One Chrome profile per client, one Dock icon per client

If you run work for several clients, the cleanest setup on a Mac is one browser profile per client, each with its own logins, ad accounts and Google Workspace. Chrome Profile Switcher then gives every client profile its own icon in the Dock, with that profile’s picture, so one click brings back that client’s windows. It is a free beta for macOS 14 or later.

The problem with many client profiles

Agencies, freelancers and consultants collect accounts fast: for each client an email login, analytics, ad accounts, a shared drive and maybe a CMS. Putting all of that in one browser means constant signing in and out, and a real risk of posting from the wrong account.

Browser profiles solve the login side well. Each profile keeps its own cookies, history, passwords and extensions, so Client A’s Google Workspace never mixes with Client B’s.

The trouble starts when you switch. The macOS Dock shows one icon per running app, so every profile of Chrome hides behind a single Chrome icon. Click it and you get whichever window Chrome had in front last. From there you press ⌘` to cycle windows, or open the avatar menu, which opens a new window in the other profile instead of the one you already had. With five clients and a few windows each, that adds up to a lot of hunting every day.

How per-profile Dock icons help

Chrome Profile Switcher is a small menu bar app that puts a separate icon in Apple’s own Dock for each profile with an open window. The icon shows the profile’s picture and a small browser badge.

• Click a client’s icon and that profile’s existing windows come forward, even when they sit on another desktop or display.
• Click again to cycle to the next window of that client.
• Hover the icon to see that client’s windows in a panel. With the optional Screen Recording permission you get live previews; without it, you get window titles. The “+” button opens a new window in that profile.
• Right-click for a list of the profile’s windows, New Window and New Incognito Window.

There is no second copy of Chrome. One real browser keeps running, and each icon is a launcher of about 2 MB. The app asks for Accessibility on first launch and sends nothing anywhere.

A sample setup

Here is one way a small agency or solo consultant might set it up:

1. One profile per client in Chrome, for example “Acme”, “Northwind” and “Globex”. Sign in to that client’s Workspace, ad accounts and tools inside its profile only.
2. One profile for your own studio, for your own email, invoicing and project tools.
3. One personal profile kept apart from work. Our page on work and personal profiles covers this in more depth.
4. Install Chrome Profile Switcher from the download page and grant Accessibility. An icon appears in the Dock for every profile with an open window.
5. Keep your main clients in the Dock with right-click, Options, Keep in Dock, and drag them into the order you work in. If you want icons to stay even when a profile has no windows, turn that on in Settings.

Tips that make it work better

• Name profiles after the client. The app reads the profile name that Chrome adds at the end of each window title. Two profiles with exactly the same name, such as two called “Work”, cannot be told apart, so rename one.
• Give each profile a distinct picture or colour. The Dock icon uses the profile’s picture, so a logo, initial or strong colour makes each client easy to spot at a glance.
• Use Incognito from the right profile. Right-click the client’s icon and choose New Incognito Window when you need a clean check of a client site.
• Mixed browsers are fine. If a client works in Microsoft Edge or you prefer Brave, those profiles get icons too. See the browsers overview.

Limits to know about

• Opera, Opera GX, Arc and Dia do not put the profile name in window titles, so the app can match windows only when those browsers have one profile. Better matching for several profiles is on the roadmap.
• The app does not give each profile its own ⌘Tab entry and does not pin a profile’s windows to a Space.
• Keyboard shortcuts per profile and custom icons are on the roadmap, not in the app today.
• The beta is not notarized by Apple yet, so the first launch needs one Open Anyway click in System Settings, Privacy and Security.

If you want to compare other ways of getting there, the compare hub covers Superdock, Okie Dockie, Unbundle and more.