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Firefox was my go-to 3 years ago because it was just lighter than Chrome (and easier on my battery). I still hate the fact that different browser profiles and

Firefox was my go-to 3 years ago because it was just lighter than Chrome (and easier on my battery). I still hate the fact that different browser profiles and profile switching aren't surfaced like they are in Chrome. I think it's such a major use case for modern web browsing, I find it hard to believe they aren't prioritizing it. (FWIW this isn't even supported in Safari, which I would have preferred using) I still keep it around because I love it's download manager, but I tend to use a lot of Google services, and out of habit, I stick to Chrome. (ps. I was an early Chrome adopter, so it's quite sticky with me)

chaosite 4y ago
Multi-Account Containers are like profiles, but in tabs instead of other windows. They're pretty great. It's an official Mozilla Firefox extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account-containers/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...
- ttctciyf 4y ago
  If I understand correctly, these only compartmentalise cookies and browsing history, whereas full profiles (via the -ProfileManager switch in Firefox) compartmentalise the whole browser config (add-ons, permissions, etc.) as well, which I think is much more useful.
  - matsemann 4y ago
    To me it's the opposite. I'd like the same browser config, use the same window, keep my bookmarks, history etc., just want different logins and website contexts. I love Firefox's implementation of containers, and find Chrome's way of doing profiles useless. But Firefox supports profiles as well if that's what you want, as you say. So best of both worlds.
  - doubled112 4y ago
    If you want to open 5 of the same website but with different accounts, containers are the way to go. The AWS console comes to mind. I don't want separate configs, just separate accounts. I have also used it as a proxy manager. Different proxy config in a different container.
  - lxgr 4y ago
    Both have their merits, in my opinion. Given that Firefox already has multi-profile support internally, it would only be a matter of adding a GUI similar to Chrome's to make it the best of both worlds.
  - chaosite 4y ago
    Yes, containers compartmentalise the web-facing side of the browser, not the user-facing side. This fits with my use case for profiles.
  - rovr138 4y ago
    Depends on usage. I use distinct profiles for testing, but during the day, I open versions of the site for personal and work for example. Or at work for different clients. It depends on workflow IMO. There are uses for both.
    - ttctciyf 4y ago
      Yes, perhaps I should have said 'more powerful'. Utility is definitely relative to usage.
ttctciyf 4y ago
I've been using a multi-profile setup in firefox for years, just by launching it with firefox --new-instance -ProfileManager %u which lets me pick a profile at startup, each with its own settings, cookies, history, and add-ons, etc.. This works fine for me, I don't really feel the need to launch into a different profile from the browser's own menu, if that's what you're referring to?
- nicoburns 4y ago
  Can you run multiple profiles at the same time using this approach?
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    Firefox doesn’t restrict how many profiles you run at the same time. You can start them either via -ProfileManager, or by going to about:profiles.
  - BeefWellington 4y ago
    The --new-instance flag lets you run multiple copies of even the same profile. https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/CommandLineOptions#-new-instance https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/CommandLineOptions#-new-ins...
    - ttctciyf 4y ago
      IME, starting Firefox with this flag, then (from the profile manager) picking an already-running profile, I get the fatal error: > Firefox is already running, but is not responding. To use Firefox, you must first close the existing Firefox process, restart your device, or use a different profile. So I guess it allows multiple instances but only with different profiles, at least on my system.
      - BeefWellington 4y ago
        If that's true (I haven't tested), then --no-remote is what you're looking for.
Piko 4y ago
Out of curiosity, what do you need different profiles for? Kids/SO?
- nicoburns 4y ago
  I have separate profiles for personal/work.
- wsgeorge 4y ago
  Work. I count 5 profiles on my current laptop. I like to compartmentalize my work/external projects, so I don't mix things like search histories, multiple Google accounts, etc. These are the profiles I currently have: 1. Default, personal. My personal Gmail and other sites. 2. Non-profit that I run, signed in to its Gmail and other email account, etc 3. 3 profiles for different volunteer/contract roles, each signed in to their Gmail and other accounts.
- ceejayoz 4y ago
  I use it when I need to log into multiple AWS accounts.
  - celsoazevedo 4y ago
    The official Container Tabs extension on Firefox seems to be perfect for that. You can login to different accounts on the same profile.
- ydant 4y ago
  One example - my shopping profile runs the extensions Rakuten/Honey to find coupon codes. I don't want those running on every single page I load outside of the shopping intent, so I use a separate profile. Firefox's containers don't allow for limiting extensions, so you have to use profiles. Chrome only has profiles.
sp332 4y ago
I think Container Tabs are a better fit for the way most people use multiple accounts online. Plus it enables the Facebook Container extension, which sandboxes all facebook-directed network requests so they can't track you across the web. And the third party Container Proxy extension lets you set different proxy setting for different containers. So your work tabs can use a different network route.
- celsoazevedo 4y ago
  Container Tabs are not a replacement for profiles though. It doesn't let you have different bookmarks, extensions, theme, etc, which doesn't work when you want to have a separation between work and personal stuff. Firefox already supports profiles, all it needs it's a simple UI to switch between them. Profiles + Containers (and everything that comes with them) would be perfect.
nodar86 4y ago
I use Firefox as my daily driver but I really miss user profiles and tab groups from Chrome. None of the tab related extensions for Firefox give quite the same ease of use as the built in tab groups do in Chrome.
- LamaOfRuin 4y ago
  As noted by others in this thread, you want the -ProfileManager flag when you start it. You should be able to either have it remember you always want the profile manager on startup, or change the application shortcut to always use the flag. It would be great if they made this more easily available though. It was the default once upon a time.
BeefWellington 4y ago
I hear you on profiles. My go-to for this is to use firejail or podman to keep truly separate browsers on all my alternate profiles.
chopin 4y ago
What's wrong with using about:profiles? Edit: you even can set it as bookmark into the toolbar.
- lxgr 4y ago
  Nothing really, it just feels like I'm "breaking glass" whenever I do it, so I end up using Chrome for the multi-profile use case. If Firefox was to add a similar GUI, I'd probably get by completely without Chrome.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  2 clicks instead of one. There’s an extension to make it one click, but it requires a helper app installed, which is not great.
mariusor 4y ago
This addon[1] is very, very close to the way chrome handles having different profiles. That is what I'm using to separate my work vs personal browsing. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profile-switcher/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profile-switc...
account-5 4y ago
Open new tab, type: "about:profiles" create as many profiles as you want. Or as others have said you can use tab containers or the profile manager switch.
Zurrrrr 4y ago
I don't think profiles are that important when most users have their own account these days.

