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Multiple Instances (Profiles)

Run separate isolated instances of Teams for Linux — perfect for work and personal accounts. Each profile maintains its own icon, session data, and window behavior.

Quick Start Examples​

Work Profile​

./teams-for-linux \
  --appIcon=/path/to/work-icon.png \
  --class=teams-work \
  --user-data-dir=/home/user/.config/teams-profile-work

Personal Profile​

./teams-for-linux \
  --appIcon=/path/to/personal-icon.png \
  --class=teams-personal \
  --user-data-dir=/home/user/.config/teams-profile-personal
tip

Replace the user-data-dir with the full path where you want to store the profile data.

Command Line Options​

--appIcon​

Set a custom tray and window icon for each profile:

--appIcon=/path/to/icon.png

This changes the visual icon used in the title bar and system tray/dock, making it easy to distinguish between different profiles.

--class​

Set the internal application name used by Electron:

--class=teams-work

This affects:

  • Window manager identification
  • Task switcher appearance
  • Application grouping in dock/taskbar
  • System-level application recognition

--user-data-dir​

Specify a custom directory for storing profile data:

--user-data-dir=/home/user/.config/teams-profile-work

Each profile stores separately:

  • Login sessions and authentication tokens
  • Configuration settings
  • Cache data
  • Custom backgrounds
  • Notification preferences

Configuration Per Profile​

Each profile can have its own config.json file in its respective user data directory:

/home/user/.config/teams-profile-work/config.json
/home/user/.config/teams-profile-personal/config.json

Example Work Profile Config​

{
  "appTitle": "Teams - Work",
  "appIconType": "dark",
  "disableNotificationSound": false,
  "customCSSName": "compactDark",
  "closeAppOnCross": false
}

Example Personal Profile Config​

{
  "appTitle": "Teams - Personal",
  "appIconType": "light",
  "disableNotificationSound": true,
  "customCSSName": "compactLight",
  "closeAppOnCross": true
}

Desktop Integration​

Creating Desktop Shortcuts​

Work Profile Desktop Entry​

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Teams for Linux (Work)
Comment=Microsoft Teams for Linux - Work Profile
Exec=/path/to/teams-for-linux --class=teams-work --user-data-dir=%h/.config/teams-profile-work --appIcon=%h/.local/share/icons/teams-work.png
Icon=teams-work
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
StartupWMClass=teams-work

Personal Profile Desktop Entry​

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Teams for Linux (Personal)
Comment=Microsoft Teams for Linux - Personal Profile
Exec=/path/to/teams-for-linux --class=teams-personal --user-data-dir=%h/.config/teams-profile-personal --appIcon=%h/.local/share/icons/teams-personal.png
Icon=teams-personal
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
StartupWMClass=teams-personal

Shell Scripts for Easy Launch​

teams-work.sh​

#!/bin/bash
/path/to/teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-work \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-profile-work" \
  --appIcon="$HOME/.local/share/icons/teams-work.png" \
  "$@"

teams-personal.sh​

#!/bin/bash
/path/to/teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-personal \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-profile-personal" \
  --appIcon="$HOME/.local/share/icons/teams-personal.png" \
  "$@"

Advanced Use Cases​

Organization-Specific Profiles​

For users managing multiple organizations:

# Organization A
./teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-org-a \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-org-a" \
  --appTitle="Teams - Org A"

# Organization B  
./teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-org-b \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-org-b" \
  --appTitle="Teams - Org B"

Development vs Production​

For developers working with different Teams environments:

# Production environment
./teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-prod \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-production" \
  --url="https://teams.microsoft.com"

# Development/Test environment
./teams-for-linux \
  --class=teams-dev \
  --user-data-dir="$HOME/.config/teams-development" \
  --url="https://teams-dev.company.com"

Best Practices​

Directory Organization​

$HOME/.config/
├── teams-profile-work/
│   ├── config.json
│   ├── Cache/
│   └── Partitions/
├── teams-profile-personal/
│   ├── config.json
│   ├── Cache/
│   └── Partitions/
└── teams-for-linux/           # Default profile
    ├── config.json
    └── ...

Icon Management​

  • Use distinct icons for each profile (different colors, badges, etc.)
  • Store icons in $HOME/.local/share/icons/ for persistence
  • Use SVG format when possible for better scaling
  • Consider using the same base icon with different overlays

Naming Conventions​

  • Use descriptive class names: teams-work, teams-personal, teams-client-name
  • Include purpose in directory names: teams-profile-work, teams-profile-personal
  • Use consistent naming across desktop files, scripts, and directories

Troubleshooting​

Profiles Not Isolated​

  • Check user-data-dir: Ensure each profile uses a different directory
  • Verify class names: Different --class values help window managers distinguish instances
  • Clear conflicting cache: Remove cache if profiles seem to share data

Icons Not Showing​

  • Check file paths: Ensure icon files exist and are readable
  • Restart window manager: Some changes require restarting the desktop environment
  • Icon cache: Clear icon cache with gtk-update-icon-cache if needed

Configuration Not Applied​

  • Verify config location: Ensure config.json is in the correct profile directory
  • JSON syntax: Validate JSON syntax using jq or online validators
  • File permissions: Ensure config files are readable by the application