How to make my gmail account default

November 30, 2015/ Joe Tierney

Using multiple Gmail accounts

Many of us using Gmail at Work have multiple Gmail accounts that we'd like to access throughout the day. Thankfully Google gives us several options when using more than one Google Account. 

Setting your default is easy!

When logging into multiple accounts in your browser, the first account you log into will become the default. To 'reset' your default simply log out of all of the accounts and then log back into the account you'd like to be the default. 

Have you tried Chrome Profiles? 

Learn how to be more productive by using Google Chrome Profiles.

With Chrome Profiles, you can have multiple accounts use Chrome on the same device, each with its own settings, bookmarks, extensions, apps, themes, etc. In this case, the most recently used Chrome Profile becomes the default. Chrome Profiles are how Umzuzu personnel keep their work Google Accounts and personal Google accounts separate. Chrome Profiles are also a great way to share a Chrome OS device or any computer with Chrome with other family members. Just make sure it's someone you trust. Anyone using Chrome on a shared device can switch to or see other Chrome profiles. By switching profiles, they can also see information such as browsing history and websites you haven’t logged out of. That’s why we recommend only sharing your device with people you trust.

It is easy to change the default Google Account for multiple Google services. It’s useful if you use multiple Google Accounts in the Chrome browser.

It is straightforward to change the default Google Account for Google Calendar, Gmail, and other Google services. It’s instrumental if you use multiple Google Accounts in the Chrome browser.

It’s also easy to switch between Google accounts in the Chrome browser. But if you use one account more frequently than others, you may want to change your default Google account to that one.

The trick to setting the default Google account in Chrome is understanding how the default account is selected in the first place. There isn’t some setting buried in your Google account that lets you select this. Instead, Google uses the initial account you used to log in as the “default” Google account.

This is how Google describes the “default account” on their support page.

In many cases, your default account is the one you signed in with first. On mobile devices, your default account can vary depending on your device’s operating system and the apps you use.

The first step to fixing this is signing out of whatever account you’re currently using in Chrome.

1. Go to Google.com and select the profile image on the upper right of the Google search page.

2. Select Sign out to sign out of that Google account.

3. Now that you aren’t logged into any Google accounts, you can sign in to your first account. This will be the default Google Account. Select Sign in at the upper right of the Google search page to do this.

4. Now, you’ll want to select or add your default Google account. If you’ve never logged into it before, you’ll need to select Use another account. Otherwise, select the account.

5. Once you log in, you’ll see the default profile image displayed for that new account.

This account is now your default Google account for all Google services you use, like Gmail or Google Calendar.

Using Multiple Google Accounts

If you wanted to, you could sign into a secondary account by selecting the profile image again and selecting that other account.

Once you sign into the second Google account, the original account you signed into remains the default. You can see this if they select the profile image again. You’ll see that you’re signed in to the second Google account, but the first account you logged into displays “Default” to the right.

This means that you’re signed in to the second Google account for the current Google app you’re using (in this case, Google Search).

But if you open a new tab and visit another Google service like Gmail or Google Calendar, you’ll see that it still uses the default Google account.

This is useful when most of the Google services you use are under one Google account, and you rarely use the other account except for a few services.

You can change Google accounts like this on Android or iOS devices as well.

Using Google Chrome to Manage Multiple Accounts

It’s far more common that people use different Google accounts for different purposes. And they need to use all of their Google services on their account.

Using Google’s “default user” approach in the previous section can become a hassle. Instead, it’s better to make use of Google Chrome’s multiple profile features.

To get started using this, open your browser and select the profile image in the menu bar at the top of the Google Chrome window.

Here, you’ll have various options;

1. You can select Sign in again to log back into the account you used when you last had Chrome open. If you close Chrome while signed in, it’ll automatically sign into that account the next time you open it.
2. Select Guest to use Google Chrome without any account at all. This is useful when you don’t want bookmarks, search history, or browser history logged with any of your Google accounts.

3. Select Add to add a new Google account to your Chrome browser. When you do this, you can assign the account a unique profile image so that you’ll recognize it.

4. If you select one of the existing accounts, it’ll open an entirely new Chrome browser window signed into that other Google account.

It’s also simple to remove any of these accounts from your Google Chrome browser as well.

Summing Up

This is the most efficient way to use multiple Google accounts. It lets you use two or more Google Chrome windows, signed into one of your Google accounts as the default in that browser window.

This means you don’t have to worry about constantly switching between accounts when using different Google services in that browser.

Chrome isn’t the only browser that allows you to sign into multiple Google accounts. Other browsers offer this feature as well.

Keep in mind that you can keep your Chrome browser activity and logs synced across all devices as well.