Google Chrome allows to create separate user profiles. Creating multiple user profiles will enable you to separate your chrome preferences like themes, bookmarks, settings, etc from others' on the same computer. You can keep your favorite themes, apps and extensions intact by enabling this feature. Chrome creates a separate copy of itself for the multiple users you create.
How to add new users to Chrome
For example, If you're 4 members in your family say You, Your wife, Mom and Dad. You can create a 4 separate profiles, one for each of you. As a result, now each of you will have a separate copy of Chrome browser itself. Each user's history, bookmarks, themes, apps and extensions will be treated as per respective users settings. If you've, for example, installed a Readability Extension then it will be available in your profile only. Other members will need to install the same if they want.
The other big advantage is that you can login and access to your multiple web accounts for the same website. If you've 2 facebook account then you can access both simultaneously using 2 different Chrome user profiles! Doesn't this super cool?
How to add new users to Chrome
- Click the Chrome menu
on the browser toolbar and select Settings or Open this link chrome://chrome/settings/ in your Chrome browser. - In the "Users" section, click Add new user.
- A confirmation dialog appears, choose a picture and enter a name for the new Chrome user. Then click Create.
- A new window for the user appears, with a picture you've chosen for the user in the top corner. Here, you can sign in to Chrome with a Google Account to associate the account with the user. Once signed in, all the bookmarks, apps, extensions, theme, and browser settings for the user will be synced to the account. Learn more about signing in to Chrome
If you prefer, you can also choose to skip this step and not sign in. Settings for the user will be saved only on your computer instead.
How to switch users profiles
If you've added more than one user profile then you can see an icon on the extreme top-left corner of the window or simply click ctrl + shift + M (Mac: Cmd + shift + M) to select the another user. As soon as you select another user, Chrome will open a new separate window of itself for the selected user. The icon you selected for that specific user will now be displayed on the extreme top-left corner.
How to delete specific user profile
- Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar and select Settings or Open this link chrome://chrome/settings/ in your Chrome browser.
- In the "Users" section, select the user profile you want to delete.
Note: If there is only a single profile then you need to create another profile to enable the deleting the one you don't want anymore.
- Click the X button on the extreme right of the selected user.
- In the confirmation dialog that appears, click Delete.
Upon deleting the user profile, all the associated user data will also be deleted and you can't rollback them in anyway.
Google suggests to remove saved passwords if you're using Mac or Linux from password manager tools, like Keychain on the Mac, before deleting the user profile. Otherwise the passwords will still be available in your computer's password manager tools. Follow the steps below to remove your saved passwords from your password manager.
- Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar and select Settings or Open this link chrome://chrome/settings/ in your Chrome browser.
- In the Sign in section, click Disconnect your Google Account.
- In the Passwords section, click Manage saved passwords.
- Hover over the passwords and click X to remove the passwords.
Though, one should note that enabling multiple user will not restrict the other users to view your browsing history. You might fall in embarrassing situation if someone intentionally open your profile and checks your browsing history! To keep your history safe and inaccessible to others you should create a new user account in your computer system. The another way to hide your browsing activity form others is to use Incognito Mode in Chrome.