Recently I reported on my findings about the Google Chrome parameters

• –user-data-dir and
• –profile-directory

Now I had to set up a computer for somebody with two main gmail accounts and I wanted to have direct access from an icon in the windows 7 task bar to each of these two gmail accounts.

It required a bit of juggling all these Chrome parameters but I finally managed to have two gmail icons in the task bar that allowed the user to get her two gmail accounts without ever having to switch accounts. The following solution also avoided the confusion that was created by the fact that Chrome remembers the last User that was active when Chrome is closed.

The first icon has the following parameters:

%path-to-chrome%\chrome.exe 
   --user-data-dir="C:\usr\browser\chrome-0001" 
   --profile-directory="Default" 
   -app=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0

and the second is different in selecting another user within the same profile

%path-to-chrome%\chrome.exe 
   --user-data-dir="C:\usr\browser\chrome-0001" 
   --profile-directory="Profile 1" 
   -app=https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0

You know how to set the properties of a pinned icon in the windows 7 task bar, yes?

Really? You are good – it was more by accident that I ran into this and was rather relieved when I did – Right-click on the icon, and then right-click again on the name of the application (usually the second from the bottom if the application is not running, otherwise the third.) This is  how you get to the usual window for the properties of a shortcut.