Install FireFox - Multiple Users

[RazorsEdge]

New to Win10, frustrated, all settings and folders and things that your used to finding are now buried deep somewhere..
Anyway.. 2 of us here using the computer, Set up 3 accounts, Adm, and 2 user accounts.
Was suggested not to use a Adm account for daily use.
First program that gets installed was Firefox, used the adm account to do so, thinking it would ask me about installing for everybody. Was under the impression that one should use the admin account to do the installs for any and all software.
Needless to say it installed to the admin account, but no such luck for the other 2 user accounts.
Do I need to install firefox once for each user account or am i missing something?
Then theres the issue of firefox on the adm account which I dont think i really need for the admin account. Do I just uninstall it for the admin account.

On another note, in winxp i could go to the programs folder and see what programs are installed and also see the profiles folder for firefox. Looking in the file structure of Win10 I dont see anywhere of anything of a firefox folder or a profiles folder.

Thanks

[therube]

What version of FF?


([I don't install FF, so I would think...)

Install as a regular user (rather then Admin) [presumably defaulting to /Program Files/]
FF will ask you to "elevate" (i.e., Admin credentials) if it needs to
Presumably it will create a desktop short for you
Create a shortcut to firefox.exe for your other Users desktops

That should be about it.

[RazorsEdge]

Version is 80.0.1

So installing only once in my account, and creating a shortcut for the other user. Does that mean the other user and I are going to share the same bookmarks/history/ profile folder and such.
If I don't want that then I need to do another separate install for the other user in their account?

Then can I delete the install that I did for the admin account?

Sorry im lost on the more than one user thing and how one should go about dealing the best way when installing programs for one user or another.
Like i said earlier I was under the assumption that the admin could designate who gets what programs loaded for each user. Seems redundant and a waste of harddrive to have to install software twice if each user is going to use it.

[WaltS48]

On my Windows10 laptop I installed Firefox in my Administrator account.

When I created my user account, Firefox was there and all I had to do was start it.

[jscher2000]

So installing only once in my account, and creating a shortcut for the other user. Does that mean the other user and I are going to share the same bookmarks/history/ profile folder and such.
If I don't want that then I need to do another separate install for the other user in their account?

With a plain shortcut to firefox.exe, Firefox should look for user data in the logged-in user's %AppData%\Mozilla folder and not use data from a different Windows user profile.

[BobbyPhoenix]

So installing only once in my account, and creating a shortcut for the other user. Does that mean the other user and I are going to share the same bookmarks/history/ profile folder and such.
If I don't want that then I need to do another separate install for the other user in their account?

With a plain shortcut to firefox.exe, Firefox should look for user data in the logged-in user's %AppData%\Mozilla folder and not use data from a different Windows user profile.

I find this to be the same thing in regards to Firefox. I have two users set up on one PC with each having their own Windows User account. When Firefox is opened on either one, it opens a completely separate Firefox instance (Firefox was installed only once on the PC). Meaning both users have their own Firefox Account, and both are logged in Firefox with their own settings/add-ons. Each user has their own folder under the Users folder in Windows, and thus each has their own AppData folder also, so whatever Windows user is logged in/showing at that time, Firefox will open that user's Firefox profile.

[RazorsEdge]

For clarification I installed FF while signed into the admin account, when done it created a shortcut on the desktop and it also shows up in the startmenu programs of the admin account.
Logging in to the other 2 user accounts there is no FF for either a shortcut or a startmenu program. FF doesnt exist for the 2 user accounts.
Do I need FF in the Admin account? or should I have installed using the user accounts?

Sorry guys, im lost with the suggestions.
I guess it would be easier for me if someone(s) could lay out the steps (1,2,3,) when installing firefox and which account(s) i need to do with what, with the assumption of having 1 adm account and 2 user accounts.
I created a restore point prior to installing firefox, so im guessing I could just restore and start fresh if I needed.

Thanks for the help

[jscher2000]

You can create a new shortcut for the next user:

right-click the desktop > New > Shortcut

The path is most like:

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe

but of course you can verify that.

Does that work?

[zlaer]

Sadly youll run into problems if you do that

[BobbyPhoenix]

You could install it for each standard user. When you start the install you will be prompted with the UAC to install to the system folder, but you can cancel that, and it will install to the standard user's directory instead, and it won't need Admin rights to do anything (Updates will happen like normal). I've done it before with no issues.

[therube]

Sadly youll run into problems if you do that

Just what problems are that?

You could install it for each standard user

Doesn't seem to makes sense to me?


Would seem to me, that after all these years, Mozilla would have a little clue as to what needs to be done to successfully install their browsers.

So you (as a normal, every day user) download & install (answering whatever prompts it asks of you).

For other Users on your machine, create a shortcut to firefox.exe onto their desktop - & that's it.

Installing Firefox on Windows

[BobbyPhoenix]

You could install it for each standard user
Doesn't seem to makes sense to me?


Would seem to me, that after all these years, Mozilla would have a little clue as to what needs to be done to successfully install their browsers.

So you (as a normal, every day user) download & install (answering whatever prompts it asks of you).

For other Users on your machine, create a shortcut to firefox.exe onto their desktop - & that's it.

Yes. Download and install for each standard user. Go through the prompts, but for the UAC asking for admin password, cancel that one, and it will install for the standard user.

[therube]

but for the UAC asking for admin password, cancel that one, and it will install for the standard user

Yes, but why?

There are instances where a user cannot "elevate" (cannot successfully respond to the UAC request - might not have permissions or know the Admin password...), & for something like that, what you describe allows them to still install - only locally, to that user.

That is fine for particular circumstances.

But in general, IMO, there is no need for that.
Simply install once & create shortcuts for other User accounts.

There is nothing wrong with the once & shortcut way.
Each users Profile will be stored separately, independently.
One will not affect the other.
The program is global, Profiles are per user.

[BobbyPhoenix]

Because generally you don't need admin rights to install browsers. The default is to install them to system program folders that are protected by UAC/admin passwords, but you don't have to install there. Even chrome will install for a standard user if you cancel UAC during install. I don't know the reason why the default is what it is, but I know you don't have to do that. Most likely it's to protect from viruses/hacks since if something tries to modify the browser's files they will need UAC allowance. Installing to a standard user's folder is a bit less secure (My guess/opinion).

Here's a Reddit thread on it. A lot of people ask why.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comm ... nistrator/