shortcut for different profiles

[80]

i have switched from chrome since past 1 month and firefox is just better. the only thing i did not find easy is the option for having multiple profiles to be used at ease, could be better if there was one to easily access seperate profiles for work and home

[kingojh]

Wow, good news! Looks great

[ITtechCA]

Thank YOU guys, @Jon a straight link to it wouldn't hurt, it will be really appreciated instead Get our NEW Firefox Nightly with Profiles and i wanted to share my experience because i found a little bug 🤖 First it opened with a (default profile(NO NAME)) so i created one, and when tried to sign in to synchronize my data it said that i was already using that account in another profile, (But while selected it didn't specified a name, so i tried to name it but it couldn't because i had already created a profile with that name so i had to delete the one i had just created waited 1 minute and renamed the default profile as i wanted and then it worked just fine, one suggestion, Once you get into the PROFILES options it should create an external link in the Applications folder like it was known and specified in the extensive explanation we were all used to JUST TO MAKE IT SIMPLER, just saying. 

Start the Profile Manager when Firefox is closed

1. If Firefox is open, close Firefox: Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.
2. Using Finder, navigate to /Applications/Utilities.
3. Open the Terminal application.
4. In the Terminal application, enter the following:
   /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -P
   
   Note: If your Firefox application is in a location other than /Applications/Firefox.app/, adjust the entry.

Out of that, THANKS AGAIN for listening and making it happen. cheers 🤗

[DP9Hb]

Well, I'm still waiting this for normal Firefox, not Nightly version.😐 Dunno why it taking so long, Chrome has this function for years...

[Jon]

(Note: similar ideas have been merged into this thread)

[Competitive_Tax]

For anyone that is looking for this before the native profile system is implemented. You can create a shortcut with the target path being: "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -ProfileSwitcher

This will open a window for you to choose the profile you want.

[DBanti]

Proposal for Firefox: Introducing a User Profiles Feature Like Chrome

Mozilla Firefox is known for its focus on privacy, security, and customization. However, one feature that would significantly enhance the user experience is a built-in User Profiles system, similar to Google Chrome. This feature would allow multiple users to maintain separate browsing environments within the same Firefox installation.

Why Firefox Needs User Profiles

1. Separation of Personal and Work Activities

   • Many users juggle personal, professional, and other browsing needs.
   • A dedicated profile for work can have specific bookmarks, extensions, and cookies, while a personal profile can remain clutter-free.

2. Multi-User Households

   • Families sharing a computer often have different browsing habits and preferences.
   • Instead of logging in and out of separate accounts, profiles would allow quick switching between individual setups.

3. Enhanced Productivity for Power Users

   • Developers, researchers, and professionals can maintain different profiles tailored for specific projects or workflows.
   • Example: A web developer could have one profile with development tools and another for general browsing.

4. Privacy and Security Benefits

   • A guest profile can be used when sharing a computer with someone, keeping personal data safe.
   • Different profiles can have distinct privacy settings (e.g., one profile with strict tracking protection, another for more open browsing).

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Proposed Features for Firefox User Profiles

1. Profile Management Interface

• A dedicated Profile Manager accessible from the main menu or startup screen.
• Option to create, delete, rename, and customize profiles.
• Sync options for each profile (users can choose whether to sync a profile with their Firefox account).

2. Profile Switching from the Toolbar

• A clickable profile icon in the Firefox toolbar (similar to Chrome’s user icon).
• Dropdown menu showing available profiles with quick-switch functionality.
• Option to open a profile in a new window for better organization.

3. Separate Data Storage for Each Profile

• Each profile should have its own:
  • Bookmarks
  • Browsing history
  • Extensions and settings
  • Cookies and login sessions
  • Cache and saved passwords (optional sync)

4. Profile Sync and Cloud Backup

• Users can sync specific profiles with their Firefox account.
• Each profile can have independent sync settings (e.g., work profile syncs only bookmarks, while personal profile syncs everything).

5. Guest Mode & Temporary Profiles

• A Guest Mode that allows temporary browsing without affecting existing profiles.
• After closing the guest session, all data should be wiped automatically.
• This is useful when lending a computer to a friend or using a shared system.

6. Customization for Each Profile

• Users should be able to set:
  • Themes and colors for quick visual identification of different profiles.
  • Startup behavior (e.g., open last used profile, show a profile selection screen, or always start in a specific profile).

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How This Aligns with Firefox’s Mission

• User Choice & Control: Users get more control over their browsing experience.
• Privacy-First Approach: Profiles can help compartmentalize data, preventing cross-profile tracking.
• Productivity & Convenience: Making Firefox a better tool for work, study, and everyday browsing.

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Conclusion

Adding a User Profiles feature would make Firefox more versatile, appealing to a broader range of users, including families, professionals, and privacy-conscious individuals. It would help Firefox compete more effectively with Chrome while staying true to its core values of privacy and user empowerment.

I highly encourage the Firefox team to consider this feature and look forward to its potential implementation! 🚀

[Jon]

(Note: similar ideas have been merged into this thread)

[Jon]

@DBanti thanks for the suggestion. Good news, this is actually being worked on right now and available to test in Firefox Nightly - check out this post to learn more + see a demo: Try out Firefox Profiles in Nightly