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:''This article applies to {{Firefox}}, {{Thunderbird}}, [[Sunbird]], [[Mozilla Suite |SeaMonkey]] and some other Mozilla-based applications.''
Mozilla applications store a user's personal information in a unique profile. The first time you start any Mozilla application, it will automatically create a default profile; additional profiles can be created using the [[Profile Manager]]. The settings which form a profile are stored in files within a special folder on your computer — this is the ''profile folder''.  The installation directory also includes a "profile" folder but this folder contains program defaults, not your user profile data.


Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey and other Mozilla applications each store a user's personal information such as bookmarks, e-mail, address books, extensions, and user preferences in a unique [[:Category:Profiles | profile]]. The first time you start any Mozilla application, it will automatically create a default profile; additional profiles can be created using the [[Profile Manager]]. The settings which form a profile are stored in files within a special folder on your computer — this is the ''profile folder''. 
For information on the profile folder specific to certain applications, including how to find the profile folder, see the following articles:
*[[Profile folder - Firefox]]
*[[Profile folder - Thunderbird]]
*[[Profile folder - SeaMonkey|Profile folder - Mozilla Suite / SeaMonkey]]


==Where is my profile folder?==
For other applications, see the information below. Some of these folders may be hidden.
The default profile locations are listed below (<tt>********</tt> in the folder name represents a random string of eight letters or numbers). 
 
When creating a profile with the [[Profile Manager]], you can choose to place it in a location other than the default profile location.  The [[#Other_profiles|Other profiles]] section below describes how you can find one of these other profiles.
 
'''Caution:''' The [[installation directory]] also includes a "profile" folder (for example, <tt> C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\profile</tt> on Windows) but this folder contains program defaults, <u>not</u> your user profile data.  Use the information below to find your profile folder.
 
===For Windows users===
In Windows 2000 and later, the "Application Data" folder ("AppData" folder in Windows Vista) in the profile folder locations given below is hidden by default.  To quickly find your profile folder you can use the <tt>%APPDATA%</tt> [http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/environment.htm environment variable]:
* ''Windows 2000 and XP:''  Choose "Start &rarr; Run &rarr; Type in <tt>%APPDATA%</tt> &rarr; OK"
* ''Windows Vista:'' Choose "Start &rarr; Start Search &rarr; Type in <tt>%APPDATA%</tt>"
This will open a Windows Explorer window showing the contents of the "Application Data" folder in Windows 2000 and XP or the "AppData" folder in Windows Vista.  You can then open successive folders (e.g., Mozilla &rarr; Firefox)  until you get to the desired folder.  You can also specify which folder to open; for example, entering <tt>%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox</tt> in the Windows XP Run box will open "Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox".
 
'''Viewing hidden files and folders:''' To enable viewing of hidden files and folders, open Windows Explorer (or My Computer), then
*''Windows 2000 and XP:'' Click "Tools &rarr; Folder Options &rarr; View (tab) &rarr; Show hidden files and folders"
* ''Windows Vista:'' Click "Organize &rarr; Folder and Search Options &rarr; Folder Options &rarr; View (tab) &rarr; Show hidden files and folders"
 
'''Using Windows Search:''' You can also search for specific files in your profile folder or other hidden locations using Windows Search.  In Windows 2000 you must first enable viewing of hidden files and folders, as above.  In Windows XP and Vista,  you enable searching for hidden files and folders ''in the Search tool itself'': "Start &rarr; Search &rarr; More advanced options &rarr; select "Search hidden files and folders" ("Include non-indexed, hidden or system files" in Vista [http://www.thegline.com/windows/2006/11/the-xp-users-guide-to-windows-4.html]).
 
===Firefox===
'''Note:'''  Firefox has a default profile folder name of <tt>********.default</tt> (or <tt>default.***</tt> for an older profile  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=256076]).  


