Open a specific Chrome profile from Terminal or a shortcut on Mac
Short answer: run
open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1" in Terminal,
replacing Profile 1 with your profile's folder name, which you can see at
chrome://version under Profile Path. The command always opens a new window,
even when that profile already has one open.
On this page
Find the profile folder name
Chrome does not identify profiles by the names you see ("Work", "Personal"). Each profile is a
folder, named Default for the first one and Profile 1, Profile 2
and so on for the rest — and the numbers do not follow the order you created them in once profiles
have been deleted.
To find the right one, open a window in that profile and go to chrome://version. The
Profile Path line ends with the folder name, for example
…/Google/Chrome/Profile 3.
The command
open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 3"-nlets Chrome receive the request even though it is already running.-a "Google Chrome"names the app.--argspasses everything after it to Chrome.--profile-directoryis the folder name fromchrome://version— not the profile's display name.
For Chrome Beta or Canary, use "Google Chrome Beta" or
"Google Chrome Canary" as the app name.
Turn it into something you can click
You can wrap the command so it runs with a click. In Automator, create an Application with a single Run Shell Script action containing the command, save it, and drag it to the Dock. The Shortcuts app can do the same with a Run Shell Script action, which you can then give a keyboard shortcut.
Both give you a generic icon — you will want to change it, or you will not be able to tell your profiles apart.
What the command cannot do
Every run opens another window. Chrome has no command-line option that means "bring back the window this profile already has open", so a Dock icon built this way adds a window on every click.
Okie Dockie solves that part: its profile icons check for an existing window first and bring it forward, and only open a new one when the profile has none. Each icon also carries the profile's own picture.
Get every Chrome profile into your Dock
Okie Dockie builds a real Dock icon for each Chrome profile you use, badged with that profile's own picture. Click one and you land back in the window it already had open.
Everything except Chrome profile icons is free forever, and the profile icons come with a 7-day free trial that starts on its own — no sign-up, no card. macOS 13+, Apple Silicon and Intel.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a specific Chrome profile from Terminal on Mac?
Run open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1", using the folder name shown under Profile Path at chrome://version.
Where do I find a Chrome profile's folder name?
Open chrome://version in a window of that profile. The last part of the Profile Path line is the folder name, such as Default or Profile 2.
Why does the command open a new window every time?
Chrome has no launch option to reuse a profile's existing window, so every launch request opens a new one.
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