The Difference Between a Chrome Profile and a Google Account

This morning as I was starting to get caught up on a backlog of email I answered a question from a reader who wanted to know if I had a video about Chrome profiles that she could share with her staff. I do, here it is. In the video I demonstrate and explain the difference between signing into a Chrome profile and signing into your Google account. The video is embedded below. 


The key points to remember are:

  • Your Chrome profile handles all of your Chrome browser preferences and settings including the extensions you like to use, bookmarks, saved passwords, and display settings (default fonts and color schemes). 
  • Signing into your Google account is how you access things like Gmail and Google Docs. 
  • Whenever you’re done using a shared computer, you should sign out of both your Chrome profile and your Google account. 
On a related note, I find it helpful to use a different profile icon for each of my Google accounts. It provides a visual reminder of which account I’m currently using. Doing that helps me avoid creating a work document in a personal account or trying to send a personal email from a work account. Here’s a little video about that

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