{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Operating&nbsp;system !! Folder(s)
! Operating&nbsp;system !! Profile folder location(s)
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me || <tt>C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me, alternate || <tt>C:\Windows\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
|-
|-
| Windows NT 4.x || <tt>C:\Winnt\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
| Windows NT (NT4.x/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10) || "%APPDATA%\Mozilla\"
|-
|-
| Windows 2000 and XP || <tt>C:\Documents and Settings\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name>\<br />
| Windows 95 (without Desktop Update) || C:\Windows\Mozilla
in other words<br /> %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt> ([[#For_Windows_users |see above]])
|-
|-
| Windows Vista || <tt>C:\Users\<Windows login/user name>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<Profile name></tt>\<br />
| Windows 95 (with Desktop Update)/98/Me || C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\<br/>
C:\Windows\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\
|-
|-
| Unix || <tt>~/.mozilla/firefox/<Profile name>/</tt>
| Unix/Linux || ~/.mozilla/
|-
|-
| Mac OS X || <tt>~/Library/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/<Profile name>/<br />
| Mac OS X || ~/Library/Mozilla/<br />
~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/<Profile name>/</tt>
~/Library/Application Support/
|}
|}


===Sunbird===
===For Windows users===
Like Firefox above, but replace the directory name "Firefox" with "Sunbird" in the paths.
On Windows systems, the default location of the profile folder containing your user data is under the "Application Data" folder in Windows XP and below or under the "AppData\Roaming" folder in Windows Vista and above. In Windows 2000 and above, these folders are hidden. To find your profile folder in Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10:
 
: Press [Windows Key]+[R] &rarr; Type in '''%APPDATA%''' &rarr; click OK
===Thunderbird===
A Windows Explorer window will open, showing the contents of the ''C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data'' folder (Windows 2000 and XP) or the ''C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming'' folder (Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10). You can then open successive folders  until you get to the profile folder.  
'''Note:''' Thunderbird has a default profile folder name of <tt>********.default</tt> (or <tt>default.***</tt> for an older profile). 
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Operating&nbsp;system !! Folder(s)
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me || <tt>C:\Windows\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me, alternate || <tt>C:\Windows\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
|-
| Windows NT 4.x || <tt>C:\Winnt\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt>
|-
| Windows 2000 and XP || <tt>C:\Documents and Settings\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\<br/>
in other words<br /> %APPDATA%\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name>\</tt> ([[#For_Windows_users |see above]])
|-
| Windows Vista || <tt>C:\Users\<Windows login/user name>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\<Profile name></tt>\<br />
|-
| Unix || <tt>~/.thunderbird/<Profile name>/</tt> or possibly <tt>~/.mozilla-thunderbird<Profile name></tt>
|-
| Mac OS X || <tt>~/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/<Profile name>/<br />
~/Library/Application Support/Thunderbird/Profiles/<Profile name>/<br />
/Users/<user name>/Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/<Profile name>/</tt><br />
|}
 
===SeaMonkey===
'''Note:''' Netscape 7.x, Mozilla Suite and [http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey/ SeaMonkey] all use the same profile locations.
 
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Operating&nbsp;system !! Folder(s)
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me || <tt>C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\<Profile name>\********.slt\</tt>
|-
| Windows 95/98/Me, alternate || <tt>C:\Windows\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\<Profile name>\********.slt\</tt>
|-
| Windows NT 4.x || <tt>C:\Winnt\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\<Profile name>\********.slt\</tt>
|-
| Windows 2000 and XP || <tt>C:\Documents and Settings\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\<Profile name>\********.slt\<br/>
in other words<br /> %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Profiles\<Profile name>\********.slt\</tt> ([[#For_Windows_users |see above]])
|-
| Unix || <tt>~/.mozilla/<Profile name>/********.slt</tt>
|-
| Mac OS X || <tt>~/Library/Mozilla/Profiles/<Profile name>/********.slt<br />
~/Library/Application Support/Mozilla/Profiles/<Profile name>/********.slt</tt>
|}


===Other profiles===
If you want to browse to the default profile folder locations for Windows 2000 or later you will need to enable viewing of hidden files and folders in your Windows Folder Options.  You can also search for specific files in your profile folder using Windows SearchIn Windows 2000 you must first enable viewing of hidden files and folders; in Windows XP and Vistayou must enable searching for hidden files and folders ''in the Search tool itself.''  If you need more help viewing or searching hidden files and folders in Windows 2000 or later, see [[Finding the profile folder on Windows|this article]].
You can use the following technique to find the location of the profile that you are currently using.  This is useful, for example, if you are using a profile that is not in the default location given in the above tables.
 