chaosite 4y ago

Multi-Account Containers are like profiles, but in tabs instead of other windows. They're pretty great. It's an official Mozilla Firefox extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account-containers/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/multi-account...

ttctciyf 4y ago
If I understand correctly, these only compartmentalise cookies and browsing history, whereas full profiles (via the -ProfileManager switch in Firefox) compartmentalise the whole browser config (add-ons, permissions, etc.) as well, which I think is much more useful.
- matsemann 4y ago
  To me it's the opposite. I'd like the same browser config, use the same window, keep my bookmarks, history etc., just want different logins and website contexts. I love Firefox's implementation of containers, and find Chrome's way of doing profiles useless. But Firefox supports profiles as well if that's what you want, as you say. So best of both worlds.
- doubled112 4y ago
  If you want to open 5 of the same website but with different accounts, containers are the way to go. The AWS console comes to mind. I don't want separate configs, just separate accounts. I have also used it as a proxy manager. Different proxy config in a different container.
- lxgr 4y ago
  Both have their merits, in my opinion. Given that Firefox already has multi-profile support internally, it would only be a matter of adding a GUI similar to Chrome's to make it the best of both worlds.
- chaosite 4y ago
  Yes, containers compartmentalise the web-facing side of the browser, not the user-facing side. This fits with my use case for profiles.
- rovr138 4y ago
  Depends on usage. I use distinct profiles for testing, but during the day, I open versions of the site for personal and work for example. Or at work for different clients. It depends on workflow IMO. There are uses for both.
  - ttctciyf 4y ago
    Yes, perhaps I should have said 'more powerful'. Utility is definitely relative to usage.

