How to transfer your profile to Firefox. How to create a new profile in Mozilla? How to find your profile without opening firefox

During operation Mozilla Firefox the browser accumulates various important information, such as bookmarks, browsing history, cache, cookies, etc. All this data is stored in the Firefox profile. Today we will look at how to transfer a Mozilla Firefox profile.

Considering that the Mozilla Firefox profile stores all the user’s information about the use of the browser, many users are interested in the question of how the profile transfer procedure is carried out to subsequently restore information in Mozilla Firefox on another computer.

Step 1: Create a new Firefox profile

Please note that the transfer of information from the old profile must be carried out in new profile, which has not yet begun to be used (this is necessary in order to avoid problems with the browser).

To proceed to creating a new Firefox profile, you will need to close the browser and then open the window "Run" key combination Win+R . A miniature window will appear on the screen in which you will need to enter the following command:

firefox.exe -P

A small profile management window will appear on the screen, in which you will need to click on the button "Create" to proceed to creating a new profile.

A window will appear on the screen in which you will need to complete the creation of a new profile. If necessary, during the process of creating a profile, you can change its standard name to make it easier to find the profile you need if you suddenly use several of them in one Firefox browser.

Stage 2: Copying information from the old profile

Now comes the main stage - copying information from one profile to another. You will need to go to the old profile folder. If you use it in your browser in this moment, launch Firefox, click on the Internet browser menu button in the upper right area, and then click on the question mark icon in the lower area of ​​the browser window.

In the same area, an additional menu will appear in which you will need to open the section "Information for problem solving" .

When a new window appears on the screen, next to the item "Profile folder" click the button "Show folder" .

The contents of the profile folder, which contains all the accumulated information, will be displayed on the screen.

Please note that you will not need to copy the entire profile folder, but only the data that you need to restore in another profile. The more data you transfer, the higher the likelihood of problems in Mozilla work Firefox.

The following files are responsible for the data accumulated by the browser:

• places.sqlite – this file stores bookmarks, downloads and browsing history accumulated in the browser;
• logins.json and key3.db– these files are responsible for the saved passwords. If you want to recover passwords in a new Firefox profile, then you need to copy both files;
• permissions.sqlite– individual settings specified for websites;
• persdict.dat– user dictionary;
• formhistory.sqlite– autofill data;
• cookies.sqlite– saved cookies;
• cert8.db– information about imported security certificates for protected resources;
• mimeTypes.rdf– information about what Firefox does when loading different types files.

Step 3: Insert information into a new profile

When you have copied the necessary information from the old profile, all you have to do is transfer it to the new one. To do this, open the folder with the new profile, as described above.

Please note that when copying information from one profile to another, the Mozilla Firefox web browser must be closed.

You will need to replace the required files, having first deleted the unnecessary ones from the new profile folder. Once the replacement of information is complete, you can close the profile folder and you can launch Firefox.

All changes made in Firefox such as Homepage, the panels you use, the extensions you have installed, your bookmarks and saved passwords are stored in a special folder called a “profile”. Your profile folder is stored separately from executables Firefox files, so if something goes wrong with Firefox, your information will always be saved. This also means that you can uninstall Firefox without losing your settings, and that you don't have to reinstall Firefox to remove information or fix a problem.

How can I find my profile?

How to find a profile without opening Firefox

Firefox saves your profile folder on your computer, by default in this location:
C:\Users\ \AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
Windows hides the AppData folder by default, but you can find your profile folder like this:

Click on the icon Finder in the dock. In the menu bar, click on the Go menu, and while holding option key or alt , select Library . A window will open containing your Library folder.

1. Open the Application Support folder, in it open the Firefox folder, and in it open the Profiles folder.
2. Your profile folder is located inside this folder. If you have only one profile, its folder will be named "default".

1. (Ubuntu) Open the Go menu at the top left of the screen and select Home Folder. A File Browser window will appear.
2. Open the View menu and select Show hidden files , if it is not already marked.
3. Double click on the .mozilla folder.
4. If you have only one profile, its folder will be named "default".

What information is stored in my profile?

Note: Is not full list. Only important information is provided.