From the Mozilla application's menu bar, choose "Tools -> Error Console" or "Tools -> JavaScript Console" (or "Tools  -> Web Development  ->  JavaScript Console").  Copy the following code.  It is one very long line ending in <tt>path</tt>&mdash;make sure that you get all of it:
 
:<code>Components.classes["@mozilla.org/file/directory_service;1"].getService( Components.interfaces.nsIProperties).get("ProfD", Components.interfaces.nsIFile).path</code>
 
In the Error Console or JavaScript Console window, paste the code in the field near the top. Click the Evaluate buttonThe console should display the location of the profile that is currently in use. If you don't see it, make sure you have the "All" button pushed.
 
You could also use [http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/local_install/ MR Techs Local Install extension]. It adds a Tools -> Edit My Config -> Open Profile Folder command that will display the profile folder using your file manager.
 
==Managing profiles==
* You can select a profile to use, create a new profile, and delete or rename an existing profile using [[Profile Manager]]. See the linked article for detailed instructions.
* See [[Profile backup]] for instructions on backing up your profile.
* If you get a "profile is already in use" message it means that the profile is locked. See [[Profile in use]] for details.
 
===What do I do if my profile is corrupted?===
If your profile is corrupted, [[Profile_Manager#Creating a new profile |create a new profile]] then [[Migrating settings to a new profile | migrate your settings to the new profile]].
 
'''Caution:''' If you delete, rename or move the profile folder, Thunderbird or Firefox may report that it is "already running, but is not responding" when you next start the application ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=278860 bug 278860])See [[Profile_in_use#Check_the_profile_folder_name_and_location |this article]] for more information.
 
==Files and folders in the profile==
 
Note: It's not recommended to edit these files directly. Instead, use their respective interfaces.  The three files whose names begin with "user" are exceptions to this&mdash;they are designed to be edited directly.  For more information on these three files, follow their links in the tables below.
 
===Folders===
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
!Name
!Application
!Description
|-
| <tt>backupData</tt>
| Sunbird (starting in 0.3)
| Backups of your calendars.
 
|-
| <tt>[[Bookmarkbackups folder | bookmarkbackups]]</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 1.5)
| Daily rotating backups of your bookmarks.
|-
| <tt>Cache</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey
| Cached Internet files. Folder location changed in Firefox 1.5 [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=291033].  Use [[About_protocol_links | about:cache]] for information about the cached files and to find the <tt>Cache</tt> folder location.
|-
|<tt>chrome</tt> 
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Sunbird
| (In Firefox 1.5, Thunderbird 1.5 and Sunbird 0.3, the <tt>chrome</tt> folder is only used for [[userChrome.css]] and [[userContent.css]])
|-
| <tt>extensions</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Sunbird
| Installed extensions
|-
| <tt>ImapMail</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Mail from IMAP sources
|-
| <tt>Mail</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Mail from POP sources and Local Folders
|-
| <tt>microsummary-generators</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Regularly-updated succinct compilations of the most important information on web pages.
|-
| <tt>News</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| News from newsgroups
|-
| <tt>searchplugins</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 1.5)
| Contains search engine plugins and their icons for the [[Search Bar]]
|}
 
