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How can I copy some (but not all) Firefox bookmarks from one user to another on the same computer?

  • 4 replies
  • 5 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

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I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium on a Dell XPS 8500. I accidently deleted about 500 bookmarks from my Bookmarks Toolbar. Another user on the same computer has the bookmarks I need. Can some bookmarks (but not all) be copied from the one user to the other user needing the bookmarks?

I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium on a Dell XPS 8500. I accidently deleted about 500 bookmarks from my Bookmarks Toolbar. Another user on the same computer has the bookmarks I need. Can some bookmarks (but not all) be copied from the one user to the other user needing the bookmarks?

All Replies (4)

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Firefox only allows to export or backup all the bookmarks.

You can export the bookmarks to an HTML file and edit this file to only keep the wanted bookmarks and remove the others.

  • Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Export Bookmarks to HTML
  • Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Import Bookmarks from HTML

Another possibility is to temporarily create a new profile and have both profiles open at the same time and use copy and paste in the Library to copy those bookmarks to Library of the instance with the other profile.
Such a copy and paste is only possible if both Library windows are open at the same time.
Then you can export those bookmarks there.

Use the -no-remote command line switch to open another Firefox instance with its own profile and run different Firefox instances simultaneously.

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I tried to export the bookmarks to an HTML format however the system only allows copying everything except the bookmarks under Bookmarks Toolbar - and these are the bookmarks I need. None of the Bookmarks Toolbar bookmarks were copied to HTML.

Next I copied the Bookmarks Toolbar needed bookmarks to both a MS Word and to a MS Excel file - however the system won't let me hard copy print the file(s)??

Now I'm thinking, if I can copy the needed bookmarks to a Word or Excel file can I then copy such files back to a Firefox Bookmarks Toolbar format?? I'll transfer the Word and Excel files to the other user then try to 'reverse' copy the files back to the Bookmarks Toolbar.

I do not want to set up two profiles and try to have them both open at the same time.

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"Now I'm thinking, if I can copy the needed bookmarks to a Word or Excel file can I then copy such files back to a Firefox Bookmarks Toolbar format?? I'll transfer the Word and Excel files to the other user then try to 'reverse' copy the files back to the Bookmarks Toolbar. "

This approach did not work however when I copied the Word file to the other user I can now Ctrl-click each entry in the Word document to bring up the desired web site followed by a Ctrl-D to save the bookmark under the Bookmarks Toolbar. This is going to take a month of Sundays to complete but with each save is a re-enforcement to be more careful in the future.

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You can import bookmarks if you have a HTML file with <a href=""> type links.
Copying bookmarks from the Library should place this format on the clipboard and can be pasted in a HTML enabled editor.
A normal text editor would only give the URL as plain text.

You can also do this in a Firefox tab if you switch on designmode via the command line in the Web Console (Firefox/Tools > Web Developer;Ctrl+Shift+K).


Open a blank tab and Copy and Paste the JavaScript code in the command line in the Web Console (Firefox/Tools > Web Developer;Ctrl+Shift+K) and press the Enter key.

document.designMode = 'on';

You should be able to paste bookmarks in this window and save the page via Firefox > Save Page As.

Modified by cor-el