A shared Chromebook doesn’t have to mean shared bookmarks, files, and browser history. ChromeOS supports separate signed-in profiles per person, each with its own storage, apps, and settings. Here’s how to set them up and manage them.
Why Use Separate Profiles Instead of One Shared Account?
- Each person keeps their own Chrome bookmarks, history, saved passwords, and extensions
- Google Drive files stay separated by account instead of mixing in one Drive
- Downloaded files and app data don’t clutter someone else’s Downloads folder
- You can apply Family Link restrictions to a child’s profile without affecting adult profiles on the same device
Step 1: Add a New Person
- From the sign-in screen, click Add Person in the bottom area of the screen.
- If this option is missing, an administrator (school or work device) may have disabled it, or Guest Browsing/adding users may be restricted under Settings > People > Manage other people.
- Sign in with the new person’s Google account and password.
- ChromeOS creates a fully separate profile automatically — no extra setup needed.
Step 2: Switch Between Profiles
- Click the account avatar in the bottom-right corner of the shelf.
- Select “Sign in another user” to go back to the sign-in screen without closing the current session, or pick an already-signed-in account to switch instantly.
- Each profile keeps its apps and browser tabs open in the background when you switch, so switching back resumes exactly where you left off.
Step 3: Manage Existing Profiles
- Go to Settings > People to see all profiles that have signed in on this device.
- Click Manage other people to restrict who can add new accounts, or to disable Guest Browsing entirely for a shared family device.
- To remove a profile and its local data, go to the sign-in screen, hover over the account, and click the down-arrow/remove icon that appears.
⚠ This erases local data — removing a profile deletes locally cached files, offline documents, and downloaded content stored under that account on this specific device. Files saved to Google Drive remain safe in the cloud.
Still Not Working?
If “Add Person” is missing entirely, the Chromebook is likely enrolled in a school or business management console that disables multi-user sign-in by policy — this isn’t something you can override locally. If switching profiles causes a full restart every time instead of a quick switch, try clearing space first; ChromeOS needs some free local storage to keep multiple profiles cached simultaneously. See our guide on speeding up a slow Chromebook if performance suffers with several profiles active.
FAQ
Is there a limit to how many profiles I can add?
There’s no hard cap from Google, but local storage limits how many profiles can stay cached at once — very low-storage Chromebooks (32GB models) may prompt you to remove old profiles after several accumulate.
Do all profiles share the same Wi-Fi and printer settings?
Network and printer configurations are typically shared at the device level, while browser data, files, and app installs stay separate per profile.
Can I set a supervised profile alongside adult profiles?
Yes — add the child’s supervised account the same way as any other profile. See our Family Link setup guide to configure the restrictions after adding it.
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