===Files===
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Name
! Application
! Description
|-
| <tt>.autoreg</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Temporary empty file that signals a change in the installed extensions.
|-
| <tt>.parentlock</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey, Thunderbird (MacOS X)
| See <tt>parent.lock</tt>
|-
| <tt>abook.mab</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Personal Address Book
|-
| <tt>blocklist.xml</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (starting in 2.0)
| Automatically downloaded list of dangerous extensions.
|-
| <tt>[[bookmarks.bak]]</tt>
| Firefox
| Backup of bookmarks.html ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=218636 Bug 218636])
|-
| <tt>[[bookmarks.html]]</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey
| Bookmarks
|-
| <tt>[[bookmarks.html.moztmp]]</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey
| Temporary bookmarks file.  If found, remove the 'read-only' attribute, as it results in creation of multiple numbered bookmarks-n.html files ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=157152 Bug 157152]).
|-
| <tt>[[Bookmarks-(date).html | bookmarks-''(date)''.html]]</tt> in <tt>bookmarkbackups</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 1.5)
| Daily rotating backups of your bookmarks.
|-
| <tt>cert8.db</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Security certificates
|-
| <tt>compatibility.ini</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Stores version and path of the application this profile was last used with. When the profile is loaded with an application of a different version/path, the XPCOM components registration process is triggered. This file is automatically generated and can safely be deleted.
|-
| <tt>components.ini</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird
| Lists extension folders with XPCOM components. Replaced with <tt>extensions.ini</tt> in 1.5.
|-
| <tt>compreg.dat</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Lists registered XPCOM components. Automatically regenerated whenever XPCOM registration process is triggered.
|-
| <tt>[[cookies.txt]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| [[Cookies]] [[RSS_cookies_%28Thunderbird%29]]
|-
| <tt>cookies.txt.moztmp</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey
| Temporary cookies file. If found, either delete or remove the 'read-only' attribute, as it results in creation of multiple numbered cookies-n.txt files ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=257288 Bug 257288]).
|-
| <tt>defaults.ini</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (before 1.5)
| Lists extension folders with [[Dev_:_Using_preferences#Where_are_the_default_values_read_from|default pref files]]. Replaced with <tt>extensions.ini</tt> in 1.5.
|-
| <tt>[[downloads.rdf]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Download history.  Can be deleted to resolve slow downloads or program hangs ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=159107 Bug 159107])
|-
| <tt>extensions.cache</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (starting in 1.5), Sunbird
| Lists installed extensions, their IDs, and the folders they are installed to, along with their last-modify time. It is used, for example, to register extensions installed by dropping a folder into one of known install locations. This file is automatically regenerated and can be deleted to resolve various issues.
|-
| <tt>extensions.ini</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (starting in 1.5), Sunbird
| Lists folders of installed extensions and themes. The file is automatically generated by <code>nsExtensionManager</code> and is used by low-level code to detect chrome packages and XPCOM components provided by installed addons. Can be deleted to resolve various issues.
|-
| <tt>extensions.rdf</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird
| Installed extension information.  Can be deleted in Firefox 1.5 or Thunderbird 1.5 to  remove "ghost" entries from the extension list [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=319022] and to resolve various other issues.
|-
| <tt>extensions-startup.manifest</tt>
| Firefox and Thunderbird 1.5 alphas
| This file was used in Deer Park alphas and was later [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=297312#c17 renamed to extensions.cache]
|-
| <tt>formhistory.dat</tt>
| Firefox
| Saved form data
|-
| <tt>[[history.dat]]</tt>
| Firefox, Mozilla Suite
| Browsing history.  Can be deleted to resolve various issues.
|-
| <tt>history.mab</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Collected Addresses
|-
| <tt>[[hostperm.1]]</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey
