How to open a specific Chrome profile from Terminal on a Mac

To open a specific Chrome profile from Terminal on a Mac, run open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1", replacing Profile 1 with the folder name of the profile you want. You can find that folder name on the chrome://version page, next to “Profile Path”. The same command works for Brave and Microsoft Edge if you change the app name.

This guide covers finding the right folder name, the command for each browser, turning it into a one-click launcher with Automator or Shortcuts, and the limits you should know about.

Step 1: find the profile’s folder name

Chrome does not use your profile’s display name (for example “Work” or “Client A”) in the command. It uses the name of the folder where that profile’s data lives. The first profile is usually called Default, and later ones are Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on, in the order they were created. Deleting a profile does not renumber the others, so the numbers can have gaps.

To see which folder belongs to which profile:

1. Open a Chrome window in the profile you want.
2. Type chrome://version in the address bar and press Return.
3. Look at the line called Profile Path. It ends with the folder name, for example .../Google/Chrome/Profile 3.

Repeat this for each profile you want a command for. If you would like to see all the folders at once, our guide to the Chrome profile folder location on a Mac shows where they are and how to open them in Finder.

Step 2: the Terminal command

With the folder name in hand, open Terminal and run:

open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1"

What each part does:

• open is the macOS command for opening apps and files.
• -a "Google Chrome" names the app to open.
• -n asks macOS to launch it even if it is already running, which is what lets the extra arguments reach Chrome.
• --args passes everything after it to Chrome.
• --profile-directory="Profile 1" tells Chrome which profile folder to use.

Keep the quotes, because both the app name and most folder names contain spaces. For the first profile, use --profile-directory="Default".

You can also add a web address at the end to open it straight in that profile:

open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1" "https://mail.google.com"

Brave and Microsoft Edge

Brave and Edge are built on Chromium and accept the same flag. Only the app name changes:

open -na "Brave Browser" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1"
open -na "Microsoft Edge" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1"

Find the folder name the same way: brave://version in Brave and edge://version in Edge both show a Profile Path line. For Chrome Beta or Canary, use the app name exactly as it appears in your Applications folder.

Make it a shortcut you can click

Typing the command every time is no faster than using Chrome’s profile menu. Wrapping it in a small launcher makes it more useful.

With Automator

1. Open Automator and create a new document of type Application.
2. Add the Run Shell Script action.
3. Paste your open -na ... command into it.
4. Save it with a clear name, such as “Chrome Work”, in your Applications folder.

You now have an app you can open from Spotlight or drag to the Dock.

With Shortcuts

1. Open the Shortcuts app and create a new shortcut.
2. Add the Run Shell Script action and paste the command.
3. Name the shortcut after the profile.

In the shortcut’s details you can add a keyboard shortcut or pin it in the menu bar, which gives you a keyboard route to each profile.

As a shell alias

If you live in Terminal, add a line like this to ~/.zshrc:

alias work='open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1"'

Open a new Terminal window and type work to launch that profile.

The limits of this approach

These launchers are handy, but they have real limits:

• They always open a new window. Chrome treats the command as “open this profile”, so each run adds a window, even if that profile already has several open.
• They do not bring back the window you had. If your work window is behind other apps or on another desktop, the command will not take you to it. Over a day you can end up with a pile of duplicate windows.
• They use a generic icon. An Automator app shows Automator’s standard icon, not your profile picture, so several of them in the Dock look the same until you set a custom icon by hand.
• The Dock still groups Chrome windows. Once the new window opens, it sits behind Chrome’s one Dock icon along with every other profile’s windows.

For the full comparison of do-it-yourself methods, see how to add multiple Chrome profiles to the Mac Dock and why Chrome opens a new window instead of the existing one.

When you want the existing window instead

If what you really want is one click that returns you to a profile’s windows, Chrome Profile Switcher does that. It gives each profile its own Dock icon with the profile’s picture. Clicking it brings that profile’s existing windows forward, and only opens a new window when the profile has none. Clicking again cycles through that profile’s windows, even across desktops and displays.

It works with Chrome, Brave, Edge and several other browsers, uses no second copy of the browser, and is free during the beta on macOS 14 or later. You can download it here. A keyboard shortcut per profile is planned; the Shortcuts method above is a good stopgap until then.

Questions

Where do I find “Profile 1” or “Default” for my profile? Open chrome://version in that profile. The last part of the Profile Path line is the folder name to use.

Why does the command open a new window every time? Chrome reads it as a request to open that profile, so it adds a window. It does not look for one you already have.

Does this work for Firefox? No. Firefox uses different options and a different profile system. This command is for Chromium browsers such as Chrome, Brave and Edge.