Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Is it Firefox causing me to be unable to login to multiple accounts on a single site (in mulitple tabs) at the same time?

  • 4 replies
  • 19 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by PoochPest

more options

For instance I can't look at multiple inboxes using the webmail app at one domain. Also, I have 2 etsy shops and can't log in to both at the same time on different tabs. Logging in as one on one tab, logs me out on the other. Is this a Firefox feature and if so, can I turn it off?

For instance I can't look at multiple inboxes using the webmail app at one domain. Also, I have 2 etsy shops and can't log in to both at the same time on different tabs. Logging in as one on one tab, logs me out on the other. Is this a Firefox feature and if so, can I turn it off?

All Replies (4)

more options

The issue you describe is likely due to how the sites are storing session information. Many sites set a cookie on your system that identifies your session. Cookies are set per browser not per tab. This allows you to open a new tab and have the ability to keep your settings from previous site visits. This does come with the drawback that you can only have a single session active at a time.

Some sites, like GMail (http://support.google.com/mail/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=69570), have specific solutions for this. Unfortunately, it seems the solution for most people is to have two different browsers running to handle the two accounts.

more options

Thanks so much for your answer! I suspected it was site-specific, but was hoping Firefox would have an easy solution. Have 2 or more browsers running isn't really all that much more convenient than having to login/out a few times.

Thanks again!

more options

OK. This is not "site specific" it is Firefox specific. I have older versions of Firefox in which this does not happen. The moment I upgrade to a updated version, I have this problem. I have multiple accounts on a single site. When I open another tab, and try to open another account on that new tab, Firefox switches the initial tab to the new account. Previous versions left the original tab alone until I recycled that specific tab.

  This particularly affects games, emails everything where you are working on one project with something, stop, someone opens a new tab and opens a new account on same site, and your work is wiped out on the initial tab. 
  My conclusion: since this multiple accounts-same site was possible on the old versions of Firefox, and it isn't possible on newer versions and it IS possible on Chrome (and I'm checking Safari, Opera and others) - it is a Firefox issue. Let's address it instead of pushing it off on various sites.
more options

Oh, this is not a Mac issue, and it has been around for two upgrades so I don't know what I'll do about it. I have a Firefox/Mac 5.0 version that is working fine. I have a Firefox 13.0 version that works, but not in the way I can work efficiently. Thanks.