Claude Desktop multiple windows: two accounts side by side

First, one copy per account

A copy of Claude Desktop is signed in to one account, so any extra window it shows belongs to that same account. For two accounts on screen at once, you need two copies running, each with its own data folder and sign-in.

You can start a second copy by hand with a separate data folder, as described in how to run multiple instances of Claude Desktop, or use a profile manager. Once both copies are open, arranging them is ordinary macOS window management.

Tile two windows with macOS

Recent versions of macOS offer two ways to put windows next to each other.

• Window tiling. Hover over the green button in the top-left corner of a window and choose a tiling option to place it on the left or right half of the screen. You can also drag a window toward the edge of the screen to tile it. Then place the second window in the other half.
• Split View. From the same green button menu, choose a full-screen tiling option. The window fills one side of a full-screen space, and macOS asks you to pick the window for the other side. Move the divider to resize both.

Tiling keeps the menu bar and Dock visible, which is handy if you switch between other apps. Split View gives both windows the whole screen but lives in its own space.

Group windows with Stage Manager

Stage Manager keeps the windows you are using in the middle of the screen and shows your other apps as thumbnails at the side. You can turn it on from Control Center.

To keep two accounts together, drag a thumbnail of the second Claude window onto the center stage while the first is open. Both windows then appear as a group. It works well if you keep each account in its own group with the apps you use for that work. One drawback with manually launched copies: both Claude thumbnails look identical, so you have to rely on window position or the contents to tell them apart.

One-click tiling with color outlines

Switch gives each Claude Desktop account its own profile, with a name, one of 16 colors and a colored Dock icon. Each profile opens Anthropic's own Claude Desktop app, unmodified, pointed at its own data folder, and profiles can stay signed in at the same time.

With several profiles open, one click tiles every open profile side by side, and each window is outlined in its profile's color. That solves the usual problem with side-by-side Claude windows: knowing which window belongs to which account. The color outline tells you before you start typing.

You can still use Split View or Stage Manager with profile windows if you prefer. The outline and Dock icon colors stay the same either way.

Tips for working in two accounts at once

• Use a consistent color for each kind of account, such as blue for work and green for personal. Keep work and personal accounts easy to tell apart has more ideas.
• Give each profile a keyboard shortcut so you can bring one forward without reaching for the mouse. See switching profiles with keyboard shortcuts.
• Each open copy of Claude Desktop uses memory, so close accounts you aren't using.
• Each account keeps its own plan and usage limits. Side-by-side windows are for keeping separate work apart, not for combining usage. Rotating accounts to get around limits can conflict with Anthropic's terms.

For the full setup, see setting up multiple Claude Desktop accounts with Switch.