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How to retrieve the saved passwords now that the old pc is dead and there is no export/sync?

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  • Last reply by cor-el

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The old PC is dead, there is no back-up/export of the saved passwords and no sync. I can only access the disk content when connected to another PC. Where and in which files are the Firefox saved passwords stored in and can I see them or import them in the new installation?

The old PC is dead, there is no back-up/export of the saved passwords and no sync. I can only access the disk content when connected to another PC. Where and in which files are the Firefox saved passwords stored in and can I see them or import them in the new installation?

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You need to copy logins.json and key4.db from the profile folder on the attached drive to the current profile folder with Firefox closed.

You can copy certain files with Firefox closed from another profile folder to the current profile folder to transfer/restore personal data. Note that best is to avoid restoring a full profile folder and only restore important files that are safe to restore/transfer.

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


  • 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) and key4.db (decryption key and primary password) for logins saved in the Password Manager
  • cert9.db for 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)