Manufacturers of popular web browsers try to make moving to their browser as comfortable as possible for the user. So, if you are afraid to switch to the Mozilla Firefox browser because you will have to re-enter all the settings, then your fears are in vain - if necessary, all the necessary settings can be imported into Firefox from any web browser installed on your computer.
The function of importing settings into Mozilla Firefox is a useful tool that allows you to quickly and comfortably move to a new browser. Today we will look at the easiest way to import settings, bookmarks and other information into Mozilla Firefox from Fire or a browser from another manufacturer installed on your computer.
Importing settings into Mozilla Firefox from Mozilla Firefox
First of all, let's look at the easiest way to import settings when you have Firefox on one computer and want to transfer all the settings to another Firefox installed on a different computer.
The easiest way to do this is to use the synchronization function, which involves creating a special account that stores all your data and settings. Thus, by installing Firefox on all your computers and mobile devices, all downloaded data and browser settings will always be at hand, and all changes will be promptly made to synchronized browsers.
To configure synchronization, click on the web browser menu button in the upper right corner and select the item in the pop-up context menu “Enter Synchronization” .
You will be redirected to the login page. If you already have a Firefox account created, all you have to do is click the button "To come in" and enter authorization data. If you don't have an account yet, you need to create one by clicking on the button "Create an account" .
Creating a Firefox account is almost instant - you just need to enter your email address, set a password and indicate your age. Actually, this will complete the account creation.
When you have successfully entered synchronization, you just have to make sure that the browser will also synchronize Firefox settings; to do this, click on the Internet browser menu button and in the lower area of the window that opens, click on the name of your email.
A synchronization settings window will appear on the screen, in which you need to make sure that you have the box ticked "Settings" . Please fill out all other items at your own discretion.
Importing settings into Mozilla Firefox from another browser
Now consider a situation where you want to transfer settings to Mozilla Firefox from another browser used on your computer. As you understand, in this case you won’t be able to use the synchronization function.
Click on the browser menu button and select the section "Magazine" .
An additional menu will appear in the same area of the window, in which you will need to click on the button "Show entire log" .
In the upper area of the window, expand the additional menu in which you need to check the item "Import data from another browser" .
Select the browser from which you want to import settings.
Make sure you have a bird placed near the item "Internet Settings" . Enter all other data at your discretion and complete the import procedure by clicking on the button "Further" .
The import process will begin, depending on the amount of information being imported, but usually the wait will not be long. From now on, you have transferred all settings to the Mozilla Firefox browser.
If you still have questions related to importing settings, ask them in the comments.
Exporting bookmarks is one of the mandatory measures when switching to another, updated system or when reinstalling Windows. In an effort to maintain the integrity of our library of links, we often have to transfer browser bookmarks along with vital files, documents, pictures, videos and music, so as not to lose everything that you have collected for so long and carefully. Each of the web navigators has its own mechanisms for transferring web links, and today we will talk about how to cope with importing and exporting Firefox bookmarks– without exaggeration, the most popular open source browser on Earth.
In fact, if you are good at synchronizing Firefox with other connected devices (which we wrote about), then you can do without exporting bookmarks altogether. To transfer all bookmarks, tabs, passwords, history, add-ons and browser settings, you just need to synchronize these components with the server on the old system before deleting it, and later start the synchronization process on the new operating system. In this case, all of the above components will be included in the updated system. After this, you don't need to do anything. You just need to go to your bookmarks in Firefox and make sure everything is in place.
This method is very simple, fast and understandable. The only problem is the possible appearance of duplicate links. If you have synchronized several times, some links in the directories may be repeated. Data loss is also possible, since it is not possible to directly control the Firefox synchronization process, and all that you have to follow is a message that the synchronization procedure will now begin, and you should be patient.
However, you can observe this process with your own eyes: by connecting the accounting service and opening the list of bookmarks, you can personally observe how new elements are added to the list when copying data from a remote Mozilla server. This mechanic works quite stably and efficiently, that's a fact.
How to export bookmarks in Firefox?
Instead of synchronization, you can export Firefox bookmarks the old fashioned way, manually: using the transfer function available in the bookmarks menu. Using this method, you can be absolutely sure that none of your data will be lost or duplicated. Moreover, when using this technique, you can also transfer bookmarks from one browser to another (for example, from Chrome to Firefox, or vice versa). So how does it work?
On the top panel, click on the button to open the bookmarks menu and select the “Show all bookmarks” option.
A working form called “Library” will open in front of you. The structure of the bookmarks menu itself is collected here with categories, sections and sub-item separators, so here you can directly manage the contents of the bookmarks menu. Go to the “Import and backups” menu section and select the “Export bookmarks to HTML file” option.
