April 15, 2013

Manage Multiple Google Accounts

Do you have multiple Google accounts that you are trying to manage and sometimes use different browsers - like Chrome for your UCSC account and Firefox for personal Gmail account? Here are some tips to help manage all your Google accounts using the same browser.


Create another Chrome profile without linking your accounts


This is a great way to work with more than one Google account in Chrome without using Google's multiple account sign-in process. 

Chrome allows you to add another User by setting up a second profile. You can set up as many profiles in Chrome as you like and then just click on the face icon in the top right (or left) corner of Chrome to see a list of your profiles. Click on the profile (Google account) you want to use. This does not link your accounts, which is a good thing! 

Here is an article about using multiple Google accounts in Chrome by Google certified trainer, Kevin Brookhouser. Kevin also includes a video on how to set this up: http://www.iteachithink.com/2012/08/manage-multiple-google-accounts-with.html

Note: The ability to add multiple accounts to Chrome is intended to provide a quick and simple way for you to access all of your Google accounts using the Chrome browser. I don't recommend using this feature on a shared computer because it isn't intended to secure your data against other people who use your computer. 

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Link your Google Accounts using Multiple Sign-in


If you have a personal Gmail account and a UCSC Google account, you may want to more easily switch between the two accounts by setting up multiple sign-in. This allows you to access both accounts at the same time in the same web browser. However, there are a few cautions. 

Instructions: http://support.google.com/accounts/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1721977

Cautions: 

  • Multiple sign-in is not compatible with offline mail and calendar features. If you use these features, you may prefer to simply use a different browser for each account (for example, Firefox and Chrome) or create another Chrome profile as described above. 
  • Multiple sign-in only works with certain Google Apps. Because not all Apps support this feature, always pay attention to which account you are using by looking at the email address on the top right. This might get confusing!