Profile Manager: Difference between revisions

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===Mac OS X===
===Mac OS X===


Close the application completely and [[Kill application | make sure that it is not running in the background]]. Assuming the program is installed in the "Applications" folder, launch Terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and enter the command starting with / after the prompt in Terminal:
Close the application completely and [[Kill application | make sure that it is not running in the background]]. Assuming the program is installed in the "Applications" folder, launch Terminal ("Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal") and enter the command starting with / after the prompt in Terminal:
*''(for Firefox enter this line)'' <tt>/Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager</tt>  
*''(Firefox)'' <tt>/Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager</tt>  
*''(for Mozilla Suite enter this line)'' <tt>/Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/mozilla -profilemanager</tt>
*''(Mozilla Suite)'' <tt>/Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/mozilla -profilemanager</tt>
*''(for SeaMonkey enter this line)'' <tt>/Applications/SeaMonkey.app/Contents/MacOS/seamonkey -profilemanager</tt>   
*''(SeaMonkey)'' <tt>/Applications/SeaMonkey.app/Contents/MacOS/seamonkey -profilemanager</tt>   
*''(for Thunderbird enter this line)'' <tt>/Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -profilemanager</tt>  
*''(Thunderbird)'' <tt>/Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -profilemanager</tt>  


If the above command doesn't work, try again, but include '''-bin''' as shown in this example for Thunderbird:
If the above command doesn't work, try again, but include '''-bin''' as shown in this example for Thunderbird:

Revision as of 02:22, 19 February 2008

Mozilla applications store your personal settings, added extensions and themes, and user data such as bookmarks, passwords, cookies and mail in a "profile". The Profile Manager allows you to create and manage profiles. With a new profile the application will run without any extensions, themes, or customized settings that may be causing problems, but you can still import your data from another profile or switch back to a previous profile.

Firefox and Thunderbird users

Care must be taken when creating and deleting profiles to avoid loss of valuable data. See the warnings given below, here and here

Accessing the Profile Manager

  • Mozilla Suite and SeaMonkey users can access the Profile Manager from an open program window by selecting "Tools -> Switch Profile..." from the menu.
  • You can use the -profilemanager command line argument when starting the application, as specified below. A capitalized -P in place of -profilemanager should also work. Caution: Don't use -profile manager (do not add a space), as an "already running but is not responding" error can result [1].

Windows

To see how to create a new profile for Firefox see Creating a new Firefox profile on Windows. Instructions for other Mozilla programs follow.

Close the application and make sure that it is not running in the background.

Thunderbird, Mozilla Suite or SeaMonkey: Use the "Profile Manager" shortcut located in the Start -> Programs Menu (if available) or use the below instructions, substituting thunderbird.exe mozilla.exe or seamonkey.exe in place of firefox.exe.

Firefox: Open the Windows "Start" menu, select "Run" (on Windows Vista, use "Start Search" or enable the Run box, as described here) then type and enter one of the following:

  • firefox.exe -profilemanager
  • firefox.exe -P

For a zip install or if the above instructions do not work, include the full path to the executable surrounded by quotation marks in the "Run" (or Vista "Start Search") box, as in this Firefox example:

  • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -profilemanager

Linux

Close the application completely and make sure that it is not running in the background. Open the terminal and execute cd (program directory) then execute:

  • (Firefox) ./firefox -profilemanager
  • (Mozilla Suite) ./mozilla -profilemanager
  • (SeaMonkey) ./seamonkey -profilemanager
  • (Thunderbird) ./thunderbird -profilemanager

Alternately, in a terminal type path/to/application -profilemanager

Mac OS X

Close the application completely and make sure that it is not running in the background. Assuming the program is installed in the "Applications" folder, launch Terminal ("Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal") and enter the command starting with / after the prompt in Terminal:

  • (Firefox) /Applications/firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -profilemanager
  • (Mozilla Suite) /Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/mozilla -profilemanager
  • (SeaMonkey) /Applications/SeaMonkey.app/Contents/MacOS/seamonkey -profilemanager
  • (Thunderbird) /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird -profilemanager

If the above command doesn't work, try again, but include -bin as shown in this example for Thunderbird:

  • /Applications/Thunderbird.app/Contents/MacOS/thunderbird-bin -profilemanager

Creating a new profile

Once you've accessed the Profile Manager as described above, click on "Create Profile" and follow the instructions. Mozilla Suite users may have to click on "Manage Profiles..." first. Enter a descriptive name for the new profile and click the Finish button. Before starting with a selected profile, uncheck the "Don't ask at startup" option if you want the Profile Manager to appear each time you open the program; otherwise, the selected profile will automatically start each time.

