How to reset your profile

If you are instructed by TenFourFox support to reset your profile, it is because you may have old settings from a previous version of Firefox or TenFourFox which are interfering with this version of TenFourFox's proper operation. Unfortunately, you will probably need to take a few steps to correct this properly, and it may make your profile no longer compatible with older versions of the browser or Firefox. Make sure you understand these directions before you begin.

If you are using TenFourFox 17 or later, try this shortcut:

  • Note the addons you are using, if any, because you will need to reinstall them. (Tools > Add-ons)
  • Go to Help, Troubleshooting Information. A new page will open.
  • Click on the Reset TenFourFox button.
  • A warning window will appear; confirm that you want to take this step. Resetting TenFourFox will keep your bookmarks, history, passwords, cookies and web form fill-out information, but will erase your installed add-ons and themes, open windows/tabs/tab groups, custom browser settings and certain other information. Confirm to continue.
  • TenFourFox will put your old profile on the desktop and create a new one with the saved information. Check to see if your problem persists. If the problem is fixed, you can delete the old profile folder; you don't need it anymore.

If that doesn't work, you will need to clear your profile manually (or if you are using TenFourFox 10 or earlier):

  • Note the addons you are using, if any, because you will need to reinstall them. (Tools > Add-ons)
  • Export your bookmarks. You can do this from the old Firefox, but it is better if you can do it from TenFourFox due to a Mozilla bug. In TenFourFox, Bookmarks, Show All Bookmarks. Click the star menu and select Export Bookmarks to HTML.
  • Quit TenFourFox.
  • Go to your home folder, under Library, under Application Support. Rename the Firefox folder to OldFirefox just in case.
  • Restart TenFourFox. It will create a completely new profile with clean settings.
  • Import your bookmarks to restore them. From the menu where you exported them, select Import Bookmarks.
  • Re-install the add-ons you were using, if any, and adjust your settings to the way you had them if necessary.
  • If this fixes your problem, remove the OldFirefox folder; you don't need it anymore.

Note that it may not be possible to complete some of these steps if your profile is corrupted in a way that is still compatible with the old Firefox, but not compatible with TenFourFox. In that case, you may need to simply delete the Firefox folder in your home folder, under Library/Application Support. This should be considered a last resort, as you will lose everything. You should only do this when TenFourFox is not running.

Once you have done this, you may not be able to use the old Firefox you have on your system again and you should delete the application.

For more information on how TenFourFox stores profiles, refer to this Mozilla support article.

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