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Profile Missing/ inaccesible

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  • 0 have this problem
  • 18 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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Recently did a Firefox upgrade following which I kept getting above message (am running Windows 10)...had not MOVED any files/ folders & only changes had been made by Firefox upgrade itself!

Tried reinstalling Firefox web browser to rectify problem...no change, still kept getting same message & eventually had to do a System restore to retrieve my Firefox web browser ( fortunately had a restore point from just a couple of days previously as had only recently installed the Firefox browser.)

Firefox browser now running but not performing in QUITE the same way as previously (not pre empting web addresses & such in my private browsing window).

Is there a compatibilty problem with Windows 10 & Firefox web browser?...& what should I do if so?

Please make answer simple, am no IT expert I'm afraid!

Recently did a Firefox upgrade following which I kept getting above message (am running Windows 10)...had not MOVED any files/ folders & only changes had been made by Firefox upgrade itself! Tried reinstalling Firefox web browser to rectify problem...no change, still kept getting same message & eventually had to do a System restore to retrieve my Firefox web browser ( fortunately had a restore point from just a couple of days previously as had only recently installed the Firefox browser.) Firefox browser now running but not performing in QUITE the same way as previously (not pre empting web addresses & such in my private browsing window). Is there a compatibilty problem with Windows 10 & Firefox web browser?...& what should I do if so? Please make answer simple, am no IT expert I'm afraid!

All Replies (3)

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Found it very confusing so unable to follow & don't wish to end up in a bigger mess now that I've done a system restore to at least recover Firefox browser!

Thanks anyway

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Using System Restore can cause your Firefox installation to get corrupted because only white-listed files are restored, so always be cautious with using System Restore.

  • You may lose data in the Firefox profile folder like .js and .ini files
  • You may need to reinstall affected software

You need to locate the profiles.ini file and delete this file or use the Profile Manager to create a new profile.

See:


This issue is caused by a problem with the profiles.ini file or with the permissions (owner) of involved folders.

You can use one of these to make Firefox create a new default profile or recover an existing profile:

  • Delete the profiles.ini file to make Firefox create a new (default) profile
  • Use the Profile Manager to create a new profile
    If you still have an existing profile then click "Choose Folder" in the Profile Manager and browse to the location of a lost profile to recover this profile
    https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Managing+profiles

You should find the profiles.ini file in this hidden location:

  • Windows: %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\
    *C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\
  • Mac: *~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/
  • Linux: *~/.mozilla/firefox/

If clearing the profiles.ini file isn't working then also check the location of the cache files.

  • Windows: *C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>\
  • Mac: *~/Library/Caches/Firefox/Profiles/
  • Linux:*~/.cache/mozilla/firefox/

You can also try to rename/delete the Mozilla\Firefox\ folder in both above mentioned locations (main, cache).