Chrome Profile Switcher is a menu bar app for Mac that gives each browser profile its own Dock icon. It comes with a free 30-day trial, then costs $49 once for a lifetime license. The questions below cover what it does, what it costs, which browsers it supports, what it asks for and why, and how to install, update or remove it. If your question is not here, email support@zwaystudios.com. New here? The install guide walks through every step and explains each permission.
It is a small menu bar app for Mac that gives each browser profile its own icon in the Dock, with the profile's picture and a small browser badge. Click an icon and that profile's existing windows come forward. Click again to cycle to its next window.
How is it different from dragging Chrome to the Dock?
Dragging Chrome to the Dock gives you one icon for the whole app, because the Dock shows one icon per app. Chrome Profile Switcher adds one icon per profile, and clicking it brings back only that profile's windows.
Which browsers does it support?
Google Chrome (plus Beta, Dev and Canary), Brave, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Chromium, Yandex, Arc, Dia, Opera, Opera GX, Firefox (plus Developer Edition and Nightly), Zen, LibreWolf and Waterfox. Opera, Opera GX, Arc and Dia are matched when they have one profile. Safari profiles are supported too (Safari 17 or later).
How much does it cost?
Every Mac gets a free 30-day trial with every feature and no account. It starts the first time you open the app. After that it is a one-time payment of $49 for a lifetime license, with every future update included. There is no subscription.
How do I buy a license?
Buy it on zwaystudios.com/apps/chrome-profile-switcher/buy. The license key arrives by email right after payment. In the app, click the menu bar icon, choose Enter License Key, paste the key and click Activate.
How many Macs does a license cover?
One license key works on 1 Mac at a time.
Can I move my license to a new Mac?
Yes. On the old Mac, open Settings in the app and click Deactivate this Mac. Then open the app on the new Mac, choose Enter License Key from the menu bar icon, paste the key and click Activate. If the old Mac is lost or no longer works, email support@zwaystudios.com.
What happens when the trial ends?
Profile icons, previews, the keyboard switcher and focus under pointer pause, and a Trial ended window lets you enter a key, buy one or contact support. Your browsers and profiles are never touched.
Does the license need the internet?
No. The app works offline. When you are online, the license is re-checked at most once a week. Only a refunded or disabled key turns it off.
Is it safe?
The app needs one permission, Accessibility, and uses it only to read window titles and bring the right window forward. Screen Recording is optional, only for live previews. It has no account and no analytics, and it goes online only to check for updates, which are EdDSA signed, and at most once a week to re-check the license. It is not notarized by Apple yet.
Which permissions does it need and why?
A setup guide on first launch takes you through them one step at a time. Accessibility is required, so it can read window titles and bring the right window forward: click Open Accessibility Settings, turn the switch on, and the step shows Allowed. Screen Recording is optional and only used for live window previews. Opening at login is recommended. Reopen the guide any time from the menu bar icon, Setup Guide. The profile icon apps need no permissions.
Will I have to allow permissions again after an update?
No. You give them once while setting up. Every update keeps them, and updates never need the Open Anyway step. On macOS 15 Sequoia and later, macOS itself asks about once a month to confirm apps that capture the screen; that matters only if you use live previews, and choosing Allow keeps them.
Why would it ask for Screen Recording?
Only if you want live previews of windows when you hover a profile icon. Turn it on in the setup guide, or later by clicking Show Live Previews in the hover panel or in Settings. Without it, the hover panel still lists the windows with their titles.
Does it make a copy of Chrome for each profile?
No. Each profile icon is a tiny launcher app of about 2 MB stored in ~/Applications/Chrome Profiles. One real browser keeps running with the same logins, extensions and history.
Does it use a lot of memory?
No. Because it does not start a second copy of the browser, the only extra memory is the menu bar app and one small launcher per open profile, a few tens of MB each, far less than a second browser. Your browser itself uses the same memory as before.
How do I keep a profile icon in the Dock?
Right-click the profile icon, choose Options, then Keep in Dock. You can then drag it next to your other kept apps and arrange it like any app. There is also a Settings option to keep icons even when a profile has no windows.
A profile icon stayed on the kept apps side of the Dock divider after I unpinned it. What do I do?
macOS keeps a running app on the kept side of the divider until it restarts. Since version 1.4.1 the app restarts that icon for you a moment after you turn off Keep in Dock, and macOS puts it with your other open apps. On older versions, right-click the icon and choose Quit once.
Why is a profile icon missing?
Icons appear only for profiles with an open window, so open a window in that profile first. Check that the Accessibility permission is on, and that no two profiles share exactly the same name. For Opera, Opera GX, Arc and Dia, windows are matched only when the browser has one profile.
Two of my profiles have the same name. Why do they get mixed up?
For Chrome based browsers the app matches windows by the profile name in the window title. Two profiles with exactly the same name cannot be told apart, so rename one of them in the browser.
Does it work with windows on other desktops and displays?
Yes. Click a profile icon and macOS switches to the desktop or display where that profile's window is. The hover panel also shows windows that are on other desktops.
Can I open a new window or a private window in a specific profile?
Yes. Right-click the profile icon and choose New Window or New Incognito Window. You can also hover the icon and click the plus button to open a new window in that profile.
How does it update?
It updates itself. It checks every hour for EdDSA signed updates and installs them by itself the next time your Mac is idle for two minutes. To check right away, open Settings, General and click Check Now. Your permissions stay on after every update.
Which macOS version do I need?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Does it run on Intel Macs?
Yes. It is a universal app that runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The DMG is about 4 MB.
macOS says it cannot check the app. How do I open it?
The app is not notarized by Apple yet. Click Done, open System Settings, go to Privacy and Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway, then confirm with your password. You only need to do this once; updates never ask again. The install guide shows every step with pictures: zwaystudios.com/apps/chrome-profile-switcher/install.
How do I uninstall it?
Quit the app from its menu bar icon, then delete the app. Also delete the ~/Applications/Chrome Profiles folder, which holds the small profile icon apps.
What does it know about my browsing?
It reads window titles on your Mac to match windows to profiles. Nothing is sent anywhere: there is no account and no analytics in the app, and it goes online only to check for updates and, at most once a week, to re-check the license.
What is Focus Window Under Pointer?
An optional feature added in 1.5.0. When you rest the pointer on a window in any app, that window gets keyboard focus without being raised, so your first click lands. It is off by default and you turn it on from the menu bar icon or Settings.
Can I request a feature?
Yes. The public changelog and roadmap page takes feature requests. Planned items include custom icons and better matching for Opera, Arc and Dia with several profiles.
How do I contact support?
Email support@zwaystudios.com. You can also send feature requests from the changelog and roadmap page.
