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Find & Backup Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks

Have you wondered where the Bookmarks are stored on your computer? Lets do a special backup for them.

The first trick is finding them. I suggest you go to 'My Computer' -> click to access your 'Local Disk', usually (C:) -> open 'Documents and Settings'.

Here's where it gets a bit tricky, you need to select the correct User Account (user Account information is found at 'Start' -> 'Settings' -> 'Control Panel' -> 'User Accounts'). Basically, each user has his own account and thus a separate browser -so you have to identify the correct User Account to find the correct set of Bookmarks.

Most people have their account named simply 'Joe', or 'Mary'. Thus, inside the 'Documents and Settings' folder you will find a folder named 'Joe' or 'Mary'. Click to open the folder for the correct user account. Open 'Application Data' (if there is no file 'Application Data', on the toolbar go to 'Tools' -> 'Folder Options' -> 'View' -> click to open the menu options under 'Hidden files and folders' -> mark the radio button 'Show hidden files and folders' -> click 'Apply' -> click 'OK' , the file 'Application Data' will now be available to you.)

Inside 'Application Data', locate the folder 'Mozilla' and click to open it. You're looking for a file called 'Profiles'. Each 'Mozilla' browser, be it Mozilla or Mozilla Firefox, will have its own separate 'Profiles' folder. If you are looking for your Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks, you will see a folder called 'Firefox', open it and look for the 'Profiles' folder there.

Click to open the 'Profiles' folder. Inside you may see a folder called 'default' or 'default user' and/or a folder something like 'ej5vo6u5.slt' or 8eaje8i3.default. Open up these folders and look for the file called 'Bookmarks'.........Hoorah!

Click to open it up and make sure it's the right one......sometimes the 'default user' has a separate Bookmarks file....simply make sure you have the right file - the one that contains all your Bookmarks.

Once you have it, you can right-click it and select 'Copy'. Go to your desktop or anyplace else you wish to keep a copy, and 'paste'. It's good practice to rename the backup copy to reflect that it is indeed a backup (right-click the backup copy -> select 'Rename' and enter in the new name).

Then copy the file to an external drive and/or burn to a CD. For a small browser crash it's comforting to have a backup placed on the local hard drive....but obviously, in a bad crash, you may well lose all info on the local drive, so it's best to store the file on a CD or external drive.

In any event, there it is, your Bookmarks are safe. Remember to repeat this procedure regularly, the saved backup obviously won't stay current with Bookmark changes or additions.

By contrast, Internet Explorer 'Favorites' are relatively easy to find - go to 'My Computer' -> 'Local Disk (C:) -> 'Documents and Settings' -> choose the correct user account -> there you will find the 'Favorites' file. This is one instance where Internet Explorer is easier to work with than Mozilla or Mozilla Firefox.

Rather automate the task? Try Handy Backup , Genie Backup, or SyncBack. You can use these products to customize a backup for Bookmarks, plus of course other important files. SyncBack offers a quality freeware version.

MozBackup -a quality freeware utility to automate the task of backing up bookmarks/profiles of Mozilla or Mozilla Firefox

Bookmark Wizard - freeware utility makes an HTML file of your Internet Explorer Favorites