Next, specify the name of the file under which you want to save your bookmarks. If you already have several old copies of a given file, it is useful to indicate the date of storage so that you can easily distinguish between different copies of the same object. Once the file name has been entered, click the “Save” button and the file will be saved to your hard drive.
You now have an archived copy of your bookmarks. Move it to a safe place (to another partition of your hard drive or to a USB flash drive) and you can begin reinstalling the system. As you can see, Firefox copes with exporting bookmarks perfectly, without any problems. But how can we import bookmarks on the new browser? Yes, it’s very simple, and here’s how you can do it.
How to import bookmarks into Firefox?
To start the import procedure, open the “Library” form again through the bookmarks menu, and there select the “Import bookmarks from HTML file” option in the “Import and backups” section.
Now, all that remains to be done is to specify the location of the file to import on your hard drive. We select the appropriate file object, click the “Open” button - and voila, all bookmarks are imported.
As you can see, the procedure is absolutely elementary and does not require any special knowledge or skills.
Instead of an HTML file, we can use the “Create a backup copy” option in the same menu section.
The only difference is that in this way we can only transfer bookmark data to another instance of Firefox, but not to Chrome or Opera. In this method of exporting bookmarks, Firefox uses the internal JSON data format, and no other browsers except Firefox itself simply understand it. In turn, HTML is a universal format that is perfectly recognized by all other browsers, and using it, we can quite successfully transfer bookmark data to any other alternative web browser.
To transfer bookmarks from Microsoft Edge, Opera, Chrome or IE, you should use the tool available in the “Import data from another browser” menu in the same “Library” form. Before using this mechanism, you should make sure that you are currently working only with Firefox, and no other browser is running on your PC. We go to the menu section we already know and select the appropriate item.
We select the web navigator we need from the list and mark it with one click, after which we click on the “Next” button.
The transfer procedure starts. Wait a little, and after a few tens of seconds everything will be ready.
Perhaps, that’s all the methods for transferring bookmarks between browsers. As you can see, Firefox imports and exports bookmarks literally in no time. You just need to press a few keys and wait a little. The transfer mechanism is quite elegant and intuitive. What do you think about comparing this procedure with a similar technique in Chrome? Where does it work faster and more conveniently? Write about it in the comments if you find this topic interesting and relevant, and with that, your humble servant takes his leave and wishes you successful export.
There are several ways to do this. The first is the standard transfer of bookmarks from Firefox. This operation is often performed when reinstalling Windows and purchasing a new PC or laptop.
The second way to save bookmarks and passwords in Firefox is synchronization. An ideal way for those who do not sit still and want all their data to be available on their work computer, home laptop, as well as smartphone and other devices at the same time.
And the third way is to transfer from Mozilla Firefox to Chrome, Opera, Yandex browsers. Just in case you are tired of the “fiery fox”. Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
Let's start with the first one.
If you are going to do this, then copy this file to a USB flash drive. So as not to forget later.
It is in the “bookmars” file that bookmarks are stored in Mozilla. This completes the export, let's move on.
Let's say you need to transfer Firefox bookmarks to another computer. Or to the previous one, but after reinstalling the system
For this:
Ready. In this simple way you can restore bookmarks in Firefox when reinstalling the browser, Windows, etc. Go ahead.
Synchronization in Mozilla
Using the above method, you can only copy bookmarks from Mozilla Firefox. Everything else: passwords, add-ons (plugins), etc. will not be saved. But there is another way to do this - synchronization.
What is this? The essence of synchronization is this: you create an account, and all passwords and other data are tied to it. And in the end, to access them, you just need to log in with your account on any device - work PC, smartphone, etc. And you won’t have to export or import anything.
To make this function work, do the following:
This is how synchronization is carried out in a simple way. To synchronize data on an iOS or Android device, you need to install a special application (links to them are in your personal account).
Using this method, you can not only save your bookmarks in Firefox, but also all your passwords, add-ons, etc.
Transfer bookmarks from Firefox to Chrome, Opera or Yandex
If for some reason you are tired of the “fire fox” or don’t like it, you can export the data from it and transfer it to another browser. Fortunately, modern versions are good friends with each other.
First, you need to copy your bookmarks from Firefox. That is, export them. After this, you can proceed to the main thing.
To import bookmarks from Firefox to Chrome:
Click Ctrl+Shift+O – the “Import Done” folder appears here. If necessary, you can rename it or structure it in a convenient way.
Firefox to Opera:
Then click Ctrl+Shift+B and open My Folders. Here you will find sites imported from Chanterelle.
From Firefox to Yandex:
Transferring a profile to Firefox to a disk, flash drive or hard drive is necessary to save user settings in the browser after reinstalling it, formatting the system partition, or installing the operating system. This procedure is also necessary when transferring Firefox data to another computer (for example, bookmarks, passwords, browsing history, etc.).
