Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was archived. Əgər kömək lazımdırsa lütfən yeni sual verin.

Profile lock prevents launch on workstations with shared remote home

  • 3 cavab
  • 0 have this problem
  • 60 views
  • Last reply by tmorris4

tmorris4
tmorris4
more options

I am using Firefox in a Linux environment with multiple workstations, where I may be logged into more than one workstation at once. The workstations have an auto-mounted home file system such that my home directory (including my Firefox profile directory) are shared.

Because of this, when I try to launch Firefox on a second workstation, I get an error saying "Firefox is already running but is not responding". I have read the support articles about this issue, and other community support threads, but none of them address this use case.

I wish to use the same profile, so that I still have all my bookmarks and such, and have them continue to stay up-to-date. How can I do so in this environment?

I am using Firefox in a Linux environment with multiple workstations, where I may be logged into more than one workstation at once. The workstations have an auto-mounted home file system such that my home directory (including my Firefox profile directory) are shared. Because of this, when I try to launch Firefox on a second workstation, I get an error saying "Firefox is already running but is not responding". I have read the [["Firefox is already running but is not responding" error - How to fix|support articles about this issue]], and other community support threads, but none of them address this use case. I wish to use the same profile, so that I still have all my bookmarks and such, and have them continue to stay up-to-date. How can I do so in this environment?

Chosen solution

Only one Firefox instance can use a specific profile, so you need to close other instances to be able to start a new Firefox instance that uses this profile. Otherwise you need to use multiple profiles and possibly use Sync to sync your bookmarks and other personal data.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (3)

Paul
Paul
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Hi

You could install a second version of Firefox such as Beta or Developer Edition and use Firefox Sync to sync bookmarks and passwords between the two.

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Seçilmiş Həll

Only one Firefox instance can use a specific profile, so you need to close other instances to be able to start a new Firefox instance that uses this profile. Otherwise you need to use multiple profiles and possibly use Sync to sync your bookmarks and other personal data.

tmorris4
tmorris4 Question owner
more options

This is a pretty frustrating solution for someone who manages this kind of system, but it technically works. I would much rather not have to have a startup menu when launching my browser, but I doubt I'm going to get that