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I've been using multiple profiles in Chrome for years for keeping things separate… right up until my company started using Google's centralized browser/device m

I've been using multiple profiles in Chrome for years for keeping things separate… right up until my company started using Google's centralized browser/device management which infects the entire browser not just the single profile that is tied to my corporate Google account. Specifically, they forced a homepage setting browser-wide that can not be changed on a per-profile basis. So multiple profiles are seemingly difficult to get right/fully isolated. I hope Firefox doesn't have similar limitations.

pleb_nz 2y ago
Firefox does have profiles and has had for as long as I’ve needed them. For some reason they’ve always been hidden away and needed different args on start to change the profile being started, or the use of an extension to allow profile switching. I don’t use them anymore but from what I remember they worked well and were very isolated. Hopefully they’re using the current implementation and just making it more user friendly?
- worble 2y ago
  You can use the url about:profiles to manage profiles too, which is still hidden away and not a great UI, but at least you don't need to use an extension or the command line.
- akdor1154 2y ago
  As of a recent update, the Profile Manager is available as a startup option if you right click the ff icon (on gnome at least, i assume this was implemented cross platform)
  - lxgr 2y ago
    It's definitely not an option on macOS, at least. Holding the "option" key is even somewhat of an UI convention on macOS to allow opening an alternative media library (e.g. for Photos, Music aka iTunes etc.), yet Firefox maps it to "startup in safe mode".
  - yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago
    It's not just a GNOME thing, but it might not be that cross-platform. On Linux, there's a firefox.desktop file that describes the application to your DE/launcher, and it looks like this on my box: [Desktop Entry] Actions=new-private-window;new-window;profile-manager-window Categories=Network;WebBrowser Exec=firefox --name firefox %U ---snip--- [Desktop Action profile-manager-window] Exec=firefox --ProfileManager Name=Profile Manager So that'll work on anything that uses https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/desktop-entry-spec-latest.html https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/de... and there could be parallel features for Windows/Mac, but there also might not be or Firefox might not implement them.
jasonjayr 2y ago
Can you still launch chrome manually with the --user-data-dir=/custom/path option when MDM is enabled?
lxgr 2y ago
My guess would be that your company probably wants the MDM profile to be globally enabled or is alternatively limited by their MDM's or Chrome's capabilities. > I hope Firefox doesn't have similar limitations. I hope Firefox doesn't implement MDM at all, or at least provides a non-negotiable way for the user to opt out of it on a per-profile basis.
skydhash 2y ago
> my company started using Google's centralized browser/device management which infects the entire browser not just the single profile that is tied to my corporate Google account Personal profiles on your work computer? That's a no for me. The only account I brought to my work computer was my Github's one. And I'd rather use Incognito Mode or another browser if I want to do something I did not want associated with my google account.
- 1oooqooq 2y ago
  learn how to properly manage ssh keys and stop using your personal account.

pleb_nz 2y ago

Firefox does have profiles and has had for as long as I’ve needed them. For some reason they’ve always been hidden away and needed different args on start to change the profile being started, or the use of an extension to allow profile switching. I don’t use them anymore but from what I remember they worked well and were very isolated. Hopefully they’re using the current implementation and just making it more user friendly?

worble 2y ago
You can use the url about:profiles to manage profiles too, which is still hidden away and not a great UI, but at least you don't need to use an extension or the command line.
akdor1154 2y ago
As of a recent update, the Profile Manager is available as a startup option if you right click the ff icon (on gnome at least, i assume this was implemented cross platform)
- lxgr 2y ago
  It's definitely not an option on macOS, at least. Holding the "option" key is even somewhat of an UI convention on macOS to allow opening an alternative media library (e.g. for Photos, Music aka iTunes etc.), yet Firefox maps it to "startup in safe mode".
- yjftsjthsd-h 2y ago
  It's not just a GNOME thing, but it might not be that cross-platform. On Linux, there's a firefox.desktop file that describes the application to your DE/launcher, and it looks like this on my box: [Desktop Entry] Actions=new-private-window;new-window;profile-manager-window Categories=Network;WebBrowser Exec=firefox --name firefox %U ---snip--- [Desktop Action profile-manager-window] Exec=firefox --ProfileManager Name=Profile Manager So that'll work on anything that uses https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/desktop-entry-spec-latest.html https://specifications.freedesktop.org/desktop-entry-spec/de... and there could be parallel features for Windows/Mac, but there also might not be or Firefox might not implement them.

jasonjayr 2y ago

Can you still launch chrome manually with the --user-data-dir=/custom/path option when MDM is enabled?

lxgr 2y ago

My guess would be that your company probably wants the MDM profile to be globally enabled or is alternatively limited by their MDM's or Chrome's capabilities. > I hope Firefox doesn't have similar limitations. I hope Firefox doesn't implement MDM at all, or at least provides a non-negotiable way for the user to opt out of it on a per-profile basis.

skydhash 2y ago

> my company started using Google's centralized browser/device management which infects the entire browser not just the single profile that is tied to my corporate Google account Personal profiles on your work computer? That's a no for me. The only account I brought to my work computer was my Github's one. And I'd rather use Incognito Mode or another browser if I want to do something I did not want associated with my google account.

1oooqooq 2y ago
learn how to properly manage ssh keys and stop using your personal account.