icon at the top right, then choose Add Chrome profile.
  3. Choose whether to sign in to Chrome. If prompted, use the Google Account intended for this browser context or continue without signing in. When you sign in, Chrome may use the account name as the profile name.
  4. Give the profile a recognizable identity. Choose a name, photo, and color scheme that make its windows easy to tell apart.
  5. Switch profiles when needed. Select the profile icon and choose the profile to open. Google’s profile settings can also show profiles when Chrome starts. See Google’s steps for managing multiple Chrome profiles for the current controls.

Choose the right option for your situation

What you need Use What to expect
Separate bookmarks, history, passwords, and settings over time Distinct desktop Chrome profiles Each profile maintains its own browser data. Signing in to Chrome can make supported data available on other devices signed in to that Google Account.
Another account on a Google service, without separate browser data Sign in to that service with the other account A separate Chrome profile may be unnecessary if you only need a second account session on that site.
A temporary session that should not remain in local Chrome history Guest mode Local browsing activity is removed from the computer when the Guest session ends, but this does not hide activity from websites or the network operator. Details: Browse Chrome as a guest.

Know what profiles do not protect

Profiles organize browser data; they are not password-protected compartments against someone who can use your computer. Google warns that anyone with access to the device can switch to another Chrome profile and see information such as visited sites. Its advice is: “Only share your device with people that you trust.” If someone else can access the computer, use an appropriate device account and lock the computer when you step away rather than relying on Chrome profiles alone.

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How Chrome profiles work on phones and managed devices

Android

Android does not support multiple Chrome profiles on one device: Google states, “You can only have one Chrome profile on Android devices.” To let another person use Chrome, add them as a user of the Android device and switch device users. Follow Google’s Android profile guidance, not the desktop profile steps.

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Chrome on iPhone and iPad lets you add and switch Google Accounts, but this is not the same profile-picker flow as desktop Chrome. For an organization-managed work account, Chrome may offer a separate work space. See Google’s instructions for adding and switching accounts in Chrome on iPhone or iPad.

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Work- or school-managed Chrome

An administrator may restrict profile creation, secondary Google Accounts, or Guest mode. If a control is missing or an account is blocked, the device or browser may be managed by your organization. Check with its administrator; available options depend on the policies applied. Google describes these controls in its Chrome Enterprise policy documentation.

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Remove a profile when you no longer need it

On a computer, Google’s profile-management instructions allow you to remove a Chrome profile. Removing it deletes that profile’s local bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings from that computer. If you may need the data, verify that anything important is available elsewhere before removing the profile. Use the profile-management controls in Google’s current desktop instructions.

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