Separate Firefox accounts on the same computer?

February 5, 2009 2:14 AM

Is it possible to set up 2 different Firefox "accounts" on the same computer, with each account having separate bookmarks, settings, etc. In addition, is it possible to import bookmarks from AOL to Firefox? My wife is thinking of shifting to Firefox, but we're wondering if it would be too much of a hassle, given her hundreds of bookmarks/"favorites"--and the desire for each of us to have our own customized version of the software.
posted by quintno to computers & internet (11 comments total)

Just a follow-up: I'm thinking it might just be easier for us to use separate browsers, but in that case, is there any way to import AOL bookmarks to Internet Explorer? Ultimately, we would both like to use Firefox, if possible.
posted by quintno at 2:19 AM on February 5

They're called profiles. Here's a tutorial in using them.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 2:22 AM on February 5

And for converting bookmarks, this site should do the job. Instructions here.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 2:24 AM on February 5

Yeah, you can use seperate profiles, but it's fiddly to set up. Is there a reason you can't just have two seperate accounts on the same computer? Macs, PCs and Linux all support multiple user accounts. Since my wife's laptop became unusable, she's had an account on mine, it works fine.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:17 AM on February 5

Separate. My kingdom for post-editing.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:19 AM on February 5

I'm currently running 2 different versions of Firefox simultaneously, each with it's own profile, so it can be done. It's quite easy too. The Lifehacker tutorial above is what I used to get this setup sorted out.

The one thing I would say is to give each copy of Firefox it's own theme, so you can tell them apart at a glance.
posted by Solomon at 4:31 AM on February 5

I suppose the choice of profiles vs user accounts should be based on whether you and your wife switch back and forth quickly between web browsing or whether you are using the computer for extended periods.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:50 AM on February 5

Alternatively, you could run Flock, which is a tweaked version of Firefox. One person uses Firefox, the other uses Flock. Simple!
posted by almostwitty at 5:21 AM on February 5

If you're running a Mac, quick user switching between accounts is easy. Using different accounts on the machine is the way to go..
posted by HuronBob at 6:01 AM on February 5

Ditto on separate Windows profiles (assuming you use a PC). That way you or she doesn't have to get annoyed at the way the desktop or other files are arranged. Switching between two running profiles is a quick and simple process.
posted by JJ86 at 6:12 AM on February 5

Another quick option is to install two separate PortableApps versions of firefox. Without the tweaks mentioned above you can't run multiple copies simultaneously, though.
posted by devbrain at 6:22 AM on February 5