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Profile lock prevents launch on workstations with shared remote home

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  • Last reply by tmorris4

tmorris4
tmorris4
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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.

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All Replies (3)

Paul
Paul
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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
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  • Top 10 Contributor
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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.

tmorris4
tmorris4 Question owner
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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