A new profile folder will be created in the default folder location. If you created the new profile because your old one was corrupt, you can import bookmarks and selectively migrate your other data and settings to the new profile.

Custom profile location

Advanced Users Only

Mozilla Suite and SeaMonkey 1.x: If you wish to choose your own profile location, choose the parent folder where you want the new profile folder created. For example, if you want a new "profilename" folder created under D:\Mozilla\Profiles with the path D:\Mozilla\Profiles\"profilename"\<random>.slt, choose the Profiles folder.

Firefox and Thunderbird: Unlike Mozilla Suite and SeaMonkey 1.x, Firefox and Thunderbird do not automatically create a new profile folder if you specify your own location. You must create a new, empty folder (preferably with the same name as the new profile) and then choose that folder in the Create Profile Wizard. Note: If your operating system does not provide a "New Folder" button within the Create Profile Wizard, you will need to manually create the new folder.

Note: Starting in SeaMonkey 2.0 (not yet released) custom profiles are created in the same manner as Firefox and Thunderbird, i.e., you must create a new, empty folder for the new profile. The same warnings for creating and deleting Firefox or Thunderbird profiles also apply to SeaMonkey 2.0.

Selecting a Firefox or Thunderbird profile location

Warning: If you choose to create a Firefox or Thunderbird profile in a custom location, do not choose a folder that contains existing data (such as the "My Documents" folder on Windows) because it could result in the loss of the other data in that folder if you later delete the profile (Bug 304290, Bug 302087).

Deleting a profile

You can use the Profile Manager "Delete Profile" feature to remove a profile from the list of available profiles. You can also delete the associated profile folder and its contents if you select the "Delete Files" option but it is recommended that you choose the "Don't Delete Files" option unless you are sure that the profile folder contains no valuable data.

Deleting a Firefox or Thunderbird profile

Warning: It is possible that a Firefox or Thunderbird profile folder may contain non-Mozilla files if you selected a "custom" profile location when the profile was created (see above). If you later use the "Delete Files" option to remove that profile, the entire folder and it's contents will be deleted, including any non-Mozilla files. This cannot be undone. For this reason, it is recommended that you avoid using the "Delete Files" option when deleting a Firefox or Thunderbird profile. If you want to delete the profile folder also, you can do that manually.

Profile Manager shortcut

In some Windows installs, a "Profile Manager" shortcut is placed on the Start menu programs list. For easier access to the Profile Manager, you can also create your own shortcut and place it on your desktop or in another convenient location.

For instance, to create a shortcut to the Firefox Profile Manager on Windows XP:

  1. Go to the Firefox installation directory (usually C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox), right click the file "firefox.exe", and select the option "Create shortcut".
  2. Right-click and rename the new shortcut "Firefox Profile Manager", then right-click the shortcut again and select "Properties".
  3. In the Shortcut tab window, place the cursor at the end of the path inside the Target box, click once (so that the path is no longer highlighted) then add a SPACE and -profilemanager to the end of the path, like so:
    • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -profilemanager
  4. Click OK to exit the Properties window.
  5. Drag the new "Firefox Profile Manager" shortcut to the desktop or other location.

Note: Using -P instead of profilemanager may also work, like so, using the same Firefox example:

  • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P

Double-clicking the new shortcut should now start the Profile Manager, assuming Firefox is completely closed and not running in the background, as mentioned above.

Shortcut to a specific profile

Follow the above instructions but use -P (not -profilemanager). After the -P add another SPACE and the name of the profile in quotes, where "Profile Name" is the name of the profile you wish to open, as shown in this Firefox example:

  • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P "Profile Name"

Note: Profile names are case sensitive. See the article Shortcut to a specific profile if you need more help.

Profile Manager claims profile is already in use

This means the profile is locked. See Profile in use for details.

See also

External links