How to Migrate Your Firefox Profile to Another Computer
When you use Firefox on a new computer, you can pick up from where you left off on the old one. With profile transfer, you can have all your passwords, extensions, and settings ready for you to get going.
Firefox sync is also an option, but it uses the internet to store and retrieve passwords. If you have concerns about security, profile transfer using files is the way to go. Also, profile transfer is the faster option, since Firefox does need not install the extensions again.
What Is a Firefox Profile?
To migrate Firefox profiles, you need to understand how they work. User data in Firefox is stored in profiles, in the form of files. Firefox allows you to use multiple profiles. You can get info about all the profiles on your computer with about:profiles in the Firefox URL bar.
There can be many profiles, but only one default profile. You can set any profile as default, and Firefox will start with that profile. To have a choice of Firefox profiles shown at startup, you need to set a parameter in the launcher.
How to Modify the Firefox Shortcut on Windows
Right-click theFirefox shortcut >openProperties >add-pat the end, to theTarget
How to Modify the Firefox Shortcut on Linux
Right-click theFirefox shortcut >openProperties >add-Pat the end, to theCommand(Capital P)
How to Find Information for Firefox’s Profiles
Information on all the Firefox profiles is in a file called profiles.ini. If you want to change the ordering of the profiles, this is the file you need to modify.
On Windows, the location of this file is:
On Linux, the file is at:
If you need a custom location for your profile files, you need to change the path in profiles.ini.
How to Migrate Firefox Data
Keep in mind that the version of Firefox on both the computers needs to be the same. It works if the target computer’s version is higher than the source computer, but not always. To check the version, open Firefox, and navigate toMenu > Help > About Firefox.
After checking compatibility of the versions, you can proceed with migrating the profile.
How to Migrate Firefox Profiles on Windows
Get the profile info withabout:profilesin the URL bar.
There are two folders, a Root Folder that holds the profile files, and a Local Folder that has the cache data.
OpenRoot Folder. ClickViewfrom the menu and checkHidden items.
Copy and paste the contents to a new folder. Move the folder to the target computer. To do this, you may use network file transfer or a portable storage device.
While it is possible to get the profile working by adjusting the file paths, it is a complex process. The easier way is to create a new profile and then overwrite the files.
On the target computer, openFirefox Profile Manager. Create a new profile.
Start Firefox with the new profile. This will create the necessary configuration for the profile to work. Locate the folder of the new profile using about:profiles. Close Firefox, and overwrite the files with those from the source computer.
Open Firefox with the new profile. You will see all your settings, extensions and passwords intact, as it were on the source computer.
How to Migrate Firefox Profiles on Linux
The process is exactly the same for Linux, except that folders on Linux are calledDirectories.
However, profile files are numerous and tiny in file size. This is where Linux’s Rsync comes handy. Rsync speeds up transfer by compressing data. It is very useful for transferring large profiles.
Once you have transferred the files using Rsync, you need to change the ownership of the files. Do it with:
Can You Migrate Firefox Profiles Across Operating Systems Using This Method?
Yes! It will work fine for migrations across different operating systems as long as the Firefox version is the same.
The Risks of Migrating Profiles Using File Transfer
If you forget to wipe the data on the portable storage device used to transfer the files, it is a risk. A bad actor can import your profile with the full set of passwords. It is not enough even if you delete the files from the storage device.
There are programs that recover deleted files. However, these programs cannot recover storage blocks on the device that are overwritten. So, you need to zero fill the portable drives, or full format it.
The solution is simple,use a Primary Password for Firefox. Any password that is not too easy to guess will take plenty of time to hack, and will save your day. As a thumb rule, use a master password for any browser, not only Firefox.
Migrating Profiles Using File Transfer Is Easy
You can use multiple profiles for convenience, or to avoid data collection by websites. Hence, this is the best way to migrate profiles across computers. You can use parts of this tutorial to back up your profile as well. Firefox is a fantastic browser and there are many ways to tweak it to meet your needs.
Tired of being tracked on the web? Firefox offers a host of privacy settings that you can tweak for maximum security.
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