How do I open Google Meet in the right Chrome profile automatically?
Chrome usually opens a Meet link from another app in the profile you used last, so a work call can land in your personal account. Two manual fixes work: launch Chrome from Terminal with --profile-directory set to the profile you want, or add ?authuser= and the account's email to the link so Meet picks the right Google account. For a hands-off setup, use a tool that reads each calendar event and opens the link in the right profile at start time.
Why Meet opens in the wrong Chrome profile
Every Chrome profile is its own bubble: its own signed-in Google account, cookies, saved passwords and site permissions. When you click a Meet link in a calendar, a chat app or a notification, macOS hands it to Chrome, and Chrome generally opens it in the profile you used most recently.
That is fine until you keep a work profile and a personal profile. Then you get the familiar mix-up: "You need permission to join", the wrong name and photo in the lobby, or a work call joined from a personal account.
The problem is not Meet. It is which profile receives the link.
Manual fixes that work
Pick the one that matches how often this bites you.
Launch the link in a specific profile
- In the profile you want, open chrome://version and read the Profile Path. The last folder name, such as Default or Profile 1, is the profile directory.
- In Terminal, run: open -na "Google Chrome" --args --profile-directory="Profile 1" "https://meet.google.com/your-meeting-link"
- Chrome opens the link in that profile, even if another profile is in front.
Pin the Google account in the link
Add ?authuser= and your work email to the end of the Meet link, for example ?authuser=you@company.com. Meet then uses that account if it is signed in to the profile where the link lands. It chooses the account, not the profile, so it only helps when the right account is already signed in there.
Open it from the right window
For links inside a Chrome page, such as Google Calendar on the web, the right-click menu can usually offer to open the link in another profile. You can also paste the link into a window of the correct profile.
All three share one weakness: you do them by hand, per meeting, right when you are about to be late.
Let Donna launch each Meet link in the right profile
Donna is a Mac menu-bar assistant, and Auto-Open Meetings is built for exactly this. She reads the conferencing link on each calendar event and launches it at start time in the right app and the right browser profile. You stop building Terminal commands and stop clicking the wrong Join button.
Here is how a day goes:
- Connect your calendars. Sign in with Google Calendar or drop in an iCal link. Multiple accounts and multiple calendars are welcome, so work and personal can both be there.
- Get a nudge. Five minutes before a meeting, a nudge arrives with Join and Snooze.
- Let it open. At start time the call just opens in the right profile, so you never click the link.
Auto-open is on the free plan: $0, no card, no trial clock. If you would rather join yourself, you can turn it off entirely. It covers Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, so Zoom links open too - see how to auto-open Zoom meetings on a Mac. You can download Donna for Mac and connect a calendar in a minute or two.
Limits to know before you rely on it
- Mac only. Donna needs macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Windows is coming soon, with no date.
- Two calendar types today. Google Calendar and Apple Calendar through iCal/ICS feeds. Outlook / Microsoft 365 Calendar is planned, not available.
- Three apps are auto-opened. Meet, Zoom and Teams. Webex, Slack huddles, FaceTime and Discord can be recorded on Pro, but they are not auto-opened.
- It works from the calendar event. Auto-open uses the conferencing link on an event, so a link someone pastes in chat is still yours to click.
Small habits that keep your profiles untangled
Whether you fix this by hand or let Donna do it, a few habits make the setup hold up.
- Name and color your profiles (Work, Personal) so the avatar in the corner tells you where you are before you join.
- Sign in to the matching Google account in each profile once, and keep the other account out of it.
- Grant camera and microphone to meet.google.com in each profile. Permissions are per profile, so a first join in a fresh profile can stop on a permission prompt.
- Check which account a calendar invite was sent to. That is the account Meet expects when you join.
Try Donna. Records, transcribes and summarizes your meetings on your Mac, with nothing sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
Can Chrome always open Meet links in one profile?
Not as a simple per-site rule. Links from other apps usually land in the last-used profile, which is why people launch Chrome with --profile-directory or let a tool choose the profile for them.
Does auto-opening Meet links in the right profile cost anything?
No. Auto-open is part of Donna's free plan, which is $0 with no card and no expiry. Pro adds recording, transcripts and summaries; see pricing.
Does it work for Zoom and Teams as well as Google Meet?
Yes. Donna reads the conferencing link on the calendar event and launches Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams at start time in the right app. Other call apps are not auto-opened.
Can I turn auto-open off?
Yes, auto-open can be turned off entirely. You then go back to joining your calls yourself.
Does this work on Windows?
Not yet. Donna runs on macOS 13 (Ventura) or later, and Windows is listed as coming soon with no date.