• Bookmarks, downloads and browsing history: The places.sqlite file contains all your Firefox bookmarks, lists of all the files you've downloaded and all the websites you've visited. The bookmarkbackups folder stores backup files bookmarks, which can be used to restore bookmarks. The favicons.sqlite file contains the favicons for your Firefox bookmarks. For getting additional information Read the articles How to Use Bookmarks to Remember and Organize Your Favorite Sites and Restoring Bookmarks from a Backup or Transferring Them to Another Computer.
• Passwords: Your passwords are stored in the key4.db and logins.json files. For more information, read the article Saved Passwords - Remember, delete, edit passwords in Firefox.
• Site-specific settings: The permissions.sqlite and content-prefs.sqlite files store many of Firefox's permissions (such as which sites are allowed to open pop-up windows) or zoom levels that are set on a per-site basis (read Font Size and Page Scale - Make Your Web Pages Size Larger).
• Search engines: The file search.json.mozlz4 contains search engines installed by the user. For more information, read the article Add or remove search engines in Firefox.
• Personal dictionary: The persdict.dat file contains all the additional words you have added to the Firefox dictionary. For more information, read the article How to check spelling in Firefox? .
• Autofill fields: The formhistory.sqlite file remembers what you searched for in the Firefox search bar and what information you entered into fields on websites. For more information, read the article Manage forms to autofill with your information in Firefox.
• Cookies: Cookies are small pieces of data stored on your computer by websites you visit. Usually this is something like site settings or login status. All cookies are stored in the cookies.sqlite file.
• DOM storage: DOM storage is intended to provide a larger, safer, and easier-to-use alternative to storing information in cookies. The information is stored in the webappsstore.sqlite file for websites and in the chromeappsstore.sqlite file for about:* pages.
• Extensions: The extensions folder, if it exists, stores files for all the extensions you have installed. To learn more about Firefox extensions and other add-ons, see Find and install add-ons to add features to Firefox.
• Security certificate settings: The cert9.db file contains all of your security certificate settings and all the SSL certificates that you imported into Firefox.
• Security device settings: The pkcs11.txt file stores the configuration of the security modules.
• Actions when downloading files: The handlers.json file contains your settings, which tell Firefox what to do when it sees certain file types. For example, these settings tell Firefox to open PDF files with Acrobat Reader when you click on them. For more information, see Change what Firefox does when you click or download a file.
• Saved session: The sessionstore.jsonlz4 file stores the currently open tabs and windows. For more information, read the article Restoring a previous session - Setting when Firefox displays your most recent tabs and windows.
• Toolbar settings: The xulstore.json file stores toolbar settings and window positions/sizes. For more information read the article

Hello to everyone who has visited the site for Internet beginners. On the pages of our resource we talked about Mozilla browser Firefox, how to install it, its settings, etc. For more details, see dedicated to this topic. Today we will look at what a profile is, how to find it, what files are in it and what they are responsible for.

During the installation of the browser, a special folder is created in which all our information will be stored in the future: sessions, passwords, bookmarks, installed extensions, various panels and much more. This folder is called " profile».

It is stored separately from everyone else program files browser. This means that you can safely uninstall and reinstall Mozilla Firefox. Your profile data will be saved. Or vice versa, if you have a problem, then you do not have to delete the browser, but simply delete the profile and thus solve your problem.

Where is the firefox profile located

There are two ways to find out where the firefox profile folder is located. Let's look at them.

Using a browser. We launch it, open the main menu and click on the small icon with a question mark.

This way we will open a help desk.

And go to " Problem Solving Information».

The Mozilla Firefox details page will appear in front of us. In the column "" click on the button " Show folder" In a second it will open in front of you. All your information from this browser is stored here.

You can go to this profile folder without opening Firefox - keyboard shortcuts Win and R (Win + R). When using them, the window “ Execute»

Enter the following command: “ %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\" and click "Ok". Explorer will open, where the profile folder will be indicated, in which the word default will be indicated, approximately in this format (xxxxxxxxx.default-00000000000).

What is stored in the Mozilla Firefox profile

Now let's look at what exactly is stored in the profile folder.

Bookmarks, history, data about downloaded files are contained in the file places.sqlite

All backups your bookmarks are stored in a folder bookmarkbackups. In order to restore bookmarks from a backup copy, open your browser, click on the button Import and backups

You can use another way to save bookmarks -.

Data about passwords, which you save in the browser are stored in files logins.json And key3.db

For sites such as: where and what pop-ups to show are in the files permissions.sqlite And content-prefs.sqlite

List of installed search engines displays the file search.json.mozlz4

File formhistory.sqlite contains data about your search or what you entered on various sites. Created for autofill form fields on resources.

An alternative to cookies is storage DOM, it is larger in volume, safe. The file is responsible for storing information webappsstore.sqlite

All extension data that you installed in the browser are stored in the folder extensions

If you installed security certificates and SSL, then all their settings are stored in a file cert8.db

Database protective modules stored in secmod.db

File mimeTypes.rdf tells the browser what to do boot actions this or that file. For example, open a file in .pdf format in Acrobat Reader

All information about MIME types installed plugins contained in the file pluginreg.dat

Location settings toolbars, window sizes and positions are stored in xulstore.json

All browser settings that we ourselves set in the Settings window are saved in a file prefs.js

We have reviewed the most important data for saving and restoring. So, today we learned what a profile is, where it is located and what is in it.