| Per-site preferences for allowing [[cookies]] and popups.
|-
| <tt>[[key3.db]]</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Key database
|-
| <tt>kf.txt</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Key database for phishing protection.
|-
| <tt>[[localstore.rdf]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Sunbird
| Toolbar and window size/position settings.  Can be deleted to resolve various issues.
|-
| <tt>localstore-safe.rdf</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 1.5)
| Special version of localstore.rdf used in [[Safe Mode]] to set toolbars and window customizations to defaults. [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=303279]
|-
| <tt>lock</tt> (Linux)
| Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| See <tt>parent.lock</tt>
|-
| <tt>mailviews.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Defines your current message view (you can customize it)
|-
| <tt>[[mimeTypes.rdf]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| Action to perform when downloading certain types of files.  Can be deleted to reset download actions.
|-
| <tt>msgFilterRules.dat</tt> in <tt>ImapMail</tt>, <tt>Mail</tt>, <tt>News</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| [[Filters (Thunderbird)|Message filters]]
|-
| <tt>nsmail.eml, nsmail.tmp, nsmail.html</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Temporary files created when sending a message.
|-
| <tt>panacea.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Mail folder cache
|-
| <tt>parent.lock</tt>
| Firefox, SeaMonkey, Thunderbird (Windows)
| Marker showing that the current [[profile in use | profile is in use]].  Can be deleted to unlock the profile.
|-
| <tt>persdict.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Personal spelling dictionary
|-
| <tt>[[popstate.dat]]</tt> in Mail
| Thunderbird
| Keeps track of which messages have been left on the POP3 server
|-
| <tt>[[prefs.js file|prefs.js]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| All preferences. See: [[about:config]]
|-
| <tt>search.rdf</tt>
| Firefox
| Information about your search plug-ins
|-
| <tt>search.sqlite</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Information about your search plug-ins
|-
| <tt>secmod.db</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| Security module database
|-
| <tt>sessionstore.js</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Stored session.
|-
| <tt>[[signons.txt]]</tt>
| Firefox, Sunbird
| Encrypted saved passwords, requires <tt>key3.db</tt> to work
|-
| <tt>signons2.txt</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 1.5.0.10 & 2.0.0.2)
| Encrypted saved passwords, requires <tt>key3.db</tt> to work [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=360493]
|-
| <tt>storage.sdb</tt>
| Sunbird (from 0.3)
| Internal calendar data (in SQLite format)
|-
| <tt>training.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird
| Custom training for [[Junk Mail Controls]]
|-
| <tt>tmprules.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird
| Temporary file used when modifying message filters.
|-
| <tt>urlclassifier.sqlite</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Phishing protection data.
|-
| <tt>[[user.js]]</tt><br>(does not exist by default)
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| User-set overriding preferences
|-
| <tt>[[userChrome.css]]</tt> in <tt>chrome</tt><br>(does not exist by default)
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| User-set CSS to change the way the application looks
|-
| <tt>[[userContent.css]]</tt> in <tt>chrome</tt><br>(does not exist by default)
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| User-set CSS to change the way webpages look
|-
| <tt>[[userChrome.js]]</tt> in <tt>chrome</tt><br>(does not exist by default)
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| User-set JavaScript to change the way the application works
|-
| <tt>virtualfolders.dat</tt>
| Thunderbird
| [[Saved Search]] folder settings
|-
| <tt>webappsstore.sqlite</tt>
| Firefox (starting in 2.0)
| Session storage.
|-
| <tt>xpti.dat</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird
| Lists registered XPCOM interfaces. Automatically regenerated whenever XPCOM registration process is triggered.
|-
| <tt>xul.mfasl</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (Linux)
| See <tt>XUL.mfl</tt>
|-
| <tt>XUL.mfl</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (Windows), Sunbird, SeaMonkey
| Cached user interface data.  Can be deleted to resolve various issues (file location changed in Firefox 1.5, Thunderbird 1.5  [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=291033])
|-
| <tt>XUL FastLoad File</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird (MacOS X)
| See <tt>XUL.mfl</tt>
|}
 
