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Can I temporarily disable password saving and then re-enable it without losing my passwords?

  • 4 replies
  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by Lachyjnr

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I am currently trying to produce a screen capture video to instruct my users on how to complete the 'forgotten password' automated process. I just want to disable the password saving dialogues while I record the screen capture.

However I don't want to lose all my passwords/logins in the process!

Many thanks and kind regards,

Lachy

I am currently trying to produce a screen capture video to instruct my users on how to complete the 'forgotten password' automated process. I just want to disable the password saving dialogues while I record the screen capture. However I don't want to lose all my passwords/logins in the process! Many thanks and kind regards, Lachy

Chosen solution

Another thought is to create a separate Firefox profile for demos. That's a distinct Firefox settings folder that is saved in parallel to your main profile.

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

If you want to try it:

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Don't delete anything here!

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

Click the Create Profile button, assign a name like Clean2015, and skip the option to relocate the profile folder. After creating the profile, select it and start Firefox in that profile.

One benefit is none of your history shows in this profile.

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

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That should be safe. If you want to make a backup just in case, there are two files you need to copy to a safe location.

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Show Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

Copy the following two files to a safe location (e.g., Desktop):

  • key3.db - This file stores your key database for your passwords. To transfer saved passwords, you must copy this file along with the following file.
  • logins.json - Saved passwords.

From: Recovering important data from an old profile

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Chosen Solution

Another thought is to create a separate Firefox profile for demos. That's a distinct Firefox settings folder that is saved in parallel to your main profile.

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

If you want to try it:

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Don't delete anything here!

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

Click the Create Profile button, assign a name like Clean2015, and skip the option to relocate the profile folder. After creating the profile, select it and start Firefox in that profile.

One benefit is none of your history shows in this profile.

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

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Disabling the Password Manager shouldn't be a problem.

  • Tools > Options > Security: Passwords: "Remember passwords for sites"

I do that all the time and only enable the Password Manager if I want to login to website via a button in the PrefBar extension to toggle the signon.rememberSignons between true/false.

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Thank you both!

Indeed toggling the security: passwords and Privacy:History:Remember Search and Form History turns the functions on and off but does not remove any existing information.