Setting up Multiple Profiles in Opera

Opera uses a very flexible profile system to configure user settings and preferences. When you install Opera, it asks you whether you want to install for individual users or not; this defines where Opera stores its settings. It is normally better to allow Opera to create individual profiles, as you can then set up additional custom profiles easily. The big advantage is that you can run different Opera profiles at the same time, giving great flexibility in how you can set Opera up. See EditingINIFiles for more general information on INI files.

When using individual users profiles, to find the directory where your data is stored, open Help » About Opera and see where the Preferences path points to, for example in Windows XP it is usually C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile\opera6.ini

userX is the account logged in to.
The second bold 'Opera' in the path is usually the directory the Opera program is installed into, in this case C:\Program Files\Opera\ — if you install Opera in a different program directory, a different profile will be created for it using the same convention, so C:\Program Files\Opera Test\ would have a default user profile of C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\Opera\Opera Test\profile\opera6.ini

(From now on to make the page clearer I will shorten C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\ to APPDATA — thus our profile directory is now written APPDATA\Opera\Opera\profile\opera6.ini)

With this knowledge it is very easy to manipulate the profiles to your pleasing. As an example, lets say you have a profile you've used for a while and you want to make a new clean profile without any of your customisations; here are the steps to creating a clean profile which you can then easily run simultaneously with your normal profile. We will assume the install pattern above, but you need to change the paths shown below depending on your install and profile paths!:

Close Opera.
With our normal profile in APPDATA\Opera\Opera\profile\ we will first rename that profile; rename the directory (bolded bit) using explorer to APPDATA\Opera\OperaOld\profile\
Start Opera. Opera will try to find the old profile, but it has been renamed so it will not find it; in this case it will recreate the directory (APPDATA\Opera\Opera\profile\) with new profile files.
Close Opera. Now rename that recreated profile directory to APPDATA\Opera\OperaNew\profile\
Open the opera6.ini file in APPDATA\Opera\OperaNew\profile\ in a text editor. You must now edit all the lines where you see the path APPDATA\Opera\Opera\profile\ and rename them to APPDATA\Opera\OperaNew\profile\. So for example
```
Opera Directory=C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile
```
becomes
```
Opera Directory=C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\Opera\OperaNew\profile
```
Rename APPDATA\Opera\OperaOld\profile\ back to APPDATA\Opera\Opera\profile\ — this makes your old profile directory the default again.
To start Opera with this new directory, we will use a command-line switch to open a specified ini file. Make a new shortcut and use: "C:\Program Files\Opera\Opera.exe" /settings "C:\Documents and Settings\userX\Application Data\Opera\OperaNew\profile\opera6.ini" for the target of the shortcut(assuming our paths are as above).

Now clicking on our old shortcut loads Opera with the old profile, and clicking the new shortcut makes Opera start with the clean profile. You can run both of them at the same time, just like having two different installs of Opera running, but without having to install twice! As many profiles as you want can be created, and can be placed anywhere you like.

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Hello, thanks for this tutorial.

I get an M2 error when I run the two nstances of Opera with different profiles.

Also, is it possible to change the Opera icon in taskbar for each profile?.

Thanks.

200.32.109.184 (2005-12-18 15:25:17)

Yes. it is very simple to chanche the icon. Simply click the right mouse button on the icon,select Properties,then on Change Icon, select the one u like and confirm.

It is also a good idea to have different skins for each profile (you'll never confuse them then)

62.168.125.217 (2006-05-11 10:42:37)

I know an other way :

When you install your first version of Opera, make the install directory "C:\Program Files\Opera\Opera 1" (for example), and check the "use the same profile for every user" box.

Then if you want an other profile, install an other Opera in the directory "C:\Program Files\Opera\Opera 2". And you can have as many profiles you want.

And you can have one shortcut for every profile, just set the path to the Opera.exe situated in the directory you prefer.

