Sign in to Google Chrome

It's no secret that my favorite internet browser is Google Chrome.  Some people like it, some people don't.  If you are going to use it, you should sign in.  Many people are using Chrome, but they aren't getting all the benefits of using it because they aren't signed in.  You may be signed in to Google, but not be signed in to Chrome.

To see if you are signed in to Chrome or not, click on the three dots menu on the top right side of your browser and click on "Settings".

If you are signed in to Chrome, at the top of the Settings page you can see who you are signed in as.

If you are not signed in to Chrome, it will give you a "Sign in to Chrome" button.

Click on the button and go ahead and sign in using your Google Account.  You will probably get a window that asks if you want to "Link your data".  This is where the magic happens.  If you are using a computer you will use frequently - one that is not a public use computer, then it is safe to link your data.  This means that all of your bookmarks, Chrome extensions and apps, and your settings will travel with you.  It is a wonderful thing!  I have my school account data linked on my work computer, my work Chromebook, and my home computer.  All three will keep my current bookmarks, extensions, and settings so that I can move seamlessly between devices.

Another nice thing is that you can create profiles for Google Chrome.  Between my husband and I, we have about 10 Google Accounts - some are work, some are personal.  We have Chrome set up so we can simply change profiles with a few clicks to be logged in to all those accounts - each one with its own bookmarks, extensions, settings, etc.  This can be handy if you want to access your work email or Google Drive at home or your personal email or Google Drive at work.

To add another profile on Chrome, click on the three dots menu and click "Settings".  In the top section, click "Manage other people".

A window will come up that shows all of your Chrome profiles.  At the bottom right you can click, "Add Person".

When you click "Add Person" it will open a new browser window and have you log in to your Google Account just like you did when you signed in to Chrome the first time.  You will again want to choose to "Link your data".  You can even choose an icon or picture to go with each profile.  You can name each profile as well.

To change the name or icon of your profile, you must be logged in under that profile.  Then go to the three dots menu and click "Settings".  Near the top where you see who you are signed in as, there is a little right arrow icon.  Click on that icon.

You can change the name and/or icon for your profile. 

Once you have more than one profile in Chrome, you can easily switch back and forth between them.  For a Mac, look at the bar across the top of your screen when you have Chrome open.  One of the options will say "People".  If you click on that menu, you can easily choose which profile you'd like to use.  For a PC, you should see the name of your current profile in the upper righthand corner of the browser window.  If you right click on that name, you will see the list of all your Chrome profiles and you can choose the one you'd like to switch to.  

Having different profiles makes it very easy when you need access to more than one Google Account on your computer.  Remember though - you want to always be sure you are doing this on a computer that is specifically for your use.  Doing this on a public computer could put your account and information at risk.  Creating different profiles instead of just switching between Google Accounts will help keep your information straight and you won't have any access issues because Chrome is trying to use the wrong account to access a file.

I hope you find this helpful!  Stop in again soon for more handy tech tips!