Firefox stores your bookmarks in a file you can save, move, or restore

Firefox keeps your bookmarks in a format called HTML that any browser can read. You can export them to your computer as a backup, send them to another device, or move them to a different browser entirely. The process takes about two minutes and requires no special software — just Firefox itself and a folder where you want to keep the file.

Exporting means saving a copy of your bookmarks to your hard drive. Importing means loading bookmarks from a saved file back into Firefox. Both happen through the same menu, and you can do either one without losing what you already have.

Key Takeaways

  • Export your bookmarks by opening the menu, selecting Bookmarks, then choosing "Manage Bookmarks," then the gear icon, then "Export Bookmarks."
  • Firefox saves the file as an HTML document with a name like "bookmarks-2024-01-15.html" that you can store anywhere on your computer.
  • Import bookmarks from a saved file by going to the same Bookmarks menu, selecting "Manage Bookmarks," then the gear icon, then "Import Bookmarks from HTML."
  • Imported bookmarks add to your existing ones rather than replacing them, so you can safely import without losing anything.
  • You can open the exported HTML file in any web browser to see your bookmarks as a clickable list, even without Firefox installed.

How to export bookmarks from Firefox

Open Firefox and click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner. Select Bookmarks from the dropdown. Then select Manage Bookmarks — this opens a window showing all your saved links organized by folder.

In the Manage Bookmarks window, look for a gear icon in the top right. Click it and select Export Bookmarks. A save dialog appears asking where you want to put the file. Choose a folder you can find later — your Desktop or Documents folder works well. Firefox automatically names the file something like "bookmarks-2024-01-15.html" with today's date. You can rename it if you want, but keep the ".html" at the end. Click Save.

The file is now on your computer. You can email it to yourself, copy it to a USB drive, or upload it to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also open it in any web browser to see your bookmarks as a clickable list — this is useful if you want to check what you exported before importing it somewhere else.

How to import bookmarks into Firefox

If you have a bookmarks file saved on your computer, you can load it into Firefox. Open Firefox and click the menu button in the top right. Select Bookmarks, then Manage Bookmarks. Click the gear icon and select Import Bookmarks from HTML.

A file browser window opens. Navigate to wherever you saved your bookmarks file and select it. Click Open. Firefox reads the file and adds all those bookmarks to your current ones. You will see them appear in your Bookmarks menu, usually in a folder labeled with the date they were imported.

Importing does not erase your existing bookmarks — it adds the imported ones alongside what you already have. If you import the same file twice, you will end up with duplicate bookmarks. If that happens, you can delete the duplicates by right-clicking them in the Manage Bookmarks window and selecting Delete.

Moving bookmarks between devices

Export your bookmarks on the first device following the steps above. Save the file somewhere you can access from your second device — email it to yourself, put it on a USB drive, or upload it to cloud storage. Then on the second device, read or copy the file to your computer and import it using the steps above.

If you use the same Firefox account on both devices, Firefox can sync your bookmarks automatically without exporting and importing. Go to Settings, select Sync, and sign in with your Firefox account. Your bookmarks will appear on any device where you sign in. However, manual export and import works even if you do not have a Firefox account or prefer not to use one.

Moving bookmarks to a different browser

The HTML format Firefox uses is a standard that other browsers understand. You can import Firefox bookmarks into Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Opera. The exact steps vary by browser, but they all have an import option in their settings or menu.

In Chrome, click the menu (three dots), go to Bookmarks, then select "Import bookmarks and settings." Choose Firefox as the source and select your bookmarks file. In Edge, click the menu, go to Favorites, then "Import favorites." In Safari on Mac, go to File, then "Import From," then select Firefox. Each browser will add your Firefox bookmarks to its own bookmark system.

What to do if your bookmarks file is lost or corrupted

If you deleted your bookmarks by accident and did not export them first, Firefox keeps automatic backups in a hidden folder on your computer. On Windows, go to your user folder, then AppData, then Local, then Mozilla, then Firefox, then Profiles, then a folder with a random name ending in ".default-release." Look for a folder called "bookmarkbackups." Firefox stores up to 15 automatic backups here, named by date.

On Mac, open Finder, press Command-Shift-G, and type "~/Library/process Support/Firefox/Profiles/." Find the folder ending in ".default-release," then look for "bookmarkbackups." Choose the backup closest to the date you want to restore and import it using the steps above.

If the file itself is corrupted and will not open, try opening it in a text editor like Notepad to see if the content is readable. If it is completely unreadable, your automatic backups are your best option. If you have neither a backup nor an export, the bookmarks cannot be recovered.

Keeping your bookmarks safe long-term

Export your bookmarks once a month and save the file in at least two places — one on your computer and one in cloud storage or on an external drive. This way, if your computer fails or you accidentally delete Firefox, you can restore your bookmarks on any device.

Label your backup files with the date so you know which one is most recent. If you have hundreds of bookmarks, organize them into folders before exporting — this makes them easier to find later. You can create new folders in the Manage Bookmarks window by right-clicking and selecting "New Folder."

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export just one folder of bookmarks instead of all of them?

Firefox's built-in export tool saves everything at once. If you want to export a single folder, right-click it in the Manage Bookmarks window and select "Copy." Then paste it into a text editor and save as HTML. For most people, exporting everything and organizing by folder afterward is simpler.

What happens if I import bookmarks twice from the same file?

You will have duplicate bookmarks. Firefox does not check whether a bookmark already exists before importing. Delete the duplicates by selecting them in Manage Bookmarks, right-clicking, and choosing Delete. If you have many duplicates, consider starting fresh by exporting your current bookmarks, deleting all bookmarks, then importing once.

Can I edit the bookmarks file before importing it?

Yes. The HTML file is readable in any text editor. You can open it in Notepad or Word and delete lines to remove bookmarks before importing. However, be careful not to break the HTML structure — if you delete a line in the middle of a bookmark entry, the import may fail. Exporting, importing, then deleting unwanted bookmarks in Firefox is usually safer.

Does exporting bookmarks include my passwords or browsing history?

No. Exporting only saves your bookmarks — the links you manually saved. Passwords and browsing history are stored separately and are not included in the export file. If you want to back those up, you need to export them separately through Firefox settings.

What if the bookmarks file is too large to email?

Bookmarks files are usually small — even thousands of bookmarks typically create a file under 1 MB. If yours is larger, you likely have many bookmarks with long descriptions. Use cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive instead of email. Upload the file there and share the link.