Manage multiple Google accounts at IU

On this page:


Switch between accounts

In order to accomplish different tasks, students, faculty, and staff who have multiple Google accounts (such as Google at IU accounts, personal (free) non-IU Google accounts, or other business or school accounts) will likely need to switch between these accounts.

Important:

Always use your Google at IU account for Indiana University coursework and other university business. Personal (free) non-IU Google accounts are not approved for institutional data. When working in Google apps, you can check the upper right to see which account you're logged into.

By default, unless you sign out, Google keeps you logged in, even if you close your browser; thus you could be logged into your personal account, even if you started from google.iu.edu. Consider adding a profile picture for each of your accounts to help differentiate between them.

  • In the browser: You can sign into multiple accounts in your browser and switch between them as needed. For instructions, see the "Add your Google Accounts", "Switch between accounts", and "Ways to tell your accounts apart" sections of Google Help's Sign in to multiple accounts at once.
    Note:
    Some accounts may have access to apps that other accounts don't. If you are denied access to an app that you've used previously, you may need to switch accounts. Alternatively, you may find it simpler to use different web browsers for each account (for example, Chrome for Account A and Firefox for Account B).
  • In mobile apps: Different mobile apps require different methods for switching between accounts. For instructions, see the appropriate section of Switch between multiple Google accounts.
  • On the desktop: If you wish to use Google at IU My Drive to sync your Google My Drive files to your computer, you'll need to choose one account to sync (multi-account syncing is not available). To switch between accounts, you will need to disconnect the currently logged in account and then log in with the account you wish to sync going forward.

Add a profile picture

To add a picture to your Google account:

  1. While logged into the desired Google account, visit https://myaccount.google.com/intro.
  2. Hover your mouse over the shield image in the middle of the page, and a camera icon should appear. Click it to open the Select profile photo menu.
  3. Select a photo from your computer, and click Set as profile photo.
Note:
If your picture appears in some places but not others, try clearing your browser's cache. If the issue persists, contact your campus Support Center.

This is document aeun in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2023-03-10 12:37:42.