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How do I move Firefox to a new PC

  • 3 replies
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  • Last reply by mschwage

mschwage
mschwage
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Hi, I want to move Firefox to a new PC. I know there are many guides on how to do that, but what I'm most concerned about are my open windows and Tabs. How do I preserve those on the move?

Thank you.

Hi, I want to move Firefox to a new PC. I know there are many guides on how to do that, but what I'm most concerned about are my open windows and Tabs. How do I preserve those on the move? Thank you.

Chosen solution

Hey, You will need to enable Sync first of all on your device. Then login with your firefox account on your new PC and recheck that Sync is on. Now you should be able to see the open tabs and Windows on your new PC. Attaching a detailed article on how to do this. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/view-synced-tabs-other-devices https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-set-sync-my-computer?redirectslug=how-do-i-set-up-firefox-sync&redirectlocale=en-US

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All Replies (3)

Mamoon
Mamoon
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Chosen Solution

Hey, You will need to enable Sync first of all on your device. Then login with your firefox account on your new PC and recheck that Sync is on. Now you should be able to see the open tabs and Windows on your new PC. Attaching a detailed article on how to do this. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/view-synced-tabs-other-devices https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-set-sync-my-computer?redirectslug=how-do-i-set-up-firefox-sync&redirectlocale=en-US

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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You can copy certain files with Firefox closed to the current profile folder to transfer or recover personal data. Note that best is to avoid copying a full profile folder. Note that you should be cautious with copying SQLite database files if you previously had problems.

  • bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
  • favicons: favicons.sqlite
  • bookmark backups: compressed .jsonlz4 JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
  • cookies.sqlite for the Cookies
  • formhistory.sqlite for saved autocomplete Form Data
  • logins.json (encrypted logins;32+) and key4.db (decryption key;58+) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
    key3.db support ended in 73+; to use key3.db in 58-72, make sure to remove key4.db
  • cert9.db (58+) for (intermediate) certificates stored in the Certificate Manager
  • persdict.dat for words added to the spell checker dictionary
  • permissions.sqlite for Permissions and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for other website specific data (Site Preferences)
  • sessionstore.jsonlz4 for open tabs and pinned tabs (see also the sessionstore-backups folder)

You can use the button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.

mschwage
mschwage Question owner
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Thank you both. I'll have both PCs available for a time, so I can verify that this all works. I'm going to try the sync first, and if that's not satisfactory I'll work with the profile folder.