Making Firefox work with Dual Screen on Linux

While attemping to use Firefox in dual screen mode on my Ubuntu Linux, I encountered this annoying problem: If you launch Firefox on one screen, you can’t launch it on the second screen (unless you are using Clone to Big mode). When you launch Firefox on the second screen, it complains about the profile being in use.

Here’s quick solution:

  1. Close all Firefox windows and run the following on your terminal: 
    firefox -ProfileManager
  2. Create a new profile, say “Second Screen.” Keep the checkbox “Don’t ask on startup” selected and click “Exit”.
  3. On your secondary monitor, modify the Firefox launcher by right clicking on the icon on your Panel and selecting “Properties”. Change the “Command” to: 
    firefox %u -p SecondScreen
  4. That’s it. Enjoy indepently configurable Firefox on both screens now!
Oct 20 2006 01:57 pm | linux |

3 Responses to “Making Firefox work with Dual Screen on Linux”

  1. on 10 Nov 2006 at 1:12 pm   Arvind

    Thanks for the tip. I hated that problem and now it is fixed. I also linked all my files from my default profile to the SecondScreen profile so that I have the same settings. You do however have to remove the ‘lock’ link if you see one.

  2. on 10 Nov 2006 at 2:20 pm   mandhro

    Migrated comment by Arvind:

    Thanks for the tip. I hated that problem and now it is fixed. I also linked all
    my files from my default profile to the SecondScreen profile so that I have the
    same settings. You do however have to remove the ‘lock’ link if you see one.

  3. on 17 Mar 2008 at 1:12 pm   shaiton

    very usefull but it is a capital “P” !!!

    firefox %u -P SecondScreen

    Cheers

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