Ubuntu – How to add Firefox Bookmarks (from Windows) to Ubuntu Firefox bookmarks

backupfirefox

I want to move my Windows 8.1 Firefox bookmarks over to Ubuntu 17.04 Firefox.

So I went to C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\profiles
and found the bookmarks backups in the jsonlz4 format.

I've also read this article

But it says that to restore bookmarks from a backup I'd have to lose the bookmarks I already have on my Ubuntu Firefox.

Is there a way to import my Windows Firefox bookmarks to Ubuntu's Firefox without losing anything?

Best Answer

Is there a way to merge the bookmarks on my old pc to those on my new pc?

Unfortunately, Firefox does not have good tools for merging and de-duplicating bookmarks. I'm going to suggest a round-about way to do this. Here's a general overview:

  1. Create a new blank profile (profile #3) in your current Firefox (see details at the end)

  2. While using profile #3, restore a JSON-format backup file from your old system (profile #1) (see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer)

  3. Export the restored bookmarks to an HTML format in a convenient location, with a unique file name (see Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks)

  4. Exit Firefox and start up again in your normal profile (profile #2)

  5. Import the HTML-format bookmarks file (see Import Bookmarks from an HTML file)

  6. Create a backup in case anything goes wrong in step 7 (see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer)

  7. Reorganize the bookmarks from the Imported Bookmarks folder (see https://support.mozilla.org/kb/use-bookmarks-to-save-and-organize-w...), possibly using a deduplicating add-on

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox -P

Do not delete anything here. Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

Click the Create Profile button, assign a name like OldBookmarks, and skip the option to change the folder. Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.

You're ready to restore to this new profile and create the HTML-format export.

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

Related Question