Many of us have had the experience of receiving an invitation to a Google Doc, clicking the link that should take us straight to the document, and instead landing on a page that says that we need to request permission to access the document. This happens when your browser remembers you being logged into one Google account while the invitation was sent to a different Google account. Maybe you’re logged in to your personal Gmail account but trying to open a Google Doc sent to your Carleton email address. As more and more of us will now make daily use of Carleton Google accounts in addition to personal Google accounts, here are two ways to manage multiple Google accounts (also available in our FAQ).
1) “Add Account” so that your browser knows about both your accounts
- When you’re in Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, or even just the main Google search page, click on your account picture in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Click “Add Account”
- Log into your other Google account.
Now Google will know that you have two accounts, and you can switch between them by clicking on your account picture and selecting one or the other.
2) Use Two Browsers
Some people prefer to use two browsers and keep one account on one browser and the other account on the other browser. For example, you may decide to have your Carleton Google account on your Chrome browser and your personal Google account on your Firefox browser. This way you’ll always know which account you’re using at any given time.
Either Way, Try Themes
Whichever way you choose to manage your various Google Accounts, you may want to select distinctive themes for each Gmail account so that you instantly know which email account you’re looking at. If you click on the Gear icon below your profile picture in Gmail and select “Themes,” you’ll see several options, some of which make bigger changes to the interface than others. Having distinct-looking email accounts for work and personal communications could save confusion down the road.