You probably should use multiple Windows user accounts. For your question the easiest method of solving it is to have a joint standard account on Windows. _{It is NOT possible for both you and your wife to use the same Firefox profile at the same time. Profiles are locked once in use, Firefox is not multi user as in two people using one profile at the same time} Rather difficult to give a short simple answer

The first account set up will usually be an account with Admin privileges use that only where necessary for admin tasks. Then your choice of self, wife, joint or maybe all three as standard accounts.

The use of accounts per person is optional, but useful not just to keep info private from the other account holder but for customisation. Unfortunately the use of non admin accounts is also optional. The use of standard accounts is helpful in decreasing the damage any malware (or an unlucky inept user) may cause to the system.

• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/why-standard-user-account#1TC=windows-7
• Tips and instructions http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/user-accounts-faq

To share Mozilla Firefox the simplest method is to both use the same Windows account (as explained above). Slightly different, not quite the same and intended to enable Firefox on different devices to share much of the same settings and data such as bookmarks is Firefox Sync

• How do I set up Sync on my computer?
• If you use Firefox sync to synchronise bookmarks it is also wise to manually backup bookmarks Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer

Using Two Email (webmail) accounts with both open at the same time. You may use either or both of your email accounts on Firefox. You may choose to whether or not to save the passwords for one or more accounts. Two webmail accounts are probably not expected & designed to be open at once. If you need to open your own webmail account, then you or your wife needs to open a 2nd webmail account and there is a problem with the webmail letting you do that the solution is to open a Private Browsing Window. The Webmail then does not see two accounts open and lets you open the second account.

• Private Browsing - Use Firefox without saving history

The profile manager method may; or may not; be appropriate as a solution. It depends what you are trying to achieve. For instance you may set up a profile for use by a second, or third person, or by yourself for an alternative purpose. On a joint windows account yourself and your wife could have separate Firefox profiles. Each profile allows that Firefox to be customised and have its own: paswords for logins to websites or email accounts, bookmarks, browsing history etc. All users of the account may use each profile.

Third party solution Its even possible to carry 'round Firefox on a memory stick, but I do not think that is what you are asking.

Hi John -- I must not have presented my problem clearly enough.

We have 2 separate computers . One a lap top the other a desk top.

Each of us can use either computer & have our own Windows log in password which is common to each computer. We mainly use Internet Explorer & I have only recently started using Firefox. We both use Windows Mail for email. If necessary I can log in to wife' A/C to access her emails & she can do the same to access my emails etc.

I simply downloaded Firefox on both computers when I was logged in using MY Windows Password. No passwords or anything else has been set up & I just use to access the Net as required. My Bookmarks from I/Net Explorer are accessible. So Firefox is available to ME when I log on to either Computer.

THE PROBLEM -- If my wife is logged on to either computer using her own Windows Log on Password Firefox is NOT VISABLE on her desktop screen.

How do I make Firefox available for her to use when she is logged on? NB: There is NO suggestion of using the same Firefox profile -I haven't even set up one for myself .

If it is done through Sync can you please tell me in simple steps how to do it as I've tries but didn't work so must have done something wrong?

Thanks again

Have I got it right? You both have your own user-id on both of your computers. In that case you have to log in to her user-id and set up her profile. She cant access your personal space from her login and vice-versa.

Make a shortcut on her desktop to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" And you have a profile, it's in your %appdata% You can't see it unless you have enabled "show hidden files, maps, units" (my free translation from swedish)

Sorry for the initial confusion. I was reading too much into your first question, and trying to cover all bases. Gnospen's answers may have already solved your issues, but if not may be the following helps.

First off a Firefox profile is always set up and used, but that is irrelevant. Ordinarily this process is transparent to the user. It just happens as Firefox is set up, and most users do not really need to know about it. It is of concern normally only to advanced user or for troubleshooting purposes. One of those advanced uses would be running separate profiles for two persons within one computer's Windows account. I initially thought you may be trying to do that.

If I now understand correctly. I now think the only things you are trying to do are

1. Install Firefox in your wife's Windows accounts. So that your wife may use Firefox.
2. Have your wife use the two email accounts from Firefox. In much the same way as you already use both email accounts yourself without any problems.

There is no need to share Firefox profiles, use Firefox Sync, Private Browsing, or anything else complicated to achieve this.

Second point all you need to do is ask your wife to install Firefox

• Please follow the instructions in this article
  How to install Firefox on Windows
  • Ask your wife to do that from her own computer and her own accounts. (Or you do it for your wife but using her accounts and any Windows passwords)
  • Note Standard installs do setup a shortcut to start Firefox.

Additionally If you have been using Internet Explorer (IE) you may have some favourites set up and saved on IE. Firefox calls these bookmarks. You should be able to copy that information to Firefox as part of the install process. Or as a separate process at a later date. See

• Import Internet Explorer Favorites from another computer
• Use bookmark folders to organize your bookmarks
• Also see these articles (with screenshots an video clips) https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/products/firefox/get-started/bookmarks -> https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/create-bookmarks-save-your-favorite-webpages
• And as more basics you may be interested in https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/tour/

Thanks John - just installing Firefox from wife's account was the easy solution and all that was needed. I didn't do that initially as I thought it a waste of disc space. Looks like it doesn't take up much space anyway.

Best Regards & thanks also to Gnospen for his suggestions.

Glad it worked, thanks for posting back.

I am not using Windows at present but it possibly uses smoke and mirrors, and when installing Firefox from an Admin account, installs the one copy of Firefox program files, but additional copies of the profiles because each user account needs its own profile.