How to create a new Firefox profile
For a handful of users, 1Password’s toolbar button may fail to appear in Firefox or Flock (a browser based on Firefox). These browsers use a “profile” system that allows advanced users to create multiple profiles containing different bookmarks and extensions. When 1Password’s button does not appear in these browsers, it is usually because the default profile that Firefox or Flock creates has become corrupted, or it is old and contains a bug that prevents the button from installing.
This document describes how to fix the problem and get 1Password’s browser button installed in Firefox or Flock. It uses instructions from Firefox’s official support document about managing profiles, and the procedure is virtually identical for Flock users.
Crucial Things To Know Before Getting Started
The profile system used in Firefox and Flock is designed specifically so that users can keep separate sets of bookmarks, extensions, themes, and passwords (but as a 1Password user, you don’t have to worry about that last bit, right?). Because of this, a new profile is like starting with a blank slate, so you will probably have to re-install extensions and make use of a bookmark syncing service like Xmarks if you want to bring your bookmarks to the new profile. It may be possible to copy all of this information from one profile to another, but that kind of Firefox and Flock support is outside the scope of this document.
Also: to simplify the language in this document, “Firefox” will be used to mean both “Firefox and Flock” unless otherwise stated.
Step 1: Launch The Profile Manager
Quit Firefox if it is running, and open the Terminal application (found in Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities). To open Firefox’s Profile Manager, copy and paste the proper snippet of code into Terminal and press Return:
Firefox users: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox -ProfileManager
Flock users: /Applications/Flock.app/Contents/MacOS/flock -ProfileManager
Firefox should launch, but instead of seeing a browser window, you should see the Profile Manager window below.
Step 2: Create Your New Profile
Click the “Create New Profile…” button in the Profile Manager to begin the process. An introductory page that explains what profiles are will appear, so click the Continue button in the lower right.
This next screen will allow you to name your new profile and chose a location for it. Pick whatever name you want, but we recommend leaving the default location for this profile alone unless you are an advanced user and you have a reason for moving a Firefox profile to a custom location.
Click the “Done” button to finish creating your new profile and return to the Profile Manager.
Step 3: Use Your New Profile
Make sure the new profile you just created is selected, and do not change any other settings in the Profile Manager. Click “Start Firefox” to begin using your new profile, then follow the instructions in this 1Password support document to install the browser extensions.