ttctciyf 4y ago

I've been using a multi-profile setup in firefox for years, just by launching it with firefox --new-instance -ProfileManager %u which lets me pick a profile at startup, each with its own settings, cookies, history, and add-ons, etc.. This works fine for me, I don't really feel the need to launch into a different profile from the browser's own menu, if that's what you're referring to?

nicoburns 4y ago
Can you run multiple profiles at the same time using this approach?
- Semaphor 4y ago
  Firefox doesn’t restrict how many profiles you run at the same time. You can start them either via -ProfileManager, or by going to about:profiles.
- BeefWellington 4y ago
  The --new-instance flag lets you run multiple copies of even the same profile. https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/CommandLineOptions#-new-instance https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/CommandLineOptions#-new-ins...
  - ttctciyf 4y ago
    IME, starting Firefox with this flag, then (from the profile manager) picking an already-running profile, I get the fatal error: > Firefox is already running, but is not responding. To use Firefox, you must first close the existing Firefox process, restart your device, or use a different profile. So I guess it allows multiple instances but only with different profiles, at least on my system.
    - BeefWellington 4y ago
      If that's true (I haven't tested), then --no-remote is what you're looking for.

Piko 4y ago

Out of curiosity, what do you need different profiles for? Kids/SO?

nicoburns 4y ago
I have separate profiles for personal/work.
wsgeorge 4y ago
Work. I count 5 profiles on my current laptop. I like to compartmentalize my work/external projects, so I don't mix things like search histories, multiple Google accounts, etc. These are the profiles I currently have: 1. Default, personal. My personal Gmail and other sites. 2. Non-profit that I run, signed in to its Gmail and other email account, etc 3. 3 profiles for different volunteer/contract roles, each signed in to their Gmail and other accounts.
ceejayoz 4y ago
I use it when I need to log into multiple AWS accounts.
- celsoazevedo 4y ago
  The official Container Tabs extension on Firefox seems to be perfect for that. You can login to different accounts on the same profile.
ydant 4y ago
One example - my shopping profile runs the extensions Rakuten/Honey to find coupon codes. I don't want those running on every single page I load outside of the shopping intent, so I use a separate profile. Firefox's containers don't allow for limiting extensions, so you have to use profiles. Chrome only has profiles.

sp332 4y ago

I think Container Tabs are a better fit for the way most people use multiple accounts online. Plus it enables the Facebook Container extension, which sandboxes all facebook-directed network requests so they can't track you across the web. And the third party Container Proxy extension lets you set different proxy setting for different containers. So your work tabs can use a different network route.

celsoazevedo 4y ago
Container Tabs are not a replacement for profiles though. It doesn't let you have different bookmarks, extensions, theme, etc, which doesn't work when you want to have a separation between work and personal stuff. Firefox already supports profiles, all it needs it's a simple UI to switch between them. Profiles + Containers (and everything that comes with them) would be perfect.

nodar86 4y ago

I use Firefox as my daily driver but I really miss user profiles and tab groups from Chrome. None of the tab related extensions for Firefox give quite the same ease of use as the built in tab groups do in Chrome.

LamaOfRuin 4y ago
As noted by others in this thread, you want the -ProfileManager flag when you start it. You should be able to either have it remember you always want the profile manager on startup, or change the application shortcut to always use the flag. It would be great if they made this more easily available though. It was the default once upon a time.

BeefWellington 4y ago

I hear you on profiles. My go-to for this is to use firejail or podman to keep truly separate browsers on all my alternate profiles.

chopin 4y ago

What's wrong with using about:profiles? Edit: you even can set it as bookmark into the toolbar.

lxgr 4y ago
Nothing really, it just feels like I'm "breaking glass" whenever I do it, so I end up using Chrome for the multi-profile use case. If Firefox was to add a similar GUI, I'd probably get by completely without Chrome.
Semaphor 4y ago
2 clicks instead of one. There’s an extension to make it one click, but it requires a helper app installed, which is not great.

mariusor 4y ago

This addon[1] is very, very close to the way chrome handles having different profiles. That is what I'm using to separate my work vs personal browsing. [1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profile-switcher/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/profile-switc...

account-5 4y ago

Open new tab, type: "about:profiles" create as many profiles as you want. Or as others have said you can use tab containers or the profile manager switch.

Zurrrrr 4y ago

I don't think profiles are that important when most users have their own account these days.