A simple Bash script to back up, manage, and switch between multiple Signal Desktop accounts installed via Flatpak on Linux (Fedora, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc.). Use different profiles/accounts without needing to re-link or reconfigure each time.
- Switch between multiple Signal Desktop Flatpak profiles (e.g., work/personal accounts).
- Fully isolated Signal accounts with their own data directories.
- Safe backup of Signal Desktop user data before switching.
- Custom profile descriptions (
Signal1,Signal2, etc.). - Automatic check to ensure Signal Desktop is closed before switching (prevents corruption).
- Keeps backups in
~/.signal-flatpak-backups/. - Tracks last used profile to show current active account.
- Signal Desktop installed via Flatpak.
- Linux system (Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch, etc.).
bash,rsync, andpgrepinstalled (most distros have them by default).- You must close Signal Desktop before switching profiles.
This script works with all versions of Signal Desktop installed via Flatpak, by backing up and replacing the user data directory at:(~/.var/app/org.signal.Signal). It does not rely on internal file formats, so it remains compatible across updates, though it is still recommended to load each profile after updating Signal Desktop.
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Download the latest script release from the Releases page.
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Open a terminal and navigate to the folder containing the downloaded script:
cd /PATH/TO/DOWNLOADED/SCRIPT -
Make the script executable (only needs to be done once):
chmod +x COLVDV_Signal-Desktop_Flatpak-Profile-Switcher.sh
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Ensure Signal Desktop is not running (the script will also check for this).
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Run the script:
./COLVDV_Signal-Desktop_Flatpak-Profile-Switcher.sh
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Follow the interactive prompts to back up or switch between profiles.