Feature Request: Password-Protected FirefoxProfiles

Mozillians
1

Summary

Add an option to protect individual Firefox profiles with a password, PIN, or operating system authentication (Windows Hello, Touch ID, Face ID, etc.) before the profile is opened.

Problem

Firefox currently allows multiple profiles on the same computer. When Firefox starts, anyone with access to the device can select any profile and immediately gain access to:

  • Saved passwords
  • Browsing history
  • Bookmarks
  • Cookies and active sessions
  • Extensions
  • Settings
  • Autofill data

This creates a privacy and security risk for users who share a computer with family members, coworkers, or friends.

Proposed Solution

  1. Provide an optional Profile Lock feature.
  2. When a user enables Profile Lock:
  3. Firefox starts and displays the profile selection screen.
  4. The user selects a profile.
  5. Firefox requests authentication before loading that profile.
  6. Authentication may use:
  • Password
  • PIN
  • Windows Hello
  • macOS Touch ID
  • Linux system authentication

Only after successful authentication should the profile be opened.

Mozilla could also allow individual passwords for each Firefox profile, enabling different family members or users to protect their own profiles without creating separate Windows, macOS, or Linux accounts. This would provide a simple and user-friendly way to keep personal data private while sharing the same computer.

Features

  • Optional password for each profile.
  • Support for biometric authentication where available.
  • Individual passwords for different Firefox profiles.
  • Auto-lock after inactivity.
  • Password recovery using the Firefox Account (optional).
  • Ability to change or disable the profile password after authentication.

Benefits

  • Protects saved passwords from unauthorized users.
  • Prevents access to browsing history and personal data.
  • Improves privacy on shared computers.
  • Allows multiple family members to securely use separate Firefox profiles on the same operating system account.
  • Eliminates the need to create separate Windows, macOS, or Linux user accounts solely for Firefox privacy.
  • Makes Firefox profiles suitable for families, offices, schools, and public computers.
  • Provides a security feature already expected in many applications that support multiple user profiles.

Security Impact

Without profile authentication, any person with access to the computer can open another Firefox profile and access sensitive information. Adding Profile Lock with individual profile passwords or operating system authentication would significantly improve user privacy and reduce unauthorized access to personal data.

2

Hi, feature requests should be placed on Mozilla Connect or Bugzilla.

Please also note that passwords can already be protected with a primary password.

3

Dear,

I sincerely thank you for your reply. I had never thoght i will get for this i will get email from Mozilla.

However, I would like to respectfully point out that although passwords can be protected with a Primary Password, this does not fully solve the problem.

The issue arises when a single PC is shared by family members or in small offices, where each person has their own personal and company-related passwords. In such situations, a single Primary Password does not provide separate and secure access for each user, which defeats the purpose of having individual password protection.

I hope you will consider this scenario for future improvements.

Thank you.