Using Browser Profiles at TAMU

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Instructions
  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Safari (Mac)
  • Firefox

Overview

Browser profiles allow you to customize and separate different browsing environments, facilitating personalized settings, bookmarks, and extensions for distinct tasks or identities within a single browser. At Texas A&M University, creating browser profiles enhances productivity and organization for students and staff by enabling you to efficiently manage academic and personal tasks, including your NetID, Secondary NetID, Ag account, and your personal Google account.

Instructions

Google Chrome

Add a New Profile

1. Open Chrome on your computer.
2. Click the Profile icon at the top right.
3. Select Add a New Chrome Profile.
4. Sign in to sync your data and connect to your Texas A&M account.

Note: If you sync to your Google Account, your profile name automatically becomes your account name.

5. Choose a name, photo, and color scheme.

Switching to Another Profile

1. Open Chrome on your computer.
2. Click the Profile icon at the top right.
3. Choose the profile you want to switch to.

For official documentation on profiles, see Manage Chrome with Multiple Profiles.

Microsoft Edge

Add a New Profile

1. Open Microsoft Edge on your computer.
2. Click the profile icon at the top right. A drop-down menu opens.
3. Select Manage profile settings. At the top of the drop-down menu, click the gear icon to open the profile settings tab.
4. Select Add profile.
5. Click Add. A new tab opens with the option to sync your data or create a new profile without your data.
6. Sign in to sync your data and connect to your Texas A&M account.
7. Click Continue.
8. Toggle Sign in synchronization to Yes.
9. Click Confirm.

Switching to Another Profile

1. Open Microsoft Edge on your computer.
2. Click the profile icon at the top right.
3. Choose the profile you want to switch to.

For official documentation on profiles, see Managing Profiles on Microsoft Edge.

Safari (Mac)

Add a New Profile

1. From the menu bar in Safari, select Safari. (Requires Safari 17 or later.)
2. Click Start Using Profiles. Set up your Texas A&M profile by configuring the following:
   • Name: The name appears in the new Safari toolbar button for this profile.
   • Symbol: The symbol appears in the Safari toolbar button for this profile and in the default background of the profile's start page.
   • Color: The color appears in the Safari toolbar button for this profile and in the default background of the profile's start page.
   • Favorites: If you select Create new bookmarks folder, a new folder with the same name as your profile is created. Bookmarks saved to the favorites folder appear in the Favorites bar for this profile.

3. Click Create Profile. By default, Safari opens new windows and tabs to your start page.

Switching to Another Profile

After you create a profile, the Safari toolbar shows a button with the name, symbol, and color of the currently used profile or Tab Group. Click the button to open a menu, then choose one of the following:

• New [Profile] Window: Opens a new window in that profile. You can also open a new profile window from the menu bar by selecting File > New [Profile] Window.
• Switch to [Profile] Window: Switches to another profile without opening a new window.

Note: To keep your browsing history separate, the switch option is available only from a window that shows your start page or an empty page, before you visit another page.

For official documentation on profiles, see Using Profiles in Safari on Mac.

Firefox

Add a New Profile

1. Open Firefox to a new tab and type about:profiles in the address bar. The profile manager displays all available profiles.

2. Click Create a New Profile at the top of the page to open the profile wizard.
3. Click Next to name the profile. Make note of the profile name exactly as you type it, including capitalization.

4. Click Finish.
5. To set this as your default profile, click Set as Default underneath the profile name.

Note: The default profile launches automatically when you open Firefox if you do not specify which profile to use. If you want this to be your default profile, make sure Set as Default is selected.

Switching to Another Profile

Windows Only: The following procedure applies to Windows. Mac and Linux users should refer to the official Firefox documentation linked below.

1. On your desktop, right-click and create a new shortcut.
2. In the dialog, type the following command: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -new-instance -P "name of the profile"
3. Replace the selected profile with the profile you want to use. Use the exact profile name as it appears in about:profiles, including capitalization.
4. Apply the changes and verify that the browser opens to your desired profile by typing about:profiles in the address bar.

For official documentation on profiles, see Managing Profiles in Firefox.