Make Google chrome with specific user profile as default browser

"Add a key of type REG_SZ (string) called UserDataDir under

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome

with the value of the user-data-dir that you'd like to use. The can be done with a single command line from the Command Prompt, as follows:

reg add ""HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome"" /v UserDataDir /t REG_SZ /d ""C:\Users\User1\chrome-profile"" /f

The profile specified will be used as the default when Chrome is launched. This is confirmed to work in the current version of Chrome as of this writing -- version 70. The UserDataDir key was introduced to Chrome in version 11.

This way you don't have to use any command line arguments to chrome.exe and so you don't need to change the shell handlers for the various file types that chrome opens."

"Windows Solution

If you are using --user-data-dir for your shortcuts already, then this is what you're looking for.

This will make http:// and links in other applications (eg. Skype) open in Chrome with the profile specified.

Open Regedit (Run / WIN + R, type regedit, press enter)
Locate the following keys:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\http\shell\open\command
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\https\shell\open\command

Edit the (Default) values of these keys to this:

""YOUR_CHROME_PATH_HERE"" --user-data-dir=""YOUR_USER_DATA_PATH_HERE"" -- ""%1""

Replace YOUR_CHROME_PATH_HERE with your Chrome.exe path, eg.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe

Replace YOUR_USER_DATA_PATH_HERE with your Chrome User Data Folder, eg.

P:\Libraries\Chrome Profile

The default Chrome User Data Folder is located in

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data

Note: Can't use %variable% in Regedit."

"The way I get around this is

If you want to open a particular profile rather than Chrome picking up the last open profile:

Follow the steps mentioned here to create a custom icon for your profile : superuser.com/a/723145/84229
Open whichever profile you want with the corresponding icon.

If you are concerned about which profile is picked up by an external program

Swap the names of Default & Profile 1 directories here %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data
i.e. rename Default to DefaultTmp, rename Profile 1 to Default, rename DefaultTmp to Profile 1"

"For multiuser systems with roaming profiles (ie. Terminal Server)

use:

reg add ""HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome"" /v UserDataDir /t REG_SZ /d ${roaming_app_data}\Chrome /f

environment variable %appdata% wont work via registry.
So use ${roaming_app_data} instead."