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To create another Microsoft Edge profile, open Edge, select the Profile icon in the upper-right corner, choose Set up a new profile, select Personal or Work or school, then choose Sign in to sync data or Start without your data. Select Confirm and start browsing; Edge opens the new profile in a separate window.
What an Edge profile does
An Edge profile gives one person, purpose, or account context its own browser environment. Microsoft describes profiles as a way to keep browser settings, bookmarks, extensions, themes, and preferences separate. A common arrangement is one profile for personal browsing and another for work or school, but you can create profiles for any clearly different set of browsing data.
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A profile is not the same as a separate Windows or macOS user account. On a shared computer, another person who can open your operating-system account may still be able to open Edge and inspect profile data. Profile separation is useful organization, not a guarantee that one person’s information is inaccessible to everyone else who uses the device. Microsoft’s privacy guidance covers controls for autofill, passwords, payment information, and synced data: Your Microsoft account, your data, your choices.
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Create a new Edge profile
Use these current Edge labels on Windows or macOS. The profile window opens after the final step, so you can begin browsing immediately.
- Open Microsoft Edge. If several Edge windows are open, any one of them is sufficient; profile creation starts from the browser’s profile menu.
- Select the Profile icon. It is in the upper-right corner of the Edge window. The icon may show a person silhouette, initials, or an account image.
- Select Set up a new profile. This starts the profile setup flow rather than switching to an existing profile.
- Choose Personal or Work or school. Select the description that matches the profile’s purpose. This choice helps Edge present the appropriate account and sync experience; it does not require you to sign in before the profile can be created.
- Choose Sign in to sync data or Start without your data. Sign-in connects the profile to an account and can make selected browser data available on other devices. Starting without your data creates a profile without that account-linked setup.
- Select Confirm and start browsing. Edge opens the new profile in a separate window. The original profile remains available in its own window.
Microsoft’s support instructions describe the result directly: “The new profile opens in a separate Edge window.” If you do not see a new window, look behind the current Edge window or check the taskbar or dock for another Edge window before repeating the setup.
Choose the right profile type
The setup screen offers two labels. They are useful for organizing intent, but the practical decision is which account and data you want associated with the profile.
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|---|---|---|
| Personal | Personal Microsoft account, home use, or a profile that is not managed by an employer or school | Use it when the profile’s bookmarks, extensions, preferences, and possible sync data belong to your personal browsing. |
| Work or school | An organizational account or browsing environment governed by workplace or school policies | Your organization may control available sign-in or sync behavior. Confirm which account you are using before enabling synchronization. |
Neither label makes the profile inherently more private. The separation comes from using different profile environments and, when applicable, different accounts and sync selections. If the computer is shared, use separate operating-system accounts when you need stronger separation between people.
Decide whether to sign in and sync
After choosing the profile type, Edge presents two paths. Select the one that matches where you need the profile’s data to exist.
| Option | What it does | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Sign in to sync data | Associates the profile with an account and allows the sync categories you enable to follow that account across supported Edge devices. | You want a consistent set of selected favorites, history, passwords, settings, extensions, open tabs, or autofill information on more than one device. |
| Start without your data | Creates the profile without beginning with account-linked profile data. | You want a local, uncluttered profile, are setting up a temporary separation, or do not want to connect an account yet. |
Microsoft’s cross-device guidance lists browser data that can sync after sign-in, including favorites, browsing history, saved passwords, settings, extensions, open tabs, and autofill information. Synchronization is controlled by the categories enabled for that profile; signing in does not mean every category must be active.
Before selecting sign-in, verify the account shown by Edge. A personal account and an organizational account can produce different bookmarks, passwords, extensions, and policy behavior. If you are creating a work profile on a personal computer, make sure you understand whether your employer or school manages that account.
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Control which data syncs
You can adjust sync categories after the profile exists:
- Open the profile whose synchronization you want to change.
- Open Edge’s Settings.
- Go to Profiles > Sync.
- Turn individual sync features on or off.
Microsoft documents this category-level control in Change and customize sync settings in Microsoft Edge. Review the list rather than assuming that all browser data has the same treatment. For example, you may want favorites and settings on a second device while leaving a sensitive category disabled.
Sync works in both directions. If you delete a synced item while signed in, that deletion can propagate to the other devices using the same synchronized account. Microsoft explicitly warns that deleting data while signed in and syncing removes it from synced devices. Before removing a large set of favorites, passwords, history, or other synced information, check Settings > Profiles > Sync and confirm the account and enabled categories. Microsoft’s explanation is available at Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices.
Switch between Edge profiles
Each profile has its own Edge window. To move from one to another:
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- Select the Profile icon in the upper-right corner of the current Edge window.
- Select the profile you want to use.
- Edge opens that profile in a new window.
If you have several windows open, use the profile icon in each window to identify which profile is active before opening a password manager, bookmark, or work page. Switching does not merge the profiles; it opens the selected profile’s environment.
When you finish with one profile, close its window rather than deleting the profile. Closing a window leaves the profile available for the next switch. Deletion is a separate action and should be reserved for a profile and its local data that you no longer need.
Remove an Edge profile
Removing a profile is different from signing out. It removes that profile from Edge on the current device, so check whether you still need its local bookmarks, extensions, settings, or other information first. If the profile is signed in and syncing, deleting data before removal can also affect other devices according to the active sync categories.
