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What Firefox’s Primary Password protects
Mozilla now calls this feature the Primary Password; older guides may call it the Master Password. It protects access to logins saved in Firefox on that profile and device. It is not your Mozilla Account password, and it is not synced: different Firefox profiles and devices have separate Primary Passwords.
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On desktop, Mozilla says Firefox stores encrypted usernames and passwords in logins.json and the key in key4.db. Setting a Primary Password encrypts that key. This file description is specific to desktop; Mozilla describes mobile storage separately.
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Firefox asks for the Primary Password once per session when it needs access to saved passwords. That can include adding, removing, or showing a saved password. The protection is local: anyone who can access your computer and saved passwords may be able to view them if you remove the Primary Password.
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Set a Primary Password in Firefox
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Open Firefox’s menu and choose Settings (called Preferences on some interfaces).
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Open the Passwords section. Depending on the interface, the path may appear as Settings > Privacy & Security > Passwords and autofill, or through Logins and Passwords and its options menu. Labels vary, so look for the Passwords section.
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Enable the Use a Primary Password control, then enter your chosen password and confirm it in the dialog.
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Accept the dialog to save the setting.
Choose a password you can remember but that others cannot readily guess. Mozilla advises against common substitutions such as Password1!; its guidance does not specify a required length or complexity rule.
Change or remove an existing Primary Password
Change it
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In Firefox Settings, open the Passwords section.
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Select Change Primary Password….
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Enter the current Primary Password, then enter the new password in both new-password fields.
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Select OK to confirm.
You must know the current password to change it. Mozilla says that leaving both new-password fields empty removes the Primary Password instead.
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Remove it through Settings
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In the Passwords section of Firefox Settings, turn off the Primary Password control.
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Enter the current Primary Password when prompted to confirm.
Without this gate, someone with access to your computer may be able to view saved Firefox passwords.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Forgot the password? Reset it only if you accept losing saved logins
Mozilla’s documented reset is destructive: “Resetting your Primary Password will remove all of your saved usernames and passwords.” The procedure does not recover the forgotten password or preserve those saved logins.
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Enter
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On the Reset Primary Password page, select Reset.
Do not proceed unless you are prepared to lose Firefox’s saved usernames and passwords.
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Firefox keeps asking for the Primary Password
Mozilla says an AVG or ESET Internet Security certificate might cause Firefox to ask for the Primary Password every time Firefox starts. Its suggested workaround is to deactivate the Primary Password, restart Firefox, and then activate it again. This is a possible cause, not a diagnosis for every repeated prompt. Before trying the workaround, consider whether you can safely remove and re-enable the setting and still have the current password available.
For other cases, check that Firefox is using the profile whose saved logins you intend to access: Primary Passwords are local to profiles and are not synced between devices.
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