Among so many different web browsers present in the market, Firefox is the most popular, within the user circle. Due to its class-leading features, this browser has gained a lot of attention. Despite all the good features within it, even then, this browser is not free from technical errors. One specific glitch about which we will be discussing in this article is Firefox profile missing. There are many reasons as to why this error occurs. One of the common reasons is: if the profile folder of Firefox is missing because of cache corruption. If the uninstallation of the application is not properly done, then you can get this issue. Further, if the Firefox profile folder location has changed i.e. shifted from default to another directory, then you might face this problem. Moreover, if you have mistakenly deleted the profile folder, then also there is a chance to get this error.
What is Firefox Profile Folder?
A profile folder of the Firefox browser is a directory that contains information about the user like the preferable ‘settings’ of toolbar, history, and bookmarks. This folder stays within the computer even after you uninstall the Firefox application. Thus, if the profile folder goes missing, then to get rid of this you will have to delete it manually, and then create a new one. In this article, you will get to learn much more advanced methods that will help you to eliminate the error.
Ways to Eradicate the Profile Folder of Firefox
This section of the article has enough steps that will help you to mitigate the Firefox profile missing problem.
Methods to Make a New Profile for Firefox Browser
In this point, you will get simple steps on how to create a new profile on Firefox. For that to happen, follow these steps underneath.
- First, altogether press the combination of both the keys ‘Windows + R’. This opens a new dialogue box that has a name ‘Run’.
- Within this dialogue box, type the following text “firefox.exe -p” next to the ‘Open:’ label and tap on ‘OK’ button. This will open a window called ‘Firefox – Choose User Profile’ which has multiple options to select from.
- Now, inside this window, out of many different options select the button ‘Create Profile’. A new window will come up with the name ‘Create Profile Wizard’, there tap on the button ‘Next’.
- In the new page that comes up, provide the name of the profile in the field ‘Enter new profile name’. After that, click on the ‘Finish’ button.
- When the new profile is created, then once again the first window mentioned on the second step will show up. On that window, go to the bottom and choose the ‘Start Firefox‘ button. This will now launch the browser.
- When the Firefox browser window shows up, then navigate to the top left edge of it and tap on the ‘three vertical lines’. Then, from the drop-down menu, choose the option ‘Sign in to Sync’.
- Lastly, enter the correct username and password on their respective fields and login to Firefox. At this moment, the newly created profile will load.
Keep Data from Old to New Firefox Profile
Here, in this point after the creation of a new Firefox profile, you will get steps that provide answers on how to put information from the old to a new profile. Here are the steps.
- First, launch the Firefox browser and then tap on the ‘Menu’ icon.
- Next, from the drop-down menu that comes up, locate and choose the ‘Help’ option.
- After that, from the sub-options menu that shows up, choose the item ‘Troubleshooting Information’. This launches a new window having the same name as the item on the previous sentence.
- Within that window, go to the section ‘Application Basics’. Under it, tap on the button ‘Open Folder’ to look into the old profile folder of the Firefox.
- Now, choose the old profile folder and right-click on it. After that, from the popup menu that shows up, select the option ‘Copy’.
- Next, locate the new Firefox folder and double-click on it to open. Lastly, right-click once again, and then tap on the option ‘Paste’.
Delete the ‘profiles.ini’ File
If somehow the profile file of the Firefox get corrupted, then for that reason you will encounter this problem. Thus, the easiest solution to resolve this issue is to delete the ‘profiles.ini’ file from the computer. In order to do it, follow the steps below on how to delete Firefox profile.
- First, press on the ‘Cortana’ logo to open the ‘Windows Search’ field.
- Within this field, type the text “%appdata%”. Then, from the result of that search, choose the option which has the same name as the text on the previous line.
- Now, in the new window that launches, locate the folder ‘Mozilla’ and double-click on access its content.
- Within the contents of the ‘Mozilla’ folder find and double-click on the directory ‘Firefox’. Then, choose the ‘profiles.ini’ file from the contents of this directory and right-click on it.
- After that, from the popup menu which appears, select the option ‘Delete’. This step will remove the current profile of Firefox.
Remove any Unnecessary Data Within Cache
When the cache present within the browser gets corrupted somehow, then you can encounter the “Firefox profile cannot be a loaded” glitch. The solution to eliminating this problem is to remove all the junk files from the cache. Follow these lines underneath to achieve it.
- First, locate the ‘Firefox’ icon on the desktop and double-click on it to open the browser.
- Now, inside the browser window, tap on ‘three vertical lines’ present on the upper right corner. Next, from the drop-down menu, select the option ‘Library’ to open the sub-option.
- From that sub-option list, choose the ‘History’ and then next tap on the ‘Clear Recent History…’ option. This will pop up a new dialogue box with the name ‘Clear Recent History’.
- On this dialogue box, beside the label ‘Time range to clear’ tap on the drop-down menu and choose ‘Everything’ option. This will clear all the unnecessary data present on the cache.
- After that, go to the sections ‘History’ then ‘Data’ respectively and put checkmarks on all the options under them.
- To remove these junk files from the browser, choose the button ‘Clear Now’. This process takes some time to complete so be patient and wait until it is over.
- At last, when the removal process is complete, close the Firefox application, and then after some time restart it to check if this error comes back or not.
Reinstall the Firefox Application
When all the points of this section are unable to correct the Firefox profile missing problem. Then, the key to resolve this glitch is to remove the Firefox application and install it again. Follow the steps mentioned below.
- First, right-click on the ‘Windows’ logo present in the taskbar. This will open the ‘Menu’.
- Now, from this ‘Menu’, locate and then choose the option ‘Run’. This launches a new dialogue box that has the same name as the option you chose on the last line.
- On this dialogue box, next to the label ‘Open:’ enter the text “control panel” and hit ‘OK’ button. This opens a new window, that has a name ‘Control Panel’.
- Within this window, there are a plethora of settings for the computer which can be adjusted by you.
- Next, locate and choose the category ‘Programs’. Then, a new page comes up, where select the option ‘Programs and Features’. Once again, another new page shows up.
- Now, on that page, there is a list which contains all the applications installed on the computer. From that list, locate and choose the program ‘Firefox’.
- After that, right-click on the application, and then from the popup menu select the option ‘Uninstall’.
- At this moment, the uninstaller program window will come up. In it, follow the information that comes up on the window and then, in the end, click the ‘Uninstall’ button.
- As soon as you do this, then the removal procedure will start. Next, wait for this process to get over. Once the uninstallation process complete, then reboot the machine.
- Finally, when the computer starts up, then download the Firefox setup file and install it accordingly.
Conclusion
To mitigate the Firefox profile missing error, you will have to follow each point one after another mentioned in the previous section. But, although after following all the points on the above section, if you are still getting this problem, then do not panic. Just, mention why Firefox profile cannot be loaded in details on the comment section at the bottom of this page.
