How to run two instances of chrome browser each using separate (user + profile)

Question

on linux laptop Ubuntu 20.04 I am running two launches of chrome each with its own user with a unique profile as launched from terminal using

/opt/google/chrome/chrome    --profile-directory=beta_stens 

and other as

/opt/google/chrome/chrome  --profile-directory=work    

once launched they run OK however I need to repeatedly login to things like azure devops on every launch so something is not getting cached correctly etc... and on terminal I see these errors

[10299:10312:0126/161704.061295:ERROR:login_database.cc(641)] Password store database is too new, kCurrentVersionNumber=28, GetCompatibleVersionNumber=29
[10299:10312:0126/161704.062169:ERROR:password_store_default.cc(39)] Could not create/open login database.
[10299:10299:0126/161730.692500:ERROR:password_sync_bridge.cc(244)] Passwords datatype error was encountered: Password metadata store isn't available.
[10299:29657:0126/163403.229532:ERROR:login_database.cc(641)] Password store database is too new, kCurrentVersionNumber=28, GetCompatibleVersionNumber=29
[10299:29657:0126/163403.229643:ERROR:password_store_default.cc(39)] Could not create/open login database.
[10299:10299:0126/163407.845104:ERROR:password_sync_bridge.cc(244)] Passwords datatype error was encountered: Password metadata store isn't available.

[29965:14:0126/163415.904063:ERROR:stun_port.cc(76)] Binding error response: class=4 number=1 reason=Unauthorized

alternatively I get similar terminal errors when I launch using

/opt/google/chrome/chrome  --user-data-dir=/home/anna/chrome_play    

and /opt/google/chrome/chrome --user-data-dir=/home/anna/chrome_work

terminal errors are

[59902:59902:0126/165850.396022:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Bookmarks cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396079:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Preferences cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396100:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Passwords cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396120:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Autofill Profiles cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396150:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Autofill cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396176:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Autofill Wallet Metadata cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396208:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Themes cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396242:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Typed URLs cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396271:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Extensions cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396301:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Search Engines cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396335:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Sessions cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396363:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Apps cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396389:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] App settings cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396415:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Extension settings cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396440:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Dictionary cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396466:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Send Tab To Self cryptographer error was encountered: 
[59902:59902:0126/165850.396492:ERROR:data_type_manager_impl.cc(38)] Web Apps cryptographer error was encountered: 

Is there a better way to run multiple distinct chrome browsers on same linux laptop each with its own profile so login cache etc are retained across launches ?

dpkg -l | grep google-chrome
ii  google-chrome-stable                       88.0.4324.96-1                        amd64        The web browser from Google




anna@oaxaca ~ $ neofetch
            .-/+oossssoo+/-.               anna@oaxaca 
        `:+ssssssssssssssssss+:`           ----------- 
      -+ssssssssssssssssssyyssss+-         OS: Ubuntu 20.04.1 LTS x86_64 
    .ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso.       Host: Q524UQK 1.0 
   /ssssssssssshdmmNNmmyNMMMMhssssss/      Kernel: 5.8.0-41-generic 
  +ssssssssshmydMMMMMMMNddddyssssssss+     Uptime: 31 mins 
 /sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhmNMMMNhssssssss/    Packages: 2820 (dpkg), 13 (snap) 
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss.   Shell: bash 5.0.17 
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+   Resolution: 1920x1080 
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso   DE: GNOME 
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso   WM: Mutter 
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+   WM Theme: Adwaita 
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss.   Theme: Yaru [GTK2/3] 
 /sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhdNMMMNhssssssss/    Icons: Yaru [GTK2/3] 
  +sssssssssdmydMMMMMMMMddddyssssssss+     Terminal: gnome-terminal 
   /ssssssssssshdmNNNNmyNMMMMhssssss/      CPU: Intel i7-7500U (4) @ 3.500GHz 
    .ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso.       GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 940MX 
      -+sssssssssssssssssyyyssss+-         GPU: Intel HD Graphics 620 
        `:+ssssssssssssssssss+:`           Memory: 4913MiB / 15893MiB 
            .-/+oossssoo+/-.
                                                                   
                                                                   

UPDATE clearly both of these are wrong :

/opt/google/chrome/chrome    --profile-directory=foo

/opt/google/chrome/chrome  --user-data-dir=foo

because after launching either of above while only running a single chrome instance then logging into google then on exit and re-launch google fails to remember the credentials and forces me to re-login to google (ditto for having to relogin to other sites) ... Any suggestions ? under this single chrome launch case getting same errors as shown above ... clearly neither parms --profile-directory and -user-data-dir are working properly ... What am I missing ?

Alternatively I have also installed different versions of chrome ( https://www.google.com/chrome/beta/ and https://www.google.com/chrome/dev/ ) however this also fails to properly cache settings so for example I must re-login to google chrome sync on every launch ... There must be a better way ???

this page is no help https://www.chromium.org/developers/creating-and-using-profiles

Ultimate goal: I need ability to launch do stuff then exit browser with ability to launch again WITHOUT needing to re-login to google synch + azure devops + etc ... and I need to do that for two different users each with its own profile ... sounds simple so I am CERTAIN someone has solved this

Answer 1

I got a little creative and discovered if you login to google using one of their paid Google Workspace (formally called G-Suite) gmail accounts once you launch chrome then it all magically works

/usr/bin/google-chrome   --user-data-dir=${HOME}/chrome_work     

/usr/bin/google-chrome   --user-data-dir=${HOME}/chrome_personal

Answer 2

Currently you can find other versions of chrome near the bottom of the chrome download page (https://www.google.com/chrome/). For example, you can use the regular version + the developer version.

I personally use a custom build that you can find by searching for de-googled chrome + the developer version and they are completely separate for me. (For example I can block one with windows firewall rules and the other one will keep working. Which is not something possible using different profiles.)

Answer 3

What I do on Windows is to use Chrome and Brave. Brave is based on Chrome.

You can do the same on Ubuntu, without paying anything.