Backup Firefox Bookmarks: Copy, Export and Restore a Lost One

Backup Firefox Bookmarks: Make a Copy and Restore One You Lost

How to back up Firefox bookmarks

Use Backup in the bookmarks Library. It saves every bookmark and folder to one file you can restore later.

Open the Library with Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows or Linux, Command+Shift+O on a Mac, or from the menu: Bookmarks, then Manage bookmarks.
Select All Bookmarks on the left.
Click Import and Backup and choose Backup….
Pick a folder you will remember and click Save. The file is named bookmarks-date.json by default.

The steps come from Mozilla's guide to restoring bookmarks from a backup. Firefox can restore from both JSON and HTML backup files, so if one type ever fails to load, try the other.

To move bookmarks to another browser or computer, choose Export Bookmarks to HTML… in the same menu instead. Mozilla's export guide draws the line: a JSON backup is for restoring in Firefox, an HTML export is for other browsers. To bring them into Chrome, open Chrome's menu, then Bookmarks and lists, then Import bookmarks and settings, and choose the HTML file, as Google's import help explains.

Passwords are not part of a bookmark backup. Export them separately from about:logins with Export Passwords…. Mozilla warns the exported CSV file is not encrypted, so delete it when you are done.

On Android and iPhone, Mozilla says you must use Firefox Sync to move bookmarks off the phone. Sync keeps your devices the same, and in Mozilla's words it does not provide a true backup service.

Where Firefox keeps bookmark backups

Firefox makes bookmark backups by itself and keeps the last 15. They sit in a folder called bookmarkbackups inside your Firefox profile. To open the profile, type about:support in the address bar and click the button next to Profile Directory to open it. Mozilla's profile guide also shows how to find the folder without opening Firefox, which is the way to copy backups when Firefox will not start.

Firefox backups are JSON or compressed JSONLZ4 files, so the easy way to use them is through the Library. There, choose Import and Backup, then Restore: the dated entries are these backups, and Choose File… takes any backup file you copied, including one from another computer. The full checklist for bookmarks that vanished after an update is in how to get back Firefox bookmarks that disappeared.

If one bookmark is missing rather than all of them, search before you restore. The steps below find most lost pages without touching a backup.

Search the complete Firefox bookmark Library

Open the Library with Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows or Linux, or Command+Shift+O on a Mac. You can also choose Bookmarks → Manage Bookmarks from the application menu.

Select All Bookmarks before searching. The page may be in the toolbar, Bookmarks Menu, Other Bookmarks, or a synced mobile folder.

Try one distinctive clue at a time:

Part of the website name
A word from the page title
The company or author name
A fragment of the web address
The subject of the page

Search pricing before a full phrase such as pricing article about onboarding software. Firefox searches stored bookmark information, not your memory of why the page mattered. Short searches reveal more possible matches.

Sort or scan results by name and location. Open likely pages in new tabs so the result list remains available.

Check recent bookmarks and unexpected folders

Firefox may remember the last folder you used, or you may have bookmarked quickly without opening the folder selector.

Inspect Recent Bookmarks first, followed by:

Bookmarks Toolbar
Bookmarks Menu
Other Bookmarks
Mobile Bookmarks, if you use Firefox Sync on a phone

Expand vague folders such as Reading, Work, Later, or Unsorted. Do not begin reorganizing hundreds of entries yet. Recovering one page and cleaning the entire archive are different jobs.

Search Firefox history when the bookmark is missing

The page may never have been bookmarked. You might have left it in a tab, sent it to yourself, or only assumed you saved it.

Open history with Ctrl+Shift+H on Windows or Linux, or Command+Shift+H on a Mac. Reuse the same small clues.

When words fail, search by time. Recall what you were doing: before a meeting, during lunch, or while preparing for an interview. Nearby activity can be easier to remember than the page title. A company site beside a calendar page and video-call link may identify an article opened for that conversation.

This gets harder when work is spread across tools. The best apps for knowledge-worker recall are useful when you need to retrieve more than browser pages.

