Profile Manager: Difference between revisions

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===Via the -ProfileManager switch===
===Via the -ProfileManager switch===
You can also get to the Profile Manager by launching the Mozilla Suite/Firefox/Thunderbird with the "-ProfileManager" [[Using a Command Line Switch | switch]].  This is useful in cases such as a corrupted profile which prevents you from launching normally.  On Microsoft Windows, you can just go to Start -> Run and type:
You can also get to the Profile Manager by launching the Mozilla Suite/Firefox/Thunderbird with the "-ProfileManager" [[Using a Command Line Switch | switch]].  This is useful in cases such as a corrupted profile which prevents you from launching normally.  On Windows, you can just go to "Start -> Run" and type:
* %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe -ProfileManager
* %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe -ProfileManager
* %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager
* %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager
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for Firefox, Thunderbird, and Mozilla Suite respectively in a typical installation.
for Firefox, Thunderbird, and Mozilla Suite respectively in a typical installation.


On Microsoft '''Windows''', and possibly on '''Linux''', you will need to place the path in quotation marks ("%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" or "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -ProfileManager, for example) if you have a space in the path (such as the one in "Mozilla Firefox").
On '''Windows''', and possibly on '''Linux''', you will need to place the path in quotation marks ("%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" or "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -ProfileManager, for example) if you have a space in the path (such as the one in "Mozilla Firefox").


'''On Mac OS X''', to access the Profile Manager, go into your Terminal and run (replace "Mozilla" with whatever Mozilla application you are trying to access):
'''On Mac OS X''', to access the Profile Manager, go into your Terminal and run (replace "Mozilla" with whatever Mozilla application you are trying to access):

Revision as of 16:49, 27 March 2005

The Profile Manager is an interface for managing profiles. It allows you to easily create, rename, delete, or switch profiles and is available in most Mozilla applications, including the Mozilla Suite, Firefox and Thunderbird.

How do I access the Profile Manager?

Note: These methods will only work if the Mozilla Suite, Firefox, or Thunderbird (depending on which one you're using) is closed. If the Profile Manager still won't launch after you close all the windows, go through your process list (see below) and make sure that "mozilla.exe", "firefox.exe", or "thunderbird.exe" (depending on which on what you use) are not present. If they are present, terminate them.

Process list: On Windows XP: Ctrl-Alt-Delete -> Processes. On Windows NT/2000: Ctrl-Alt-Delete -> Task Manager -> Processes. On Windows 95/98/ME: Ctrl-Alt-Delete. On Linux, use the "ps" and "kill" commands (see their respective manual pages and various documentation online for more detail). On Mac OS X, go to your Apple Menu and select "Force Quit". For Mac OS X 10.3 and later, you can also use the Activity Monitor found in your "Utilities" folder.

Via a pre-installed shortcut

  • If you are using Windows, there might already be a shortcut to the Profile Manager that was created when you installed the application. Look in the Start menu, in the programs list, and then in the appropriate folder for the Mozilla Suite, Firefox, or Thunderbird.
  • For the Mozilla Suite only, you can also go to "Tools -> Switch Profile", and then click Manage Profiles.

Via the -ProfileManager switch

You can also get to the Profile Manager by launching the Mozilla Suite/Firefox/Thunderbird with the "-ProfileManager" switch. This is useful in cases such as a corrupted profile which prevents you from launching normally. On Windows, you can just go to "Start -> Run" and type:

  • %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe -ProfileManager
  • %ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager
  • %ProgramFiles%\mozilla.org\Mozilla\mozilla.exe -ProfileManager

for Firefox, Thunderbird, and Mozilla Suite respectively in a typical installation.

On Windows, and possibly on Linux, you will need to place the path in quotation marks ("%ProgramFiles%\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" or "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -ProfileManager, for example) if you have a space in the path (such as the one in "Mozilla Firefox").

On Mac OS X, to access the Profile Manager, go into your Terminal and run (replace "Mozilla" with whatever Mozilla application you are trying to access):

  • /Applications/Mozilla.app/Contents/MacOS/mozilla -ProfileManager

If that doesn't work, you might try adding "-bin" as shown in this Thunderbird example:

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

Via your own shortcut

For easier access to the Profile Manager, you can make your own shortcut and place it on your desktop or in another convenient location. For instance, to do so for a Thunderbird profile on Windows XP, go to the Thunderbird installation directory, right click on the file "thunderbird.exe", and select the option to create a shortcut. Then right-click on the shortcut, choose Properties, and add "-ProfileManager" or "-p" (without quotes) in the box containing the shortcut target (which shows the path to the installation directory). For example:

  • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\Thunderbird.exe" -ProfileManager

You can now put this newly created shortcut to the Profile Manager on your desktop.

How do I create 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.

How do I make a desktop shortcut to open a specific profile?

If you have created more than one profile, you might want to make a shortcut that will launch the Mozilla Suite/Firefox/Thunderbird directly with a specific profile, bypassing the Profile Manager at startup. To do so, just create a shortcut to the Profile Manager as described above and then add the name of the profile, in quotes, following "-p" in the box containing the shortcut target. For example, for Thunderbird on Windows XP, if the profile you want to use is called MyProfile:

  • "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\Thunderbird.exe" -p "MyProfile"

Place the shortcut on your desktop or in another convenient location, and you're done.

External links