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The traditional way to browse a site with multiple sessions is by using multiple browsers at the same time. Are there any Google Chrome / Firefox plugins that can do the same using a single browser?

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I’m not clear on what you’re asking. Are you asking about multiple instances? It sounds kind of like you’re asking if you can run Chrome with more than one profile, in which case, yes, you can. –  Synetech Mar 30 '11 at 1:22
For example, to multiboxing Facebook game, I have to login multiple accounts. With IE/FF/GC, I can login 3 accounts at the same time. My question is -- is there any easy way to do this with just one browser? Running GC with different profile sounds like it. Is there a plugin or easy way to open GC in a different profile? –  Stan Mar 31 '11 at 8:08
Synetech inc.: Could you perhaps share with us how? :) –  Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson May 6 '11 at 14:27
Heh. I find myself doing the same thing, but I needed 4 logins today, so I had IE/FF/GC on laptop, and GC on TS on server :P I really need a plugin like this too... –  mellamokb Feb 1 '12 at 21:26
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8 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

I have created a Google Chrome extension that allows multi-session browsing.

Download here: http://www.musatcha.com/software/NewChromeSession/

It puts a button on your Chrome toolbar that launches a completely separate instance of Chrome which has its own cookies. (In fact, it has its own history as well.) This allows you to test your pages with multiple user accounts at the same time, or use multiple Gmail/Facebook accounts, etc.

Edit: To the person who tried to edit this post explaining that there is a "significant security risk", don't download it then. I don't care if you use my extension or not, I'm just trying to help folks out. As explained in the comments below, my Chrome extension requires native code running outside the browser so that it can launch another instance of Chrome. It communicates with the browser extension over HTTP. That is why it cannot be installed only as a browser extension, and why it requires a separate installer. Browser extensions alone cannot launch software on your computer. If you have a problem with this, don't install it. In that case, you shouldn't install anything, Chrome included.

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Doesn't seem to work with the latest versions of Chrome. –  Pacerier Jul 18 '12 at 3:57
@Pacerier, Strange, I'm using it at home without problem on the latest stable build of Chrome. Can you shoot me an e-mail to brad@musatcha.com with the trouble you're having? Please include OS version and Chrome version. –  Brad Jul 18 '12 at 14:11
Chrome v20 screenshoot.me/rdtUCR. when I click the button, it just wouldn't do anything.. that's the problem. –  Pacerier Jul 18 '12 at 20:32
Made obsolete by Chrome's new profiles. –  muntoo Jul 18 '12 at 21:34
@muntoo, That isn't the case at all! Unless of course you want to keep adding users to your browser every time you want to test something... –  Brad Jul 18 '12 at 21:53
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use "IE Tab" addon in firefox. You can browse linke with IE engine it has. IE Tab Addon page

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thanks. However, this is just another work-around like GC incognito. It can only have 2 sessions at the same time. I was looking for multiple sessions. –  Stan Mar 29 '11 at 23:43
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The difficulty in doing what you're asking revolves around the way the session is maintained between client and server. In most web sites, sessions are tracked by a cookie set in the browser, which gets stored in a way similar to your web cache, which is then shared across instances of that browser.

I could conceive of the possibility of creating an addon that would allow you to force which cookie a given window/tab uses, but I'm not aware of such an addon today. The closest thing I can find in a few minutes' searching is CookieSwap for Firefox, but it hasn't been updated in years.

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The CookieSwap* firefox extension is pretty useful.

If you have multiple logins for web based e-mail accounts (like Gmail and Yahoo! mail), then CookieSwap enables you to easily switch between those different accounts by swapping the 'cookies' that the sites use to know you.

* Not available for Firefox 4 yet, but top of the page it says it's coming soon.

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by using ie higher than v8.0, you could obtain that feature. by pressing 'alt' to show the menu bar and then click the 'new session' in the file menu, you can start a new session

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You can use the Incognito function in Chrome. Each window will have its own session that way.

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Wrong. All incognito windows/tabs share the same session and all non-incognito windows/tabs share the same session. Meaning you have 2 sessions max. –  Pacerier Jul 14 '12 at 16:04
Wrong, all non-incognito windows/tabs share the same session. All incognito window have its own session, just tried it and it works great. –  Adi Mor Dec 16 '12 at 6:33
@AdiMor this might have been changed but Pacerier is right. Using version 30 of Chrome all incognito windows/tabs share the same session allowing for a maximum of two sessions. –  Uri Oct 9 '13 at 14:13
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For Firefox, there is also the Multifox plugin which allows per tab identity (whereas CookieSwap does not yet). Quite handy!

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Firefox can do this natively. Just add -P -no-remote to the program path. Here it's explained step by step: http://www.flowstopper.org/2013/06/multiple-simultaneous-browser-sessions.html

The -P makes the Profile Manager show up each time you start Firefox and so you can choose a different profile (and create a new one). The -no-remote makes it show the profile screen even when other Firefox instances are running already. Each profile gets its own process, with its own cookies, sessions, preferences, history and all.

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