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- Open the profile you intend to manage.
- Select the Profile icon.
- Select Profile settings.
- Under More profiles, find the profile you want to remove.
- Select the delete button beside that profile.
- Confirm by selecting Remove profile.
If the profile contains information you might need later, export or otherwise preserve it before confirming removal. For a signed-in profile, first review Settings > Profiles > Sync and the account shown there. Removing a profile from one computer does not provide a safe way to erase a synchronized account’s data without considering the other devices using that account.
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Use Guest mode for temporary browsing
When you do not want a persistent profile for a short session, Edge provides a guest option:
- Select the Profile icon in the upper-right corner.
- Select Browse as guest.
Microsoft describes guest browsing as not saving history or data. It is therefore suited to a temporary session on your own computer or to letting someone browse without adding a lasting profile. Guest mode is not a replacement for a separate operating-system account, and it should not be treated as a guarantee against monitoring, network logging, or access to data outside the guest session.
Use a persistent profile when you need saved settings, bookmarks, extensions, or account-linked sync. Use guest mode when the priority is avoiding a saved Edge profile for a short-lived session.
What remains separate, and what does not
Microsoft identifies browser settings, bookmarks, extensions, themes, and preferences as profile-specific. When synchronization is enabled, additional categories can travel with the signed-in account, including favorites, history, saved passwords, settings, extensions, open tabs, and autofill information. The exact set depends on the sync controls you enable and the account context.
- Separate browser environments: Each profile can maintain its own settings, bookmarks, extensions, themes, and preferences.
- Optional account connection: A profile can start without data, or it can be connected to an account for selected synchronization.
- Separate windows: Edge opens a selected profile in its own window, which makes the active context easier to identify.
- Not a security boundary between operating-system users: Profile separation alone does not replace separate Windows or macOS accounts.
- Sync has consequences: Changes and deletions in enabled categories may appear on other signed-in devices.
For a family computer, combining separate operating-system accounts with separate Edge profiles provides a clearer boundary than relying on profile switching alone. For one person who simply wants work and personal bookmarks or extensions kept apart, two Edge profiles may be sufficient.
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The “Set up a new profile” option is not visible
Open the Profile menu from the upper-right corner of an Edge window and look for Set up a new profile. Make sure you are not selecting an existing profile by mistake. If the browser is controlled by an organization, available account and profile options can differ; contact the organization’s administrator if the expected choice is blocked.
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Edge opened the wrong account or data
Stop before changing or deleting anything. Select the Profile icon, open Profile settings, and verify the profile and account context. If you intended to create a clean profile, use Start without your data rather than signing in to an account that already contains bookmarks, passwords, or extensions.
The new window seems to be missing
The documented result is a separate Edge window. Check the taskbar, dock, or window switcher for another Edge window, and look behind the current one. Select the Profile icon in each window to identify the active profile. Do not remove and recreate the profile solely because the new window is not in front.
Data is appearing on another device
Open the affected profile and go to Settings > Profiles > Sync. Check the signed-in account and the categories enabled for synchronization. Turn off categories you do not want shared, then avoid deleting data until you understand whether the deletion will propagate. Microsoft’s sync guidance explains the cross-device behavior at Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices.
You need a one-time browsing session
Use Profile > Browse as guest instead of creating a persistent profile. Microsoft says guest browsing does not save history or data, making it the more appropriate choice for a short session when you do not need bookmarks, extensions, or synchronization.
A practical profile setup plan
If you are separating personal and work browsing, this sequence minimizes accidental mixing:
- Create the first profile and label its purpose mentally before signing in.
- Create the second profile through Profile > Set up a new profile.
- Choose Personal for personal account use or Work or school for organizational use.
- Choose Sign in to sync data only after confirming the account shown by Edge; otherwise choose Start without your data.
- After the new window opens, visit Settings > Profiles > Sync and enable only the categories appropriate to that profile.
- Switch profiles from the Profile icon whenever you change context, and check the icon before entering passwords or saving bookmarks.
This approach keeps the creation decision, account decision, and synchronization decision distinct. You can create the profile first and decide later whether to connect it to an account or change its sync categories.
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| Your goal | Use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Keep personal and work bookmarks, extensions, and preferences apart | A persistent Edge profile | Profiles provide separate browser environments and open in separate windows. |
| Use the same selected browser data on several devices | A signed-in profile with chosen sync categories | Sync can carry supported data such as favorites, history, passwords, settings, extensions, open tabs, and autofill information. |
| Start with a clean profile without account-linked data | Start without your data | You can create the profile without beginning with synchronized data. |
| Let someone browse briefly without a saved profile | Browse as guest | Microsoft describes guest browsing as not saving history or data. |
| Stop using a profile permanently | Profile > Profile settings > More profiles > Remove profile | This removes the selected profile from Edge on the current device after confirmation. |
Official Microsoft guidance
For the complete profile workflow, see Microsoft Support’s Sign in and create multiple profiles in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft’s related pages explain category controls in Change and customize sync settings in Microsoft Edge, cross-device behavior in Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices, and account privacy choices in Your Microsoft account, your data, your choices.
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