How to open a link in a specific Chrome profile on a Mac
Short answer: inside Chrome, right-click a link and choose Open Link as,
then pick the profile. For links clicked in other apps, Chrome uses the profile whose window you used
most recently — so bring a window of the right profile to the front first, then click the link. From
Terminal, open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1" URL opens a
link in a named profile.
On this page
Which profile a link opens in
A Mac has one default browser, not one default profile. When you click a link in another app, macOS hands it to Chrome, and Chrome opens it in the profile of the last window you used. If that was your personal profile, a work link lands there — signed in to the wrong account, with the wrong bookmarks and passwords.
From inside Chrome
- Right-click (or Control-click) the link.
- Choose Open Link as.
- Pick the profile. The link opens in a window of that profile.
The Open Link as item only appears once you have more than one profile.
From Mail, Slack and other apps
Other apps cannot choose a profile, so the dependable way is to choose it first:
- Click a window of the profile you want, so it is Chrome's most recent window.
- Switch to the other app and click the link.
If a link has already opened in the wrong profile, copy its address (Command-L, then Command-C), close the tab, and paste it into a window of the right profile.
From Terminal or a script
Chrome accepts a profile folder name on the command line:
open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1" https://example.comThe folder name is not the profile's display name — the first profile is Default,
the next Profile 1, and so on. To find which is which, open
chrome://version in a window of that profile and read Profile Path. There is more
in opening a Chrome profile from Terminal.
Keeping the right profile in front
Since links follow the most recent window, the simplest habit is to reach each profile directly rather than through Chrome's profile menu. Okie Dockie puts each Chrome profile in the Dock as its own icon, and clicking it brings back that profile's existing window. Click the work icon, then the link in Slack, and it opens in your work profile.
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 link in a different Chrome profile?
Right-click the link in Chrome, choose Open Link as, and pick the profile.
Why do links open in the wrong Chrome profile on my Mac?
Chrome opens links from other apps in the profile of the window you used most recently.
Can I set a default Chrome profile for links on a Mac?
Chrome has no setting for it. Bring a window of the profile you want to the front before clicking the link, or open links from Terminal with --profile-directory.
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