New Profile Manager destroyed my profile

[gaboma19]

The new profile manager (144.0) destroyed my profile.

1. It overwrote my profile with "Profile 1" and deleted the link to my original profile
2. An entry in the new profile manager UI for "Original Profile" does not function when clicked
3. Pressing "Delete" on any profile in the new UI does nothing
4. I cannot choose which folder to store new profiles in the new profile manager UI
5. The new profile manager UI does not match what I see in the old about:profiles UI

To resolve I tried copying the contents of my original profile into the newly created "Profile 1" which is several gigabytes of data into a drive I don't have that space. 

When I opened Firefox the new profile UI disappeared from the menu, about:profiles doesn't show the profile that I copied into, and I'm not sure which profile I'm currently using.

[siffemcon]

Close FF > open the  old profile manager  >  try to open what you think is your original profile.

[sreyas]

this worked for me, thanks 🙂

[rohankh]

What to try first (quick checks)

• Confirm profile list: In Firefox, go to about:profiles (or open Menu > Help > More Troubleshooting Information > Profiles). Do you see your original profile listed there under “Root Directory” and “Profile Folder”? If not, the data may still be on disk but not registered.
• Check profile data location: On Windows, macOS, Linux, profiles live in:
  • Windows: C:\Users<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/
  • Linux: ~/.mozilla/firefox/ See if the original profile folder (a string like abc12345.default-release) exists on disk.
• Safe mode test: Start Firefox in Safe Mode (Help > Troubleshoot Mode) to see if the profile manager UI behaves differently. If it works in Safe Mode, an extension or custom setting may be involved.
• Check for a hidden/duplicate profile: Sometimes profile copies or backups exist with names like profile.default, profile.something. Look for multiple folders in the Profiles directory and open each one in about:profiles (via Import and Create) to identify which contains your data (prefs.js, logins.json, key4.db, etc.).

If the UI is broken, you may need to recover manually from disk

• Stop Firefox completely (make sure all processes are closed).
• Inspect the Profiles directory:
  • Each profile folder contains a prefs.js file and likely key3.db/key4.db, or login data. Identify the folder that has your bookmarks, history, and saved logins (you can spot by file timestamps).
• Create a new safe profile pointing to the existing folder:
  • Run: firefox -P (or firefox --ProfileManager) to open the Profile Manager.
  • Choose “Create Profile,” then instead of creating a new folder, select “Use existing folder” and point to the identified profile directory on disk.
  • If you can’t open Profile Manager, you can create a new profile and edit profiles.ini to reference the existing profile folder manually.
• If you can access about:profiles after pointing to the correct folder, set that profile as “Default” and start Firefox.

If you want to reset the profile manager without data loss

• Before making changes, back up:
  • The entire Profiles folder (to preserve any data you might need later).
  • The profiles.ini file in the Firefox application directory (to recover profile associations if needed).
• After backup, you can:
  • Delete the corrupted Profile 1 entry from profiles.ini and remove the orphaned Profile 1 folder if you’re sure it’s not in use.
  • Create a new clean profile (via -P) and then migrate essential items (bookmarks, passwords, etc.) from the backup profile manually if needed.

Longer-term stabilization and prevention

• Regular backups: Use a profile backup tool or simple copy of the Profiles folder to a separate drive or cloud storage. Consider weekly backups if you depend on Firefox data.
• Avoid manual copies of profile folders while Firefox is running. This can corrupt profile data.
• If you have multiple profiles, consider consolidating into a single profile with separate containers for profiles in profiles.ini to minimize confusion.
• If a bug in 144.0 Profile Manager is suspected (UI regressions), report it with:
  • Your OS version, Firefox version (build 144.0), and steps to reproduce.
  • Screenshots or a short screencast of the broken UI.
  • The current profiles.ini layout and a listing of the Profiles directory (safe mode or with sensitive data redacted).

If you want, I can guide you through a precise recovery script based on your OS (Windows/macOS/Linux) to locate the correct profile folder and reattach it, or help you craft a step-by-step plan to reproduce the original profile in the new UI without data loss. Tell me:

• Your OS and Firefox version exact (build number if shown)
• Whether you can access the Profiles folder and about:profiles at all right now
• Any items you absolutely need to preserve (bookmarks, saved passwords, logins)

[Diven]

I encountered the same issue under Firefox 145.0. Out of curiosity I tried creating a new profile. Exited out of the creation process, but realized I couldn't delete the new profile I created. I tried to restart Firefox to attempt to delete again, but could not longer get into "Original Profile".

I was able to locate my profile folder. On the about:profile page I was able to see my old profile name included SSD which hinted that I had moved the profile to a new drive. I was able to move the "Profile Groups", "Profiles", "console.log", "installs.ini", and "profiles.ini" to a backup location. I was then able to recreate a profile with "firefox -p" and point it to the existing profile. Thank you @siffemcon and @rohankh your responses helped me get to a solution.

I'm curious @gaboma19 if your profile was stored in the standard Users/[User]/AppData/Roaming/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles folder or elsewhere. Wondering if perhaps the new profile manager isn't properly handling non-typical profile locations.

[jaf853925]

I painstakingly created 3 profiles in addition to the "Original" This was all done on the same computer --no sync involved just 4 profiles on one Firefox on one machine. I reopened the same app on the same computer and all of those profiles that I spent no small amount of time creating are gone. I read very carefully but obviously I have missed a step as this is totally unexpected. As I understand it only one profile can be affiliated with one email address and so syncing multiple profiles cannot be done via one account, but everything I read suggested that localized profile sandboxes should be durable. If someone could provide insight as to why all the profiles disappeared so that I do not repeat this experience, I would be grateful.

[siffemcon]

They won't show in about:profiles. Do they appear if you click FF menu > Profiles > Manage profiles?