In this article, you will learn how to transfer a profile to Firefox in various ways, how to separately import and export bookmarks, and also how to change its location on the disk (place it on a different partition of the hard drive).
Profile structure
The profile folder is generated automatically by the browser. Its name consists of Latin letters and numbers. It stores information about user settings. Here are just some of the elements found in the profile that are necessary to restore the created Mozilla Firefox configuration:
- places.sqlite - bookmarks, history of visited pages and downloaded files;
- bookmarkbackups - reserve of saved bookmarks;
- key3.db, logins.json - credentials (passwords and logins);
- permissions.sqlite, content-prefs.sqlite - specialized Firefox settings (set scale, font size, resolution of pop-up windows for individual sites);
- search.json.mozlz4 - specified search engines;
- persdict.dat - additional words (browser dictionary);
- formhistory.sqlite - data for auto-filling fields;
- cookies.sqlite - cookies;
- extensions folder - connected extensions;
- cert8.db - settings of security certificates for secure network connections;
- secmod.db - database of security modules;
- mimeTypes.rdf - a set of browser actions for certain file types (for example, downloading, viewing PDF files);
- pluginreg.dat - MIME types of installed plugins;
- sessionstore.js - saved Internet session (open tabs, windows);
- xulstore.json - toolbar settings;
- prefs.js - options changed by the user.
How to access?
There are two ways to open the directory with profile settings:
Method No. 1: using the FF option
1. Click the Menu icon at the top right (three stripes icon).
2. In the window that pops up, under the block of icons, click “question mark”.
3. In the list, click “Information...”.
4. In the loaded tab, click “Open...”.
5. The contents of the profile folder will appear in the system window.
If you want to view all available profiles, in the address bar of the window, click on the “Profiles” location path. The OS Explorer will “rise” one level in the hierarchy.
Method number 2: through the Start menu
1. Select “Start” in the taskbar.
2. In the search bar, type:
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
3. A directory icon will appear in Start. Click it to view the contents.
Backup and Restore
Method #1: manually
1. Open the directory with profiles.
2. Close the browser: click the “cross” at the top left.
3. Right-click on the profile that you want to reserve for later restoration. In the menu, click "Copy".
4. Transfer the copy to another folder on the hard drive (preferably not to the system partition) or to the desktop: right-click on an empty space, click “Paste”.
5. Open the profile in which you want to place the created copy (on another PC, in a newly installed FF distribution, etc.).
6. Select all the elements in it (files and folders): select any object by clicking the mouse and pressing Ctrl + A.
7. Right-click on the highlighted list. In the menu, run the “Delete” command.
8. Open the previously copied folder (profile copy).
9. Copy its contents:
- select all elements;
- Right-click the menu and click Copy.
10. Go to the cleaned folder in the FF directory.
11. Right-click and click the “Insert” command in the list.
Note. If the folder has the same name as the backup folder, go up to the Profiles directory, and then click “Insert” and confirm replacing the entire folder.
12. Now that the data has been transferred, launch FF.
Method No. 2: automatically - in the MozBackup program
Mozbackup is a program that performs automatic recovery of user data in FF at the level of individual items. Frees the user from having to manually transfer the profile folder. Recommended for use primarily by novice users.
To use it, follow this guide:
Download and installation
1. Download the offsite - http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com.
2. Click the “Download” section.
Note. Anchors marked “no install” for downloading a portable version of the program.
4. Run the downloaded file and complete the installation.
Creating a backup
1. Click the utility shortcut. Click Next.
2. Make sure that the “Backup a profile” mode is enabled in the “Operation” block.
3. Click “Browse”, set the backup directory.
4. Select “Next” to proceed.
5. In the Question window:
- click “Yes” if you want to block access to the file with a password, and enter the key;
- Click "No" if you don't need a password.
6. Select the data you want to copy. Place “birds” near them.
7. When the reservation is complete, click “Finish”.
Recovering from a file
1. Close your browser, open MozBackup.
2. Turn on the “Restore a profile” mode.
3. Specify the path to the backup copy (Browse button).
4. Select the items to recover.
5. Confirm the launch of the operation: click “Yes” in the “Question” request.
Method #3: copy to Firefox account
The method allows you to store a backup on the FF developers' server and use it to transfer user settings to PCs and mobile devices.
To use it, do this:
1. In the browser, click: Tools → Settings.
2. Open the “Synchronization” subsection.
3. Click "Create an account".
4. Enter your email, login password (at least 8 characters long), and your age.
5. Click “Create...”.
6. Confirm entering synchronization mode.
7. Indicate which data needs to be backed up and which does not. By default, everything is checked (tabs, history, passwords, etc.). Click "Save...".
