How to stop Chrome from losing tabs on virtual desktops (without switching Google accounts)

Until very recently, I had never needed to use Windows Virtual Desktops. Different browser profiles depending on the project or client had always been enough for me.

The tools were almost always the same because my digital consulting work was fairly similar from one project to the next: lots of browser use, some AI, Notion, Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Premiere, and Telegram or Slack. That covered almost everything.

However, lately I have been working on two projects that are very different from each other and from what I was used to:

1. On the one hand, this digital magazine you are reading.
2. On the other hand, I decided to develop a video game that I had had in mind for months.

Both cases require tools that are new to me and completely different for each project, so I decided to try virtual desktops. I set up two, one for each project.

Everything was going quite well except for one thing: both projects use the same accounts for certain tools (email, ChatGPT, Claude and NordVPN), all linked to the same Gmail account.

This means that, when loading the same Gmail profile on both desktops, even though I had enabled the option “Continue where you left off” in Google Chrome in both cases, when I closed the tabs on the second desktop and restarted the browser, those tabs disappeared completely. 

That annoyed me quite a bit because I always have lots of tabs open at once.

While investigating, I discovered that this happens because Chrome merges your account's session history. If you leave a window open on Desktop 1, it considers the browser still active and "forgets" what you had on Desktop 2.

The good news? There is a definitive trick to fix it using the same Google account you always use. Here is the step-by-step process.

The solution: create separate profiles with the same Google account

Many people, myself included, thought that to have two Chrome profiles you needed two different email addresses. That is not the case. You can clone your account so that it works like two completely independent applications, while sharing the same bookmarks and passwords.

Step 1: create the second blank profile

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click your profile picture (in the top-right corner, next to the three dots).
3. In the drop-down menu, scroll to the bottom and click Add.
4. In the window that appears, select Continue without an account (this step is essential).
5. Enter the name of your second project (for example: Work B or Project 2) and click Done.

Step 2: link your usual account

A completely clean Chrome window will open with a new shortcut on your Windows desktop.

1. Inside this new window, click the grey profile icon in the top-right corner.
2. Select Sign in.
3. Enter the same email address and password that you use for your main profile.
4. When Chrome asks whether you want to enable sync, click Yes, I'm in.

Step 3: organise your virtual desktops

You now have two Chrome shortcuts on your computer.

• Open your original Chrome profile on Virtual Desktop 1.
• Open the new Chrome shortcut on Virtual Desktop 2.

From now on, each profile will manage its own memory. You will be able to close, open and restart the computer on either desktop with complete confidence that Chrome will remember the tabs for each project separately.

Conclusion

Yes, I know this is a very niche use case and many of you may not get much out of it, but it has been a lifesaver for me.

I already explained why I think compartmentalising devices and browser profiles is a very good idea. And this expands it even further.

If you always do the same thing on your PC, it probably makes little sense. But if you have very different projects running at the same time, combining Windows (or Linux) virtual desktops with two different browser profiles linked to the same Google account will make things easier.

More clarity, only what you need open in each case, faster execution. In short, more real productivity.

Make the most of it.