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Imported Chrome bookmarks messed up

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  • Last reply by ttfr

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I imported my Chrome bookmarks into Firefox 57.0.3 (64-bit) on Windows 7 a few days ago. Everything seemed to go well, but I have discovered that Firefox has messed up some of the folders, typically in cases where subfolders in different folders have the same names (e.g. IT - shopping - France vs. Media - shopping - France). Some subfolders have been moved to the wrong parent subfolders, and other subfolders are trailing after the main structure.

This is a big mess, and I'm spending hours now comparing with the original folders in Chrome. The annoying thing is that I had already updated a few bookmarks in Firefox after the migration, so I need to comb through hundreds of folders and bookmarks now to tidy up. I had migrated to Firefox because Chrome's new bookmark manager is atrocious. I'm taking my bookmarks out of the browsers now and storing them in my Windows file structure where the browsers can no longer harm them (Firefox) or subject them to an unusable interface (Chrome's new interface), not least as Firefox has no search function to tell me in which folder a given bookmark is.

I imported my Chrome bookmarks into Firefox 57.0.3 (64-bit) on Windows 7 a few days ago. Everything seemed to go well, but I have discovered that Firefox has messed up some of the folders, typically in cases where subfolders in different folders have the same names (e.g. IT - shopping - France vs. Media - shopping - France). Some subfolders have been moved to the wrong parent subfolders, and other subfolders are trailing after the main structure. This is a big mess, and I'm spending hours now comparing with the original folders in Chrome. The annoying thing is that I had already updated a few bookmarks in Firefox after the migration, so I need to comb through hundreds of folders and bookmarks now to tidy up. I had migrated to Firefox because Chrome's new bookmark manager is atrocious. I'm taking my bookmarks out of the browsers now and storing them in my Windows file structure where the browsers can no longer harm them (Firefox) or subject them to an unusable interface (Chrome's new interface), not least as Firefox has no search function to tell me in which folder a given bookmark is.

All Replies (9)

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Well one bookmark isn't the same bookmark in another Browser. This isn't a FF fault should another Browser use different bookmark setting as such. Bookmark migration gives you no guarantee it will match another Browser setting. If Chrome configures it different from FF then there is nothing FF can do about it but do it's best to merge the bookmark. Remember that is a Chrome Bookmark not a FF Bookmark your trying to compare apples to orange here they don't have to follow the same programing and that is the problem with migration. So unless they use the same settings of which I doubt they will then migration will be a hit and miss when migrating Bookmarks.

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"Well one bookmark isn't the same bookmark in another Browser."

What do you intend to say?

"This isn't a FF fault should another Browser use different bookmark setting as such. Bookmark migration gives you no guarantee it will match another Browser setting. If Chrome configures it different from FF then there is nothing FF can do about it but do it's best to merge the bookmark. "

I'm not talking about bookmark settings. And there is no merging. I imported the entire bookmark structure from Chrome. FF should not mess around the subfolders imported and move them around inside the imported structure.

I'm talking about Firefox having moved subfolders around inside the imported folder structure and placed them entirely different places. That is most certainly a FF bug.

"Remember that is a Chrome Bookmark not a FF Bookmark your trying to compare apples to orange here they don't have to follow the same programing and that is the problem with migration."

I'm not comparing apples and oranges, and I'm not talking about programming. There is nothing uunreasonable in expecting the folder structure to be preserved within the imported folder structure from Chrome.

You don't seem to have understood what the problem is.

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Did you use the feature to import data from another browser*? I really have no idea how Firefox does that; it may be using undocumented interfaces.

Possibly you'll have better luck using an Export/Import approach. I realize you have made some other changes by now, so it may be a bit late for that, but consider this option:

(1) Make Safety Backups of Firefox Bookmarks

Two formats are available; I suggest creating both.

(2) Create a new folder named MESS and drag the existing structure into it. You might do this separately for the Bookmarks Toolbar and the Bookmarks Menu, if you have bookmarks on both.

(3) Export from Chrome

  • Browser menu button > Bookmarks > Bookmark manager
  • Bookmark manager menu button > Export Bookmarks

(4) Import the Chrome bookmarks file into Firefox

See: Import Bookmarks from an HTML file

Hopefully that preserves the layout and you can drag items in one or two steps to their final destination(s)?

Edit: Clarified "menu button" references. Hopefully.

* Import data from another browser

Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer

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"Did you use the feature to import data from another browser? I really have no idea how Firefox does that; it may be using undocumented interfaces."

I used FF's standard import feature to get Chrome's bookmarks. If there is an interface, I expect it to work. If FF is not capable of doing this correctly, it shouldn't propose the function. Importing a bookmark structure should be a straightforward manoeuvre. It's not exactly leading-edge science.

Unfortunately your manoeuvres are too late now, and I'm taking my bookmarks out of the browsers now, as I don't trust them any more. Once they are stored as shortcuts directly in Windows' folder structure, they will be backed up as files automatically by my online backup.

But I reported this because there is a bug that needs fixing before someone else gets their imported folders wrecked.

When you have this folder structure in Chrome (simplified example):

- Vehicles

 - Trucks
   - France
   - Germany

- Food

 - Supermarkets
   - France
   - Germany

FF shouldn't import that as

- Vehicles

 - Trucks
   - France

- Food

 - Supermarkets
   - France
   - Germany
   - Germany [the folder from Vehicles - Trucks]

Yes, there are subfolders with two identically-named subfolders like that in the imported structure. I don't see how it can be discussed that it's a bug.

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Hi ttfr, it sounds as though you are not looking for support, which is the role of this forum.

If you want to file a bug, you can do that here: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi

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ttfr said

I'm taking my bookmarks out of the browsers now, as I don't trust them any more. Once they are stored as shortcuts directly in Windows' folder structure, they will be backed up as files automatically by my online backup.

Setting that up should be quick and easy, but how will you then use those bookmarks to launch pages in your browser(s)? Just Windows Explorer, or do you have something better?

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That's right, I intended to report this bug so someone could fix it. When I go through the support site menus, there is nothing that says that bugs should be reported somewhere else, and I haven't really been using FF before, so this is not obvious.

On https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi I cannot log in with my support credentials. Do I need separate credentials for that? (something else that isn't obvious).

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Yes, both this site and Bugzilla have yet to be unified with the Firefox Account system and each still has separate credentialing.

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"Setting that up should be quick and easy, but how will you then use those bookmarks to launch pages in your browser(s)? Just Windows Explorer, or do you have something better?"

Just Windows Explorer. I don't have anything better. The downside is that bookmarks won't be shared across devices. Google has wrecked Chrome's Bookmark Manager, and FF then messed up the folder structure when I wanted to escape from Chrome's train wreck, so I want to get back control over my bookmarks. Online backup is also complicated when bookmark data is located somewhere in the browser's internal folders.

As for Bugzilla, I really do not like this: "your email address will be accessible through public APIs and will be visible to all logged-in users of Bugzilla. Some people use an alternative email address for this reason," and the reporting guidelines on https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/QA/Bug_writing_guidelines are cumbersome. I'm an end user, not a techie, so I guess I'll just leave it as it is, since I won't be using that import function again.

But thanks for pointing to Bugzilla and for your comments, even though I won't be using Bugzilla.