Firefox resetting profiles after each launch. Keeps creating new install even if same version launched
Hello world,
This problem is sticking for a year now. We even switched to ESR thinking it will fixed the problem but to no avail. After a bunch of test, I've finally decided to post and ask for help. Tests have been done on macos 11.6 fresh vanilla install, no encryption (no filevault, I hate it), and Firefox 91.1.0esr (64 bits), but problem is the same since version 75 + (no problem seen on windows or linux) If I don't use Profiles Manager, at each launch of Firefox a new profile is created with no import from former profiles. If I do use Profiles Manager, I can keep on choosing my default profile, and no new ones are created, BUT new install is added to install.ini and profiles.ini. All tests have been done with the exact same firefox (i mean, application is the same and correctly installed in the /Applications of macos).
Here is the profiles.ini
[Install5A291CFD23D97DBF] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
[Profile0] Name=default-esr IsRelative=1 Path=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Default=1
[General] StartWithLastProfile=0 Version=1
[InstallF5B6C4E8673B7987] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
[Install7F9608401B386673] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
And the installs.ini
[5A291CFD23D97DBF] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
[F5B6C4E8673B7987] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
[7F9608401B386673] Default=Profiles/ucaeqkrb.default-esr Locked=1
As you can see each launch of Firefox created a new hash of installation (even if same it's always the same firefox version). As long as I choose my default profile in profiles manager, I can keep it. If I switch to default comportment, I will get a new profile at each launch (as it see en new install hash) and it will not import former profiles (even if it's from the same or an older version).
So I'm wandering, why Firefox keeps on adding a news install hash on each launch, and/or how can I prevent it from doing it.
Chosen solution
So someone else encountered this and it's because they didn't remove the quarantine bit before packaging Firefox.
You need to run
xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine Firefox.app
and then Firefox will not be quarantined and create a new profile
Read this answer in context 👍 1All Replies (8)
Are you somehow moving Firefox around? Those new installation hashes mean that firefox is in a different install directory.
You can set the environment variable MOZ_LEGACY_PROFILES on your macs and it won't do new profiles at all.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/understanding-depth-profile-installation
This can happen on Mac if you haven't installed Firefox properly.
Make sure you install Firefox properly and that you do not launch Firefox from the DMG (Disk Image) file.
Open the Firefox Disk Image file and drag the Firefox application to the Applications folder on your hard drive. You shouldn't double-click the Firefox application to run it from the Disk Image, but instead drag it out of the DMG folder.
Thanks both of you for your answers but unfortunately Firefox is cleanly installed in Application folder (through drag and drop) by an admin user, and problem hit any account (even the admin user who copied it originaly). By the way filesystem is APFS... might be the reason it "sees" a different install at each launch.
I've never had reports of any problem similar to this, so I'm at a loss on this one.
Setting the environment variable is the only idea I have.
Might be worth opening a bug at bugzilla.mozilla.org for this.
I give up... As bug touch only ESR version on mac, we switched back to latest release (wich doesn't have the bug). I can't believe there are so few people using ESR on macos. Steps to reproduce are simple Install vanilla macos (any from 10.13 to 11) on APFS volume Drag and drop Firefox ESR to Applications Folder (any ESR from 78.xx to 91.xx - latest at this day) Launch Firefox (ideally customize profiles as creating a bunch of bookmarks, and opting for personnal bar to show) Quit / relaunch / quit /relaunch, etc. After a couple of launch, new empty profile will be created. (easily seen, as former bookmark and options disappeared) Once bug hit, each new launch will create a new empty profile.
For now only workaround is to force profile manager at startup and choose the same profile (it then keeps that profile and never create a new empty one. Sorry I didn't open a bug at bugzilla.mozilla.org.
Can you go to about:support when this happens and give me the Application Binary (the 10th row).
It would be worthwhile to get a few of these to see if they are different.
We're all at a loss as to why this could be happening, unless the Firefox folder is being renamed.
I think it's worth opening a bug on bugzilla.mozilla.org since this seems to be a Firefox bug.
Chosen Solution
So someone else encountered this and it's because they didn't remove the quarantine bit before packaging Firefox.
You need to run
xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine Firefox.app
and then Firefox will not be quarantined and create a new profile
Thanks a lot Mike, that did it ! We were struggling for such a long time. Do you know how to inform macos "packaging" team of Firefox ESR ?