===Files without specific names===
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Name
! Application
! Description
|-
| <tt>''(number)''.s</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Password data.  The "(number).s" value is referenced in the [[about:config]] preference "signon.SignonFileName" preference
|-
| <tt>''(number)''.w</tt>
| SeaMonkey
| Saved form data
|-
| <tt>*.</tt> in <tt>ImapMail</tt>, <tt>Mail</tt>, and <tt>News</tt>
| Thunderbird
| Mail messages
|-
| <tt>*.mab</tt> other than <tt>abook.mab</tt> and <tt>history.mab</tt>
| Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| User-created address books
|-
| <tt>*.msf</tt> in <tt>ImapMail</tt>, <tt>Mail</tt>, and <tt>News</tt>
| Thunderbird
| Index files for mail messages
|-
| <tt>*.src</tt> in <tt>searchplugins</tt>
| Firefox
| [[Uninstall search plugins|Search engine plugins]] for the [[Search Bar]]
|}
 
===Files outside the "Profiles" folder===
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #fcfcfc; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
! Name
! Application
! Description
|-
| <tt>pluginreg.dat</tt>
| Firefox,  Thunderbird
| Registration of plugin mimetypes.  Located in the <parent> folder containing the "Profiles" folder.
|-
| <tt>[[profiles.ini file |profiles.ini]]</tt>
| Firefox, Thunderbird
| Keeps track of profile location. Located in the <parent> folder containing the "Profiles" folder.  Can be edited to point to a [[moving your profile folder |moved profile folder]]. If deleted, <tt>profiles.ini</tt> will be regenerated along with a new default profile folder upon program restart.
|-
| <tt>registry.dat</tt>
| Firefox,  Thunderbird, SeaMonkey
| Keeps track of where your profiles are located in SeaMonkey and in older Firefox and Thunderbird versions.  Located in the <parent> folder containing the "Profiles" folder.
|}


==See also==
==Write-protected files==
* [[Migrating settings to a new profile]]
Make sure that you do not have read-only or locked files in your profile, which might be a side effect of backing up the profile to removable media and then restoring your profile from that media.  Having such write-protected files in the profile can result in serious problems, as described in [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=257288 bug 257288].  Note that, on Windows, you can remove read-only attributes at the directory level for all subordinate folders and files, through the file properties of a folder.
* [[Profile backup]]
* [[Profile Manager]]
* [[Roaming profile]]
* [[Profile in use]]


==External links==
* [http://www.mozilla.org/support/firefox/profile Firefox Help: How To Manage Profiles]
* [http://www.mozilla.org/support/thunderbird/profile Thunderbird Help: How To Manage Profiles]




[[Category:Profiles]]
[[Category:Profiles]]

Revision as of 23:56, 6 March 2016

Mozilla applications store a user's personal information in a unique profile. The first time you start any Mozilla application, it will automatically create a default profile; additional profiles can be created using the Profile Manager. The settings which form a profile are stored in files within a special folder on your computer — this is the profile folder. The installation directory also includes a "profile" folder but this folder contains program defaults, not your user profile data.

For information on the profile folder specific to certain applications, including how to find the profile folder, see the following articles:

For other applications, see the information below. Some of these folders may be hidden.

Operating system Profile folder location(s)
Windows NT (NT4.x/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10) "%APPDATA%\Mozilla\"
Windows 95 (without Desktop Update) C:\Windows\Mozilla
Windows 95 (with Desktop Update)/98/Me C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\

C:\Windows\Profiles\<Windows login/user name>\Application Data\Mozilla\

Unix/Linux ~/.mozilla/
Mac OS X ~/Library/Mozilla/

~/Library/Application Support/

For Windows users

On Windows systems, the default location of the profile folder containing your user data is under the "Application Data" folder in Windows XP and below or under the "AppData\Roaming" folder in Windows Vista and above. In Windows 2000 and above, these folders are hidden. To find your profile folder in Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10:

Press [Windows Key]+[R] → Type in %APPDATA% → click OK

A Windows Explorer window will open, showing the contents of the C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data folder (Windows 2000 and XP) or the C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming folder (Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10). You can then open successive folders until you get to the profile folder.

If you want to browse to the default profile folder locations for Windows 2000 or later you will need to enable viewing of hidden files and folders in your Windows Folder Options. You can also search for specific files in your profile folder using Windows Search. In Windows 2000 you must first enable viewing of hidden files and folders; in Windows XP and Vista, you must enable searching for hidden files and folders in the Search tool itself. If you need more help viewing or searching hidden files and folders in Windows 2000 or later, see this article.

Write-protected files

Make sure that you do not have read-only or locked files in your profile, which might be a side effect of backing up the profile to removable media and then restoring your profile from that media. Having such write-protected files in the profile can result in serious problems, as described in bug 257288. Note that, on Windows, you can remove read-only attributes at the directory level for all subordinate folders and files, through the file properties of a folder.