To add a new user in Google Chrome, click your Profile picture at the top right, then click Add Chrome profile. Sign in with a Google Account or continue without one, then choose a name, photo, and color. Each profile keeps its own bookmarks, history, passwords, and settings.
These steps follow Google’s Manage Chrome with multiple profiles and Browse Chrome as a guest help pages. Older guides describe a “Manage People” or “Add person” menu, which Chrome has since renamed.
How to Add a New User (Profile) in Chrome
- Open Chrome on your computer.
- Click the Profile icon at the top right.
- Click Add Chrome profile.
- Sign in with a Google Account, or continue without an account.
- Choose a name, photo, and color scheme.
Result: The new profile opens in its own Chrome window. Google says that if you sign in with a Google Account, the profile name automatically becomes your account name, and your bookmarks, passwords, and other settings are saved to your account so you can use them on other devices where you’re signed in.
How to Switch Between Profiles
- Open Chrome.
- Click the Profile icon at the top right.
- Choose the profile you want to switch to.
Result: Chrome opens a window for that profile, with its own bookmarks and history.
Why Use Profiles?
- Google says profiles are ideal for sharing a computer with multiple people.
- They also keep different accounts, like work and personal, separate.
- Signed-in profiles can sync bookmarks and passwords to your other devices. To stop that on a computer you share, see how to log out of your Google Account, which also covers signing out of Chrome.
Google notes that anyone who has your device can switch to any Chrome profile on it and see things like the websites you visited, so only share your computer with people you trust.
How to Manage, Rename, or Delete a Profile
- Show all profiles when Chrome opens: click the Profile icon, select Manage Chrome profiles under “Other Chrome profiles,” and check Show on startup at the bottom.
- Change a name, photo, or color: in Manage Chrome profiles, select More > Edit on the profile. For your current profile, you can also use Profile > Customize profile. Google says changes save automatically.
- Delete a profile: in Manage Chrome profiles, select More > Delete on the profile, then confirm. Google warns this erases the profile’s bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings from the computer.
Use Guest Mode Instead for a Quick Visitor
If someone just needs to borrow your computer, Google suggests Guest mode instead of a full profile. Click the Profile icon and select Open Guest profile. Google says Guest mode can’t see or change other profiles, and your browsing activity is deleted from the computer when you exit. To close it, click the Profile icon and select Close guest.
For private browsing on your own profile, Google points to Incognito mode instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Google Account to add a Chrome profile?
No. You can continue without an account. Signing in is what lets the profile save bookmarks and passwords to your account and sync them to other devices, according to Google.
Is a Chrome profile the same as a Windows user account?
No. A Chrome profile only separates Chrome data. Google notes that anyone who has your computer can switch to another Chrome profile on it.
Related Guides
- How to manage saved passwords in Chrome
- How to change your Chrome startup page
- How to make Chrome start automatically
- How to set Gmail as the default email in Chrome
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.