Setting Up a Password Manager in Firefox

Firefox has its own sync system (Firefox Sync) built around Mozilla accounts, but it's fairly basic — no sharing, no health reports, and it only talks to other Firefox installs. A dedicated extension gives you a vault that works the same on every browser and platform.

Installing the extension

1. Go to Firefox Add-ons and install the extension.
2. Pin it to the toolbar via the puzzle-piece menu so it doesn't get buried.
3. Open the extension and set the server URL to your own vault instance before signing in.
4. Log in and unlock the vault — Firefox will now offer to autofill from it on login pages.

Avoiding double save-prompts

Firefox's own password manager will keep offering to save logins alongside your extension unless you disable it. Go to about:preferences#privacy and uncheck "Ask to save logins and passwords" under the Logins and Passwords section.

Importing existing Firefox logins

If you've been using Firefox's built-in saver, export those logins first: about:logins → the three-dot menu → Export Logins, which saves a CSV. Most vault extensions have an import tool under their settings that accepts this format directly, so you don't have to re-type anything.

Mobile Firefox

Firefox for Android and iOS supports third-party extensions differently than desktop — check your extension's documentation for whether it ships a dedicated mobile app instead, since that's usually the better path for phones and tablets.

Troubleshooting

• Extension icon greyed out: confirm it has permission to run in Private Browsing if that's how you normally browse (extension settings → "Run in Private Windows").
• Fields not detected on a site: some sites use non-standard form markup; most extensions let you manually trigger autofill from the right-click context menu as a fallback.