Let's end this today. Next time we'll talk about how to manage passwords in Mozilla Firefox. See you again!

Everyone is unhappy exactly as much as he considers himself unhappy.

Giacomo Leopardi

Firefox saves your personal information such as bookmarks, passwords, and user preferences in a set of files called yours, which is stored in a separate location from the Firefox program files. You can have multiple Firefox profiles, each containing a separate set of user information. The Profile Manager allows you to create, remove, rename, and switch profiles.

• If you have (or plan to have) multiple installations of Firefox on one computer, see Dedicated profiles per Firefox installation .
• If you are troubleshooting a problem with Firefox: The Refresh Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its default state while saving your essential information. Consider using it before going through a lengthy troubleshooting process.

Table of Contents

Starting the Profile Manager

Manage profiles when Firefox is open

Type about:profiles into the address bar and press the EnterReturn key. This will open the About Profiles page.

The following options are available:

To manage profiles, find the profile you want to change and choose from these buttons underneath that profile:

• Rename Click this to change the name of a profile in the Profile Manager. Note: The folder containing the files for the profile is not renamed.

• Set as default profile This option allows you to switch profiles. Click this to make Firefox use this profile by default at startup.

• Launch profile in new browser When you click this, another Firefox window will open using that profile.

Start the Profile Manager when Firefox is closed

Note: Another way to start the Profile Manager is from the Search box in the Windows Start menu. Close Firefox (if open), press , type firefox.exe -P and press enter.

If the above instructions do not work or if you have multiple installations of Firefox, use the following instructions instead.

Multiple Firefox installations

You can have multiple Firefox programs installed in different locations. To start the Profile Manager for a specific Firefox installation, replace firefox.exe in the above instructions with the full path to the Firefox program, enclose that line in quotes, then add a space followed by -P.

Examples:
Firefox (32-bit) on 64-bit Windows
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P

Removing a profile

After starting the Profile Manager as explained above, you can remove an existing profile as follows:

Renaming a profile

After starting the Profile Manager as explained above, you can rename a profile as follows:

1. In the Profile Manager, select the profile to rename, and then click Rename Profile... .
2. Enter the new name for the profile. Type in the new profile name, and click on OK .
   • Note: The folder containing the files for the profile is not renamed.

Options

Work Offline

Choosing this option loads the selected profile and starts Firefox without connecting to the Internet. You can view previously viewed web pages and experiment with your profile.

Use the selected profile without asking at startup

When you have multiple profiles, this option tells Firefox what to do at startup:

• If you check this option, Firefox will automatically load the selected profile at startup. To access other profiles, you must start the Profile Manager first.
• If you uncheck this option, Firefox will show you the Profile Manager each time you start Firefox, so that you can select a profile to use.

Use Sync with a new profile

When you first open Firefox in a new profile, a Welcome to Firefox page will open, with a space to enter your email address.

Firefox has its own profile system that works like a Chrome user account switcher. Each profile has its own bookmarks, settings, extensions, browser history, cookies and other data. For example, you can create a profile for work and a separate profile for personal use.

Mozilla hides Firefox's profile manager without making it a prominent part of the interface, like in Chrome, for example. But, if you want to use different browser profiles with your own settings and data, Firefox allows this.

Containers with multiple accounts in Firefox

Mozilla has another, more streamlined solution if you just want to keep parts of your browser separate from each other. The extension is called "Firefox Multi-Account Containers" and it is made by Mozilla themselves. This extension allows you to select a "Container" for each open tab. For example, you can launch tabs in the "Work" container when you are working, and the "Personal" container when you are not working. So, if you have a separate set of work accounts and personal accounts, then you can simply switch between containers without logging in and out of each website.

While this doesn't completely replace the need for profiles (bookmarks, browser history, and extensions are shared between containers), it does allow you to have a separate login state and cookies for each container.

How to create profiles and switch between them

Mozilla Firefox now allows you to manage profiles while running, without the need to use the Profile Manager available in older versions. To access this feature, enter " about:profiles" in the Firefox address bar, and then press Enter. You can bookmark this page for easier access in the future if you wish.

If you haven't looked at Firefox profiles before, you'll probably be using the "default" profile.

To create a new profile, click the “Create New Profile” button.

In the New Profile Wizard window that appears, provide a descriptive name for the new profile so you can remember what it is for. For example, you can name it "Work Profile" if it is for work.

To launch Firefox with a new profile, first click the "Set as default profile" button in the profile. Once it becomes your default profile, close all open windows Firefox browser and restart Firefox. It will launch with the default profile selected.

To switch back to a different profile, go to Profiles again: click "Set as Default Profile" for the profile you want to use, and then restart Firefox.

