importing bookmarks into firefox - ubuntu

Disco Boy · 29 Jul 2011 at 22:33

So this seems a really noob thing which I am asking you. But how do I import some bookmarks into firefox in my new ubuntu install?

I have a bookmarks.html from my old laptop (vista) and I want to add the bookmarks to my new install. When I click import in firefox, it tells me that no programmes which contain bookmarks, password data etc. can be found. It doesn't give me any further options after that.

I know my way around a command line so I had a look in ~/.mozilla/firefox/befrmv58.default
but can't gather which file I need to change to import my bookmarks (there is no existing bookmarks.html file).

Anyone know what I should do?

leigh123linux · 30 Jul 2011 at 11:30

On the FF menu bar select

Bookmarks / show all bookmarks

Then you should see a import option, import as html.

Disco Boy · 30 Jul 2011 at 12:55

I can't see the import option I'm afraid, here's what I see:

it's a bit ridiculous really, this should be dead easy...

CaptainCrash · 30 Jul 2011 at 14:22

Bookmarks in Firefox (since version 3.* IIRC) are stored by default in an sqlite database file, not "bookmarks.html", which can be the source of some confusion.

In your Firefox profile folder in Vista, there should be a subfolder called "bookmarkbackups" - copy the latest *.json file over to your Ubuntu system, open your Firefox bookmark manager, then Import and backup > Restore > Choose file > (point it at the .json file you just copied), and you should be good to go. If for some reason you no longer have access to the Vista FF profile on your old laptop, you're SOL I'm afraid.

For future convenience, you might want to think about setting up Firefox Sync (or installing the Xmarks extension), so everything is automatically ready and waiting for you for each new FF installation.

edit:

Disco Boy said:
I can't see the import option I'm afraid, here's what I see:

it's a bit ridiculous really, this should be dead easy...

I'm guessing you're using Ubuntu 11.04, and you've been caught out by the global menu used by Unity - hover over the top panel, and all should be revealed...

Disco Boy · 30 Jul 2011 at 17:09

CaptainCrash said:
edit:

I'm guessing you're using Ubuntu 11.04, and you've been caught out by the global menu used by Unity - hover over the top panel, and all should be revealed...

I've done it now. You have to open the library and maximise it before hovering over the top bar. When it first opens it isn't full screen and the menu doesn't show when you hover over the top (which is what I was doing before). Stupid thing.

Thanks for the help

CaptainCrash · 30 Jul 2011 at 19:37

Disco Boy said:
I've done it now. You have to open the library and maximise it before hovering over the top bar. When it first opens it isn't full screen and the menu doesn't show when you hover over the top (which is what I was doing before). Stupid thing.

You don't actually have to maximise the library window - with a floating window in Unity, just make sure it has the focus, then hover over the *panel* (the bar at the top of the screen, not the window itself) to access the global menu.

It's not very intuitive admittedly, although it makes more sense if you work mainly or exclusively with maximised windows, eg on a low-res netbook or small laptop (which Unity seems tailored towards, at least in its current development stage).