---
title: Can Agent Browser use a window in my normal Chrome?
question: choose agent browser mode
area: browser
order: 11
surface: desktop
audience: beginner
visibility: public
keywords: [agent browser, main chrome, normal chrome, browser mode, separate profile, shared cookies, extension, developer mode, two installations]
related: [how-do-i-set-up-the-agent-browser, when-does-codus-use-the-agent-browser, links-open-in-agent-chrome]
updated: 2026-09-14
---

# Can Agent Browser use a window in my normal Chrome?

Yes. In Codus **0.2.183 or later**, open **Settings → Agent browser** and choose **Window in your Chrome**. It opens a dedicated agent window sharing the logins and cookies of the profile where you install its extension. Older versions use the separate Agent Browser.

In the updated **Settings → Agent browser**, choose one of two modes:

- **Separate browser** keeps a separate Chrome profile, cookies and logins. This remains the default for existing installations. On macOS it can show a second Chrome icon; external links may open there after normal Chrome is quit.
- **Window in your Chrome** opens a dedicated agent window in the Chrome profile where you install its extension. It shares that profile's logins and cookies. Codus uses the original Chrome application, without changing or re-signing its bundle.

The extension lets agents control only tabs they create. Existing personal tabs do not become agent tabs if dragged into the agent window. Moving an agent tab out of its window releases it from agent control. Closing agent tabs does not quit normal Chrome or close unrelated tabs.

## Does the extension need installing twice?

Only if you use both modes. Each mode has its own extension folder and connection. Enable **Developer mode** and **Load unpacked** once in each Chrome profile you intend to use. Settings shows the appropriate folder and a **Copy folder path** button. Load the normal-Chrome extension in just the normal profile whose logins you intend to share.

Switching modes does not require reinstalling each time. After a Codus extension update, Chrome may require **Reload** on the extension card at `chrome://extensions`; Settings identifies that state. Older extensions must be reloaded for the new tab ownership controls. Finish browser work first: an extension reload leaves existing tabs open but releases them from agent control, so subsequent work starts in new agent tabs.

## What happens to work already running?

The preference applies to new agent browser sessions. Existing tabs remain in their original browser until closed. Research campaigns assigned isolated profiles continue using their own browsers.

This choice concerns real Chrome only. It does not change the built-in Codus browser, your macOS default-browser setting, or guarantee that a site will accept browser automation.

## How do I know it worked?

The chosen mode stays selected after you reopen Settings. Complete its extension setup, then check for **Your Chrome connected** or **Separate browser connected**. Click **Open agent window** to bring its window forward. If Chrome asks which profile to open, choose the one where you installed this mode's extension.