Look for the page outside Firefox

Before restoring anything, search email, messaging apps, and notes for the site name. Inspect recently closed tabs and another Firefox device when Sync is enabled. A phone bookmark may be under Mobile Bookmarks rather than the desktop folder you expected.

Search the open web with remembered details and the site name when possible. site:example.com onboarding checklist is more focused than a query for the general subject.

Interview research is especially likely to be scattered among history, messages, and notes. A routine for finding interview context when notes are scattered can prevent a nightly reconstruction job.

Restore a bookmark backup carefully

Use a backup only when bookmarks were deleted or an entire collection disappeared. Restoring replaces the current bookmark set, so preserve what you have first.

Open Import and Backup in the bookmark Library.
Create a backup of the current bookmarks and store it somewhere recognizable.
Choose Restore and inspect the dated backups.
Select a date from before the bookmark disappeared.
Search for the missing page immediately after restoration.

If the restored collection does not help, return to the backup you created before starting. Do not try several restore points without preserving the current state each time.

Restore one bookmark from a backup without losing new ones

Restore replaces your whole bookmark set, so take the one link you need and then put today's set back. Mozilla warns that restoring overwrites current bookmarks and suggests importing from HTML when you want old and new together.

Click Import and Backup, then Backup…, and save today's bookmarks.
Choose Restore and pick a dated backup from before the bookmark went missing.
Find the bookmark and copy its address into a note, or use Export Bookmarks to HTML… to save this older set as a file.
Choose Restore, then Choose File…, and select the file from step 1. Your current bookmarks are back.
Bookmark the page again, or use Import Bookmarks from HTML… with the file from step 3. Imported bookmarks are added to the Bookmarks Menu folder next to your current ones, which can create duplicates.

If you use Firefox Sync, be careful: Mozilla notes that restoring a backup may overwrite synced data. Finish all five steps on one computer before you open Firefox on another device.

Save the recovered page where you will search next time

Firefox bookmarks work well when you remember the site or title. They work less well when you remember only an idea, visual detail, or situation.

Rename the bookmark clearly, place it in the relevant project folder, or copy it into the notes for the work it supports. For mixed material, dEssence is another option: save pages, screenshots, articles, and videos together, then ask for an item using remembered details.

The important choice is not the number of folders. It is one dependable retrieval path. Apps designed to help you remember saved material should be judged by how quickly they return a half-remembered item, not how tidy they look after setup.

Make future Firefox bookmarks easier to recover

Rename vague bookmarks when saving. Homepage will be useless next month; Acme onboarding examples for client workshop records both subject and intended use.

Use a small number of stable folders. Project names, people, and active decisions are easier to remember than an elaborate topic tree. Our guide on how to organize Firefox bookmarks covers folders and A to Z sorting, and a Firefox bookmark keyword or tag lets you open an important page by typing one word. A folder holding one obscure bookmark may add effort without improving retrieval.

Finally, test the system with imperfect memory. Search using words you would naturally remember a week later. If you can find the page without its exact title, the setup is doing its job.

Firefox bookmark backup questions

Where is the Firefox bookmarks backup file?

Automatic backups are in the bookmarkbackups folder inside your Firefox profile. A manual backup is wherever you saved it, named bookmarks-date.json unless you changed it.

How many bookmark backups does Firefox keep?

Mozilla says Firefox keeps the last 15 automatic backups. Make your own with Backup… before a big cleanup or a reinstall.

Does Firefox Sync back up my bookmarks?

No. Sync updates itself every time you change bookmarks, so Mozilla says it does not provide a true backup service. Keep a backup file as well.

How do I restore Firefox bookmarks from a JSONLZ4 file?

In the Library, choose Import and Backup, then Restore, then Choose File…, and select the file. Restoring replaces your current bookmarks, so back them up first.

How do I export Firefox bookmarks to another computer?

Use Export Bookmarks to HTML… and import the file in the other browser, or copy a backup file and restore it in Firefox there with Choose File….