If you no longer need a profile, you can click the "Delete" button to remove it from your system. Please note that this will delete all data stored in your profile, including its bookmarks, saved passwords and extensions.

How to use multiple profiles at once

You may have noticed that on the “About Profiles” page there is a button “Launch another browser with this profile.” However, this button does nothing when using the default Firefox configuration for handling profiles. By default Firefox runs only one profile at a time. You need to close and restart your browser to switch between profiles. But by slightly changing the shortcut you use to launch it, Firefox can launch multiple profiles at the same time.

To enable multiple Firefox profiles at once, you must launch Firefox with the option -no-remote. To do this, you need to edit the shortcut in the Taskbar, Desktop, or Start menu, which is usually used to launch Firefox.

For example, if you use the taskbar shortcut to launch Firefox, right-click the Firefox icon in the taskbar, right-click "Mozilla Firefox" in the pop-up menu, and select Properties.

In the Properties window, on the Shortcut tab, place the cursor at the very end of the text in the Object field, and then add -no-remote to the end of the text. The Object field should look something like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -no-remote

Close any open Firefox browser windows, and then relaunch Firefox using the shortcut you just changed. When you do this, you can return to the page about:profiles and click the “Launch another browser with this profile” button. Firefox will open a new browser window with the selected profile.

Using the old profile manager

You can also do everything we talked about with the old Firefox Profile Manager if you want. It also allows you to create custom shortcuts that open the Firefox Profile Manager and launch Firefox with specific profiles if you want.

First, you need to close Firefox completely. Then you need to launch Firefox with the key -p.

• On Windows: Press Windows + R, type firefox.exe -p in the Run window that appears, and then press Enter.
• On Mac: open a terminal window - press Command + Space, type Terminal and press Enter to do this from Spotlight. IN command line enter /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin -profilemanage r and press Enter.
• On Linux: open a terminal and run firefox -profilemanager command.

You will see the Select User Profile dialog box. By default, one user profile named “default” will be created. You can use this window to create additional profiles, rename existing ones, and delete them.

If you want to always see a profile selection when you launch Firefox, allowing you to select a profile every time you click on the Firefox shortcut without using a special command, you can disable "Launch selected profile without prompting." This will cause Firefox to ask which profile you want to use until you enable this option.

At least one profile is required to use Firefox. Each profile has its own settings, extensions, bookmarks, history, cookies and everything else. Keep this in mind. If you delete the default profile, you will lose all Firefox browser data (unless you use Firefox Sync).

When you create a new profile, you can give it any name you want. The wizard will show you where the profile will be stored. By default, they are placed in your Firefox profiles folder. account user with a prefix of eight random letters and numbers.

Select a profile and click Launch Firefox to launch Firefox with the selected profile. When you first launch Firefox with a new profile, you will see a welcome message.

Close Firefox and open it again to switch between profiles. If you have disabled the "Launch selected profile without prompting" option, Firefox will ask which profile you want to use before launching. You can also leave this checked and launch Firefox using the switch -p or -profilemanager to access the hidden profile manager whenever you want.

For ease of use, you can create a shortcut that will also open Firefox using the profile manager. For example, on Windows, you can create a copy of the Mozilla Firefox shortcut on your desktop, rename it "Mozilla Firefox - Profile Manager" and then add a space and -p to the end of the text in “Object”. This shortcut will now open Firefox using Profile Manager, assuming Firefox is completely closed when the shortcut is launched.

By default, Firefox doesn't work like Chrome. He wants you to use one profile at a time. However, if you want, you can use several profiles at once.

To do this you just need to launch Firefox using the key -no-remote. You can do this in the Run dialog or terminal, or simply modify an existing Firefox shortcut. For example, if you created a profile manager shortcut, you could simply add -no-remote to make it work -p -no-remote at the end of the Object field.

Launch Firefox using this switch, in other words, double-click the shortcut you just created, and it won't check to see if Firefox is already running. Instead, it will ask which profile you want to use, and create a new Firefox process with that profile.

You can use this process to open Firefox with any number of different profiles, although each profile can only be used by one copy of Firefox at a time. If you try to open the same profile a second time while it is already running, you will see an error that the profile is already in use.

Note. If you see a profile usage error while Firefox is closed, you may need to visit the task manager and kill the firefox.exe process from there, force closing it if it is running in the background.

Everything should work as you expected. However, while Chrome does make it easy to see the profile you're using in its interface, Firefox doesn't make this information very visible. To do this, you can set a different theme for each profile to visually differentiate them.

If you ever need to figure out which profile you're using, you can find that information on the " about:profiles».

You don't need to use Profile Manager to troubleshoot problems with your Firefox profile. Instead, you can use the "Reset Firefox" feature to get Firefox browser with the original settings without losing important things.