How to Run Multiple Claude Accounts at the Same Time

If you have more than one Claude account — work and personal, one per client, or a couple of Max plans to power through Claude Code — the desktop app only lets you be signed into one at a time. Here's how to run them all at once, each in its own window, each staying logged in. The free way and the one-click way.

Why the Claude app only allows one account

The Claude desktop app keeps its login in a single profile folder on your computer. One profile means one signed-in account, and there's no built-in "switch account" button — so natively your only option is to fully log out and log back in every time. Do that a dozen times a day and it's maddening. The fix is to give each account its own isolated profile and window so they can all run at once without conflicting.

The free way on Mac

The Claude app is an Electron app, so you can launch a second, fully separate instance by pointing it at a different data directory. Open Terminal and run:

open -n -a "Claude" --args \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/Library/Application Support/ClaudeAccounts/work"

Use a different folder name for each account (work, personal, client-a). If you also use Claude Code, point its config at the same isolated folder so sessions and auth don't bleed between accounts:

export CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/Library/Application Support/ClaudeAccounts/work/.claude"

Each command opens a new window logged into that account, and the login sticks. Repeat for each account and you've got them side by side.

The free way on Windows

Same idea on Windows. Make a copy of the Claude shortcut for each account and add a --user-data-dir flag pointing to a separate folder. Edit the shortcut's Target to look like:

"C:\Users\You\AppData\Local\AnthropicClaude\claude.exe" ^
  --user-data-dir="C:\Users\You\AppData\Local\ClaudeAccounts\work"

Name each shortcut after the account ("Claude — Work", "Claude — Personal"). Double-click each to open that account in its own window, all logged in at the same time.

The one-click way (no Terminal)

If editing Terminal commands and shortcuts isn't your idea of fun — or you want it to just work after every Claude update — Claude Accounts does all of the above for you. It's a tiny $14 one-time launcher that:

1. Lets you add each account by name ("Work", "Personal", "Client A").
2. Opens each one in its own isolated, persistent window — no Terminal, one click.
3. Detects an already-running account and focuses it instead of duplicating it (so you never corrupt a profile).
4. Keeps every account signed in, and never touches your normal Claude data.

It's Mac and Windows in one purchase, the full source is included in the download, and there's a 7-day refund. It's an independent tool — you're just organizing the accounts you already pay for.

Common setups

Pick the guide that matches what you're doing:

• Run two Claude accounts at the same time — the basic side-by-side setup.
• Keep work and personal Claude separate — no more mixing client chats with personal ones.
• Manage multiple Claude accounts for clients — a clean window per client.

A popular reason lately: running two Claude Max accounts so when you hit the 5-hour usage limit on one, you switch to the other window and keep working — handy for parallel Claude Code agents.

Is running multiple Claude accounts allowed?

Yes — running your own multiple accounts, each in its own window, doesn't create accounts, share a login, or change any usage limits. It's the same separate-profile launch browsers use for multiple Google profiles. What Anthropic's terms prohibit is sharing or reselling a single account between people — which this does not do. You're just organizing accounts you already pay for.

Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, PBC. Claude Accounts is an independent utility by DeckSpace and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.