Even if it makes you install one copy of Opera for each profile, I find this solution much more easy and I did'nt have any problem using it (unlike with the one provided above).

Fëanólë.

87.89.218.97 (2006-08-22 03:30:57)

For those trying todo this in Linux, use the following method...

opera -personaldir .opera2

opera will create a new profile with all files necessary for profile automatically.

203.123.175.1 (2007-01-31 01:12:14)

Tnx, works like a charm. Just the link Classic Installer is no longer active. For the rest: you've made my life easier

83.197.224.216 (2007-06-06 05:19:09)

comment6,

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domrolv

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great

85.25.145.98 (2009-04-28 02:16:34)

New Profile in 6 Steps !!!

1) Copy
"C:\Program Files\Opera" folder and Paste it to
"C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\Application Data\Opera\" Folder
2) Open opera6.ini file from
"C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\Application Data\Opera\Opera\profile" folder
3) Find and Replace(use Ctrl+H > Replace All) "C:\Program Files\Opera" entry in opera6.ini file to "C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\Application Data\Opera\Opera" and Save opera6.ini file
4) Right Click
"C:\Documents and Settings\USER NAME\Application Data\Opera\Opera\Opera.exe" file and Select Send to Desktop Create Shortcut
5) Rename the new shortcut created in desktop to "Opera USER NAME"

NB: Quotes("") in above steps is not Applicable

Good Luck!!!

117.206.33.39 (2009-04-28 02:49:25)

Add a comment to this page

85.25.145.98 (2009-04-28 02:54:16)

This does not work.

68.59.94.142 (2009-05-04 15:38:30)

i nstall opera with individual profilles to allow mutiple users to run the same copy indenpendently.ok

84.208.207.194 (2009-06-17 00:24:04)

i nstall opera with individual profilles to allow mutiple users to run the same copy indenpendently.ok

84.208.207.194 (2009-06-17 00:32:33)

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89.248.172.50 (2009-07-08 06:46:14)

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89.248.172.50 (2009-07-09 04:40:56)

Boortz discussing inflation. ,

85.186.5.172 (2009-10-22 05:04:40)

Let us not settle for the status quo, but instead be visionary, creative and bold. ,

83.240.154.46 (2009-10-23 03:58:05)

Doesn't work for Opera 10. There's no opera6.ini file

201.172.193.209 (2009-11-05 06:22:35)

This small free exe works great with the very latest beta (10.10.1874). Actually using multiple profiles is the tricky part.
From: hxxp://files.myopera.com/Tamil/Softwares/OperaProfileCreator.zip
Size: 197 KB

24.24.139.246 (2009-11-13 20:17:50)

Where is profile for opera 10 in windows 7?

59.93.112.159 (2009-12-21 10:46:20)

WgQqGT? Lol lol lool lol ha-ha! Lol lol lol?

213.5.71.85 (2010-05-20 10:46:51)

22/03/11-- I don't know if I'm a "registered user", but I have Opera in C files. Sometimes when I try to get into Opera I get the message that someone else is using
(it)- (The browser?). I got a suggestion to do something
for "individual profiles"-?, so I put that on the "Ask" bar and got all this. It's pretty much over my head,- so I really don't know how. Guess I just have to try and try again to get on Opera. I'd like to get a default browser that's good. I had Firefox, but it kept on crashing so I uninstalled it. Any suggestions?
--Confused senior.

75.156.127.220 (2011-03-22 13:42:57)

Badly outdated and it's better to take this offline since it keeps turning up on Google as the first result.

117.230.125.202 (2011-04-08 05:00:57)

b5jLBZ Not bad post, leave it at my bookmarks!....

193.105.210.170 (2012-02-10 23:18:38)

Mobile cervice information of opera community good away pliesss.

141.0.8.239 (2012-03-13 15:38:10)

feshmaza.com

141.0.9.68 (2012-07-15 07:19:00)

TRY AGAIN

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