Stop using incognito mode to sign in to your other Google accounts

Google marks a default account in every browser on your desktop computer, just like Google also sets one of your default accounts on Android. This practice makes it easier for users to sync data such as settings, bookmarks, etc. on Chrome on different computers, but it also dictates which account is loaded by default when using Google services. If you find that you constantly have to switch to your secondary account after opening a Google website, you can change the default.

What is my default Google account?

The Google ID you use to sign in to a browser for the first time is set as the default account. The desktop browser will use this Google account on all corporate web services such as Drive, Calendar, Gmail, etc. It’s the one that will appear at the top of the account selector menu in the upper right corner of every Google website. If you don’t want to keep manually switching to your secondary but more commonly used account, it’s time to change the default.

Default Google account on desktop: Google Chrome vs. other browsers

Your default Google Account performs much better on Google Chrome than on Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox, and other desktop browsers. Chrome will sync bookmarks, history, passwords, payment and address information to your default Google Account.

Other desktop browsers will use the default account to determine which account to use by default when visiting a Google service on the web. Your browsing data remains separate from your Google account.

Change the default Google account on the web

You can’t just select another Google account as the default and get the job done. First you need to sign out of all accounts and sign back in with your preferred Google ID.

Here’s how to change the default for good:

1. Access any Google service on the web. In the screenshots below, we are using Google Drive as an example.

2. Click on the circular profile icon in the upper right corner. If you haven’t set a profile picture for your Google account, you’ll see your initials Instead.

3. From the drop-down menu, select Log out of all accounts.

4. You are now signed out of all added Google accounts.

5. You can either select one of the disconnected accounts or use a new Google Account when you reconnect. Remember that the first Google account you use here will be set by default.

6. Once you have selected a Google ID from the list or added a new Google account, the next screen will ask you to enter the account password.

7. If you have set up 2FA (two-factor authentication) for your Google account, the company will ask for additional verification.

8. Complete the authentication process.

9. Enjoy a new default Google account on the web.

From now on, you’ll see the new default account in action every time you visit a Google service through a browser.

Any changes you make only apply to your Chrome browser. If you try to use another browser on the desktop, it will continue to use the first Google ID you used during the default setup. You need to repeat the same steps if you want to change the default Google account on another browser.

Now that your default Google account is sorted on Chrome, take a few minutes to set up Google Messages on your browser, so you can text without picking up your phone.

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