8. In the specified e-mail, open the notification from Firefox and use the link to confirm.
9. To restore the profile, go again: Tools → Settings → Synchronization.
10. Log in to your account: click Login, enter your login (e-mail) and password.
Transferring a profile to another section
Sometimes, for security reasons and to save free space on drive C, it becomes necessary to move a user profile from the default directory to an alternative storage (folder) located on another partition or hard drive.
This add-on is performed as follows:
1. Create a folder to store your profile.
For example: e:\profile\firefox\
Where "e:" is the drive partition letter.
2. Copy the contents of the profile folder in the browser (see instructions for manual backup).
3. Paste the copied data into the prepared empty folder.
4. Specify the path to the new storage location in your browser using one of the methods described below:
Method number 1: add-on in a shortcut
1. Right-click on the browser shortcut located on your desktop (which you use to launch). Open the Properties panel.
2. In the “Object” line, add the key to the existing entry (path to the executable file):
Profile "d:\profile\firefox"
The quotes indicate the path to the new repository.
Method number 2: changing initialization
1. In the Start line, enter - %appdata%\Mozilla\Firefox\profiles.ini
2. Click on the profiles.ini file icon that appears. By default, it opens in the Notepad application.
3. Edit it:
Replace the line Path=Profiles/xxxxx.default with Path=d:\profile\firefox.
Where "d:\profile\firefox" is the path to the profile folder.
In the line IsRelative=1, replace the value “1” with “0”.
4. Save the option changes. In the Notepad menu, click File → Save (or Save As...).
After transferring the profile, all data and settings will be saved in the specified folder.
Transferring bookmarks
1. In the menu, click: Log → Show entire log.
2. In the Log panel, open the “Import and...” drop-down list and select “Export... to...”. Specify the directory for the bookmark file.
Accordingly, to restore or transfer bookmarks, for example, from Chrome to Firefox in HTML format, go to the log again, to “Import and ...” and click the “Import ...” option. Then specify the path to a copy of your bookmarks and download it. A collection of links will appear in the sidebar with your saved URLs.
Restoring a profile allows you to significantly save time during the individual process of reinstalling the system and installing it on another PC. Choose any of the described methods and create a backup copy of your profile folder right now. And then you probably won’t lose sight of the selection of your favorite sites, connected add-ons, network settings, and history of pages visited.
I think we all have websites that you visit from time to time. So, in order not to search for them for a long time, you need to add such pages to your browser bookmarks. But what if you need to reinstall the web browser, or you want to change the version of the operating system, so you will have to install all the programs again?
In a previous article, I wrote about how to import (export) bookmarks into Opera. You can read it at the link.
In this article we will deal with the question: how to import or export bookmarks in Mozilla Firefox. This topic may be raised for various reasons. For example, you want to start working in your favorite browser on a laptop, but at the same time a lot of useful pages are saved in a web browser on your computer, etc. This means that you need to make sure that the bookmarks on your laptop have the same links as those on your computer.
Import
There are two ways to import a list of saved sites into Mozilla Firefox.
From another browser
In the first case, you can import them from another browser. To do this, click on the button in the form of a list in the upper right corner, and select the item from the drop-down menu "Show all …" or use the key combination Ctrl+Alt+B.
In the window that opens, click on the button in the top menu "Import and backups". Next, from the drop-down list, select the item "Import data from another browser".
A window opens in which, using a marker, you need to select the browser from which the import will be performed. Click the “Next” button.
All browsers that, like Mozilla, are installed on your computer will be shown here. If they also contain sites that are important to you and you need to work with them in Firefox, then mark the desired browser with a marker.
The next window will display a message that the import was completed successfully. Click "Finish".
Now on "Bookmark Bars" A new folder “From Google Chrome” will appear, because I imported them from there. Clicking on it will open a list of sites that were previously saved in Chrome.
From file
The second method allows you to import your favorite sites from an HTML file. Click on the list icon again and select from the drop-down menu "Show all…".
From the top menu of the window that opens, select "Import and backups", and from the drop-down list click on the item "Import... from HTML file".
A window opens in which you need to select a file in html format in which the bookmarks from the browser were saved. Such an HTML file can be saved: on a computer, on a flash drive, or in cloud storage. Which is very convenient in cases when you want to transfer the addresses of important sites from a computer to a laptop, or from one computer to another. Select the selected file with the mouse and click “Open”.
That's all - now the bookmarks from the selected file will appear in the corresponding list in Firefox.
Export
Exporting bookmarks to an HTML file in the Firefox browser will allow you to save all important Internet pages after an unexpected browser crash, use them on another device, or open them in another browser.
Click on the “Bookmarks” icon and select from the drop-down menu "Show all…".