HELP: How to take Firefox passwords and settings to a Mac
hey guys, i'm about to buy a Mac to use as my main machine and the only thing holding me back is Firefox. i've been using Firefox for years and i have all of my passwords, settings and bookmarks in it. i use Firefox far more than other program so I really want to take it with me to the Mac. i'm currently running Firefox on Windows 7. i've taken the Firefox profile with me on multiple re-installs of Windows.
is it possible for me to take my settings, passwords and bookmarks with me to the Mac? has anyone done this before? does anyone know of someone who's done it before and how they did it?
thanks
All Replies (16)
Yes, it is possible. Another, probably easier way to move your settings to your Mac is Firefox Sync.
are you sure the data can be taken over to a Mac? i thought Mac's handle programs differently? i've taken the profile with me from XP to Vista and to 7, but never to a non-Windows OS. do you have any links of people who have taken their Firefox settings and passwords over to a Mac?
is there another way to do it? i have a USB thumbdrive to take all the Firefox data with me.
thanks
Mac does handle programs differently, but the profile data is universal.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox shows you where the profile is stored on Mac.
Honestly, you'd be better off using Sync I think. After the transfer you can disable it, but it will ensure your data is moved seamlessly.
The one thing to keep in mind is that add-ons may work differently on a Mac (some might not available at all). Other than that, you should be fine.
You can copy the files that you need to an USB drive.
Avoid copying the full profile folder as not all files are compatible, but as long as you copy database (SQLite) files then you should be OK.
Files like sessionstore.js with your current session and App tabs and Tab Groups is also OK.
Better not copy prefs.js as if contains references to files and folder.
See also:
how do i setup firefox sync? will firefox sync take over everything including my passwords, settings and extensions and my general setup of firefox?
does anyone have links from when someone took their firefox settings from Windows to a Mac?
anyone?
You can read about Firefox Sync at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/what-firefox-sync-and-how-do-i-use-it. With Firefox 11 it will sync all passwords, bookmarks, history, add-ons, applicable settings, etc. As I said, Sync might be the easiest and most seamless way to transfer your settings.
ok thanks. i feel a lot more comfortable taking it over manually via the USB though.
does anyone have a link to someone who took their settings from Windows firefox to a Mac firefox? i want to take everything over.
thanks
anyone know of a person that moved from firefox on Windows to firefox on a Mac?
i'm just worried about putting firefox in sync because then all of my personal information like credit details will be online and accessible.
is there any other way to do it?
I don't have any links, but if you read the information on moving profiles we gave above it will work.
with Sync, all your information is encrypted from end to end, and can only be unlocked with a key that you have. without that key even Mozilla can't see what you have. Sync is safe and easy for data transfers.
http://insidesocal.com/click/2011/05/i-started-using-firefox-sync--.html is even a third party that explains the security of Sync
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-secure-is-my-sync-data explains Firefox Sync security
ok thanks, but i'd rather just save it to the portable USB drive. how can i take my firefox settings over to the Mac???
i'm just really leery of taking everything over.
Once you have Firefox installed on your Mac, find the profile folder on both your Windows and Mac (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Managing-profiles will show you where they are saved).
On your windows Computer, copy over the files you want (Recovering important data from an old profile lists those files and where they are located). Copy them onto your Mac (overwrite anything that is there with the new files). you should be in business.
what if i used firefox portable and 'installed' in on the USB drive and then just take firefox with me whenever i change from the Windows PC to the Mac and vice-versa?
No, that will not work, because the Firefox executable are different for Windows and Mac. If you want to keep your bookmarks and settings the same, either you have to use Sync (you can adjust what you sync, so if you want only to have bookmarks, synced, that is all you need to check off in the settings) Or manually move your profile back and forth using a USB Drive (using the instructions above).