[FEATURE] Add the ability to manage multiple Claude accounts within the Claude Desktop app with easy switching between profiles. #18435

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Claude Desktop currently requires users to sign out and sign back in to switch between different Claude accounts. This creates significant friction for users who maintain separate accounts for work and personal use, or manage multiple organizational accounts.

The current workflow requires me to manually sign out, re-enter credentials, and lose my current context every time I need to switch accounts. This interrupts my workflow multiple times per day and makes the desktop app less efficient than using multiple browser profiles.

Proposed Solution

Add native multi-account profile switching to Claude Desktop, similar to how Slack handles workspace switching or how Chrome manages multiple user profiles.

The interface should show a profile switcher (e.g., dropdown menu in the top-right corner or keyboard shortcut like Cmd+Shift+]) that allows quick switching between accounts without signing out.

There should be a command or setting that allows users to add multiple accounts, with each account maintaining:

• Separate conversation history
• Individual settings and preferences
• Distinct MCP server configurations (if applicable)
• Visual indicator showing which account is currently active

Alternative Solutions

I've tried using multiple macOS user profiles, but switching between entire user accounts is too heavyweight and interrupts my entire workflow.

Currently I work around this by using Claude Desktop for my work account and claude.ai in a browser for my personal account, but this creates an inconsistent experience and defeats the purpose of having a native desktop app.

Other tools like Slack, Discord, and VS Code solve this by allowing multiple workspaces/accounts within a single application instance.

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

Example scenario:

1. I'm working on a client project using my work Claude account
2. I need to quickly ask Claude a personal question (like help with a home automation script)
3. With this feature, I could press Cmd+Shift+] or click a profile switcher to switch to my personal account
4. After getting my answer, I switch back to my work account and continue with the client project
5. This would save me time because I wouldn't need to sign out, lose context, re-authenticate, and lose my conversation history every time I switch contexts

Another scenario:

• Consultant working with multiple clients who each have separate Claude team accounts
• Need to keep client work completely separate for confidentiality
• Quick account switching would allow seamless transitions between client projects

Additional Context

Similar features in other tools:

• Slack: Cmd+K workspace switcher
• Chrome: Profile management with visual indicators
• VS Code: Profile switching feature
• Discord: Account switcher in bottom-left

Technical considerations:

• Local profile storage and session management per account
• Token/authentication persistence across switches
• UI component for account switcher
• Settings isolation per profile