SuperdockHow do I make Chrome profiles on a Mac work like they do on Windows?
Short answer. On Windows, Chrome registers each profile as its own taskbar entry, so a pinned Chrome becomes the first profile you open and further profiles appear beside it. macOS has no equivalent, so the Dock shows one Chrome. Superdock follows the Windows model: the pinned Chrome slot becomes the first profile opened, other profiles appear next to it, and each can be pinned, unpinned and dragged.
What Windows does that macOS does not
Windows lets an application tag each window with an AppUserModelID. Chrome uses one per profile, so the taskbar groups windows by profile, shows the profile avatar on the icon, and lets you pin a profile as a first-class shortcut. The macOS Dock has no such hook: it groups by process, so Chrome has no way to register a profile with the Dock.
What you can do without installing anything
Chrome's profile button, at the top right of every window, switches profiles and shows which one a window belongs to. Right-clicking the Chrome icon in the Dock lists every open window by title. Neither gives a profile its own icon, and the Dock's list mixes all profiles together.
The taskbar rule in a Mac Dock
- Pinned Chrome becomes the first profile you open. Its avatar appears on the tile and a dot marks it running.
- Further profiles appear as their own running tiles beside it, each with its own avatar, right-click window list and hover previews.
- Pin any profile and it becomes a permanent shortcut that opens that profile directly.
- Drag to reorder, drag off the dock to unpin, exactly as on Windows.
Why not just run several copies of Chrome?
That is what most workarounds on the Mac do. Each copy is a separate browser with its own login, extensions, passwords and memory. Windows never asked you to do that, and Superdock does not either. Chrome stays one app; only the Dock changes.
What it costs
Superdock is a different Dock from Apple's and needs the Accessibility permission. It splits profiles for Google Chrome only. The separate profile icons are $7.99 once after 14 days, and the dock itself is free.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alt-Tab work like Windows too?
Superdock includes a window switcher that lists every window with a thumbnail, most recent first, on Option-Tab or Command-Tab. Chrome windows are labelled by profile.
Can I have the Dock on both monitors, like the Windows taskbar?
Yes. Choose All displays in Settings and each screen gets its own dock; optionally each dock shows only the apps with windows on that screen.
Does it look like the Windows taskbar?
No. It looks exactly like Apple's Dock, measured pixel for pixel against the real one. Only the behaviour is borrowed.
Download free The dock is free. Chrome profile icons: 14 days free, then $7.99 once. macOS 14 or later.
Sources
- Manage Chrome with multiple profiles, Google Chrome Help
- Use the Dock on Mac, Apple Support
Continue reading
Independent macOS developer and the author of Superdock. I switched to a Mac from Windows, lost the per profile taskbar buttons I relied on, and built the dock I wanted instead. I write these guides from daily use of the apps in them, and I answer the support email myself.