Creating separate Firefox profiles on different user accounts
Hello,
I am wondering it this is possible - I have a Windows 10 laptop that needs to be upgraded to V202H and I am told that the upgrade will probably delete all of my current programs and settings - including my Firefox install and all bookmarks. To help recover from that, I wanted to know if it would be possible to set up an alternate Firefox in a not often used local account on my Windows 7 laptop and then sync the two so that after the upgrade, I can download Firefox again onto the Win 10 laptop and then sync it back so that I can get all of my bookmarks and settings for FF back onto the Win 10 laptop.
I don't want to sync it with the Firefox that I use in my regular Win 7 user account since that has a separate set of bookmarks and settings that I wouldn't want to change. I just wanted a way to "hold" all of the Win 10 Firefox stuff and "reinstall" it, and had thought that sync might be a way to do that.
If that won't work, is there a way to transfer the entire FF profile over to a new install on that laptop once it is upgraded?
Thanks for any help! Much appreciated!
Chosen solution
You can create a new profile, but Sync only covers a subset of your data so keeping a backup of your profile or possibly transplanting files would be more complete. For best results, keep your Windows user name the same between Windows 7 and Windows 10.
Creating a Second Profile
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Take a quick glance at the page and make a mental note of which Profile has this notation: This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. That is your current default profile.
Click the "Create a New Profile" button, then click Next. Assign a name like Win7, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
Firefox will switch your default profile to the new one, so click the Set as Default Profile button for your regular one to avoid an unwanted surprise at your next startup.
Scroll down to Win7 and click its Launch profile in new browser button.
Firefox should open a new window that looks like a brand new, uncustomized installation. (Your existing Firefox window(s) should not be affected.) Only log in to your separate Firefox Account in this profile to avoid merging data/settings.
When you are done with the experiment, you can close the extra window without affecting your regular Firefox profile. (Win7 will remain available for future use.)
Backing up Your Profile Folder
You can copy the entire folder. Note: By default, the AppData folder is hidden, so to ease the process, I suggest setting Windows to show hidden files and folders:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files
Then check out this article: Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles
Please check the folder and make sure it contains a bookmarkbackups folder with up-to-date files. Otherwise, you might have copied the wrong folder.
Transplanting a Profile Backup
Please check the steps in the following post for more info -- note that your source folder location may be on a USB flash or hard drive rather than in a C:\Windows.old folder, depending how how your upgrade works:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1321847#answer-1383963
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Chosen Solution
You can create a new profile, but Sync only covers a subset of your data so keeping a backup of your profile or possibly transplanting files would be more complete. For best results, keep your Windows user name the same between Windows 7 and Windows 10.
Creating a Second Profile
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Take a quick glance at the page and make a mental note of which Profile has this notation: This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. That is your current default profile.
Click the "Create a New Profile" button, then click Next. Assign a name like Win7, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
Firefox will switch your default profile to the new one, so click the Set as Default Profile button for your regular one to avoid an unwanted surprise at your next startup.
Scroll down to Win7 and click its Launch profile in new browser button.
Firefox should open a new window that looks like a brand new, uncustomized installation. (Your existing Firefox window(s) should not be affected.) Only log in to your separate Firefox Account in this profile to avoid merging data/settings.
When you are done with the experiment, you can close the extra window without affecting your regular Firefox profile. (Win7 will remain available for future use.)
Backing up Your Profile Folder
You can copy the entire folder. Note: By default, the AppData folder is hidden, so to ease the process, I suggest setting Windows to show hidden files and folders:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files
Then check out this article: Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles
Please check the folder and make sure it contains a bookmarkbackups folder with up-to-date files. Otherwise, you might have copied the wrong folder.
Transplanting a Profile Backup
Please check the steps in the following post for more info -- note that your source folder location may be on a USB flash or hard drive rather than in a C:\Windows.old folder, depending how how your upgrade works:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1321847#answer-1383963
Thanks so much for the very detailed reply! I'll check into the links you provided and post back if I have any additional questions. Your help is much appreciated!