Two Zoom accounts open at once on a Mac
Keep a client's or a second employer's Zoom in a second Zoom on the same Mac: both open at once, each signed in to its own account, with its own notifications and Dock icon. Parallex is free and open source.
How
- Install Parallex (below). Your Zoom isn't changed.
- Choose New Instance and pick Zoom. Name it for what it's for, like “Zoom Work”, and give it a color.
- Open it and sign in with the other account. Both run at once, each in its own windows, each with its own Dock icon.
What you get with Zoom
- Its own copy of Zoom, with its own Dock icon, name and color, its own notifications, and its own macOS permissions.
- Its own Library and keychain, so its sign-in and settings are separate from your other Zoom.
- Guard keeps the copy out of the original's data, and the isolation check shows what the copy has opened of yours.
- Parallex refreshes the copy when your Zoom updates.
Good to know
- A copy can't use iCloud sync, push notifications or Sign in with Apple, which belong to the original's signature. Apps that don't use them aren't affected.
- Each copy asks for the camera, microphone and screen recording on its own the first time; give them to each one.
Questions
Can both be in a meeting at once?
Each copy can join its own meeting, but your Mac has one camera and microphone, so only one of them can use each at a time in practice.
Which Zoom opens a meeting link?
Links from your browser usually go to the original. To join from the copy, join with the meeting link or ID from inside it.
Get Parallex
Free and open source, for macOS 14 and later. In Terminal:
curl -fsSL https://parallex.mandip.dev/install | shOr download it from GitHub, or with Homebrew: brew tap mandipadk/parallex https://github.com/mandipadk/parallex then brew install --cask parallex. Then choose New Instance, pick Zoom, and give it a name.
Already have Parallex?
This opens New Instance with Zoom picked; you name it and choose its color.
Make a second Zoom