How to use multiple switches with app shortcuts on Windows 10
Switches are command line arguments that you can send to apps. If you don’t want to use the command line, you can append the switch to an app’s desktop shortcut, provided the app supports this. Normally, any app that you can use switches with in the Command Line will allow you to add them to its shortcut. If you need to use multiple switches with app shortcuts, you can.
Multiple switches with app shortcuts
Switches are basically commands that are sent to an app to execute. Normally, when you execute a switch on its own, it will work if the app supports it. If you’re trying to run multiple switches though, it will matter whether or not the two can run together.
In order to use multiple switches with app shortcuts, all you have to do is add one after the other after adding one space between the two.
If you want to try this out, you can do so with Chrome. The two switches you can use together are;
--profile-directory="Guest Profile" --force-dark-mode
The first switch will prompt Chrome to ask you which profile you want run Chrome with. The second will force Chrome to use the dark mode.
To use multiple switches, you need to enter:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --profile-directory="Guest Profile" --force-dark-mode
Apply a switch
If you’ve never applied a switch, we’ll walk you through it. Find the app that you want to use switches with. Create a desktop shortcut for it. Go to your desktop, right-click the shortcut and select Properties in the context menu.
Go to the Shortcut tab, and in the Target field, enter the two switches at the end. The path to the EXE file will already be entered in the Target field.
After you apply a switch, make sure you close all instances of the app that are open and then use the shortcut to launch the app. If the switches don’t work, it may be because they’re not in the right order. Check if the switches work individually, and then try changing the order you apply them.
Some switches won’t work with each other. Again, going with Chrome’s example, there’s a switch that lets you open Chrome in Incognito mode and it cannot be used with the –profile-directory=”Guest Profile” switch because Incognito mode does not work with specific Chrome profiles. This means that while a switch works individually, it may not necessarily work with other switches. It will take a little experimenting to figure out what does and doesn’t work.
