01 The problem
A browser profile is a single cookie jar, one cache, one saved-password store, and one sign-in context. When two accounts share a single profile — say an Elexon Electronics login and a separate Elexon Mining or client account — that shared state is exactly what causes the crosstalk:
- A link opens a resource under the wrong account, returning an access-denied error
- A web app silently signs you in as the wrong identity
- "Pick an account" prompts appear at random
- Emails or chat messages go out from the wrong account
A separate profile per identity gives each one its own cookie jar, cache, and credential store — so it behaves as if it's running on its own dedicated PC, even though every profile lives in the same browser install.
02 Before you start
Agree a naming and colour convention up front, so profiles stay identifiable at a glance. The colour isn't decoration — it's the fastest way to confirm you're in the right identity before you act.
| Profile name | Colour | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Elexon Electronics – [name] | Blue | Day-to-day Elexon Electronics mailbox |
| Elexon Mining – [name] | Green | Elexon Mining mailbox |
| Personal | Grey | Personal account & non-work browsing |
03 Creating a new profile
The shape is the same everywhere — find the profile control, add a profile, then name and colour it — but the control and its menu look different in each browser. Pick your browser below; the toolbar and menu shown match what you'll actually see.
- Click the profile icon (top-right, left of the ⋮ menu).
- Select Add Chrome profile.
- Choose Continue without an account. This is usually right — you'll sign in to your web apps inside the profile's browsing session, not at the browser level. (Choose Sign in only if you also want a Google Account tied to this profile.)
- Enter a name and pick an avatar/colour from your convention.
- Tick Create a desktop shortcut for one-click access later.
- Click Done — a new window opens under the new profile.
- Click the profile icon (top-right).
- Select Set up a new profile. Edge creates the profile straight away and opens it in a new window — there's no name/colour dialog at this point.
- In the new profile window, click the profile icon again, choose the relevant work or school account under Choose an account, and click Sign in to sync — or skip it for a local-only profile.
- Open Profile settings to rename the profile and set its colour so it matches your convention.
- Edge creates a dedicated taskbar/desktop icon per profile automatically.
- Click the ☰ hamburger menu (top-right).
- Point to More tools to open its submenu.
- Select Add new profile.
- In the setup dialog, enter a profile name (e.g. Elexon Mining), pick a colour accent from the grid, and change the profile icon using the pencil (✎) next to the avatar at the top.
- Tick the desktop-shortcut option if you want one.
- Click Done.
04 Signing in to your apps inside a profile
Microsoft 365 is the obvious case, but the same isolation helps with any app where two logins get confused — other cloud portals, SaaS dashboards, CRMs, or internal tools that only let you be one account at a time. Sign each identity's apps in under its own profile and they stop bleeding into each other.
- Inside the correct profile, open the apps that belong to that identity — e.g.
portal.office.comfor Microsoft 365, plus any other portals or tools tied to that account — and sign in normally. - Tick Stay signed in / Remember me where it's offered — it only persists within that profile.
- Before sending anything or making a change, glance at the account name or avatar the app shows (usually top-right) to confirm which identity you're in. Make it a standing habit, not a one-off check.
05 Edge can undo its own separation
⚠ Known issue · Edge onlyBecause Edge is a Microsoft product, it actively tries to keep you signed in with whichever identity is on the Windows / Entra ID device, via Automatic profile switching and Guided switch. On an Entra-joined machine, links to any *.sharepoint.com / *.microsoftonline.com site can keep bouncing you back to your primary Windows-linked identity — even from inside a profile you deliberately signed into a different tenant with. This is widely reported by anyone working across more than one tenant, and it defeats the exact separation this article sets out to build.
Turn the switching off (per secondary profile)
In each secondary profile, go to Settings → Profiles → Profile preferences and set:
- Turn off Automatic profile switching / Guided switch
- Turn off Automatically sign in to sites with your current work or school account
- Add the Microsoft sign-in domains you use —
office.com,microsoftonline.com,sharepoint.com,azure.com— under Profile preferences for sites and set them to Don't switch
If the device is Entra-joined and IT policy has NonRemovableProfileEnabled turned on, your primary work-linked profile can't be removed or signed out — that's expected behaviour, not a fault in your setup.
06 Switching between profiles
- Shortcut: double-click the profile's desktop icon, or right-click it → Pin to taskbar for one-click access.
- In-browser: click the profile icon → pick the profile. This opens a new window; any other profile's window stays open and untouched.