# Managing Profiles

If you use the Internet at home and at work, you may want to have access to a different set of bookmarks, preferences, address books, email accounts, My Sidebar setup, and so on. Similarly, family members may want to share a copy of the same browser software but keep their Internet identities separate.

The Profile Manager lets you create different profiles, each with its own bookmarks, preferences, email settings, and so on. You automatically create a default profile when you first install your browser software. After you create one or more additional profiles, you will be asked which you want to use each time you launch the browser.

In this section: Creating a New Profile Deleting or Renaming a Profile

## Creating a New Profile

To create a profile:

1. Exit the browser. It is not possible to create a new profile while the Navigator, Mail, or any other component of your browser software is running.
2. Open the Profile Manager:

- On Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Mozilla, then Profile Manager.
- On Mac OS, open the Mozilla folder and then double-click the Profile Manager.
- On Linux, type the following at the command line: `./mozilla -profilemanager`

3. Click Create Profile, read the Profile description, and then click Next.
4. Enter a profile name. This can be anything you like, such as your real name or a name that's related to what you use the profile for, such as "School."
5. Accept the default location for the new profile, or click the Choose Folder button and navigate to the location you want.
6. If you have Language Packs or Regional Content Packs installed, click Region Selection and choose the Language/Content set you want.
7. Click Finish.

The opening screen of the Profile Manager reappears, with the new profile listed and highlighted.

## Deleting or Renaming a Profile

You may want to delete profiles that you don't normally use. To delete or rename an existing profile:

1. Exit the browser. It is not possible to create, delete, or rename a profile while the Navigator, Mail, or any other component of your browser software is running.
2. Open the Profile Manager:

- On Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Mozilla, then Profile Manager.
- On Mac OS, open the Mozilla folder and then double-click the Profile Manager.
- On Linux, type the following at the command line: `./mozilla -profile`

3. To delete a profile, select its name and click Delete Profile.
4. To rename a profile, select its name, click Rename Profile, and follow the instructions.

18 June 2002

Copyright © 1994-2002 Mozilla Organization.