How to Add Your Chrome Profile Shortcut to Windows 10 Desktop (2020 edition)

Google at one stage removed the ability to add your Chrome profile shortcut to your desktop in Windows 10.

Well, it’s back! (At the time of this article my installation of Chrome was at version 81.0.4044.129.)

Follow these five steps to add your Chrome profile to your desktop…

TL;DR

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click top right menu.
3. Click “Settings” near the bottom of the dropdown.
4. Click on “Chrome name and picture”.
5. Toggle the switch at the right hand side of the box, in line with the text, “Show desktop shortcut”.

Step-by-step

Follow these steps to get your Chrome profile pic on your desktop…

Open Chrome

This part shows a Chrome installation on my desktop which I’m not signed into.

Click the top right menu

You might get the same orange exclamation mark I have or you might get the 3-dot menu.

The orange exclamation is simply telling me: “New extension added (Application Launcher for Drive (by Google))”.

But the steps are the same, whether you get the exclamation or 3-dot menu.

Click settings

Near the bottom of the dropdown that pops open there’s a menu item called “Settings” which you must click.

Clicking it opens a new tab with Chrome’s settings.

Click on Chrome name and picture

Near the top you’ll clearly see a tab with the text, “Chrome name and picture”. Click it.

If you’re signed into your Google profile the page looks slightly different, but it’s the same step.

Activate desktop shortcut

Just under the box where your name is filled in you’ll see text reading, “Show desktop shortcut”.

To the right, in line with it, there’s a switch you must toggle.

Check your desktop

If you check your desktop your Chrome profile shortcut should be sitting there, quietly and patiently waiting for a click or two.