Your Firefox profile stores bookmarks, saved logins, browsing history, extensions, and site permissions in one folder. Back up that folder, and you have a complete snapshot of your Firefox setup.
Close Firefox first, then find the profile folder on Windows, macOS, or Linux and copy it somewhere safe. You can restore the same snapshot later on this computer or a new one.
In this guide, I have covered:
Contents
Why Back Up Your Firefox Profile
Your Firefox profile holds everything that makes Firefox yours: bookmarks, saved logins, browsing history, cookies, extensions, and site permissions. If Firefox breaks, you reinstall your operating system, or you move to a new computer, a profile backup is the fastest way to restore your setup exactly the way it was.
If a clean Firefox reinstall is on your list, back up the profile first. For the full removal process, see Uninstall and Delete Stored Files of Mozilla Firefox from a Computer, then copy your profile before anything gets wiped.
Firefox Sync already mirrors bookmarks, logins, history, and some preferences between devices, but it does not back up everything. Extensions, custom certificate authorities, certain site permissions, and your local cache are not synced. A local folder copy is the most complete safety net.
Close Firefox Completely Before Copying Anything
Firefox keeps several files open in the background, even after you close the last window. If you copy the profile folder while Firefox is still running, you risk copying partially written files and ending up with a corrupted backup.
- Quit Firefox by pressing ++ on Windows or Linux, or + on macOS.
- Confirm that no Firefox process is still running. On Windows, open Task Manager and end any task named firefox.exe if it remains. On macOS, use Activity Monitor and look for Firefox.
- Make sure no other Firefox window is hidden in the system tray or dock before you start copying.
Find Your Profile Folder From Inside Firefox
Use this method when Firefox starts normally. The Troubleshooting Information page shows the exact profile path and includes a button that opens the folder in your file manager. Mozilla documents this path in its official guide to where Firefox stores user data.
- Click the hamburger menu
in the top right of Firefox. - Choose Help. On some recent Firefox versions this entry may be labeled Help and Report.
- Click More Troubleshooting Information. The page opens in a new tab.
- In the Application Basics section, find the row labeled Profile Folder (or Profile Directory on macOS).
- Click the Open Folder (or Open Directory) button next to it. Your default file manager will open the active profile folder.
TIP: If you have more than one profile, want to back up an older one, or Firefox will not start at all, type about:profiles in the address bar instead. The Profiles page lists every profile on the computer, shows its full path, and has an Open Folder button for each one.
Find Your Profile Folder Manually
You can also navigate to the profile folder by hand if Firefox is not running. The location depends on your operating system, and the folder name typically ends in .default-release.
- Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
- macOS: /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/
- Linux: ~/.mozilla/firefox/
On Windows the AppData folder is hidden by default. In File Explorer, choose View and tick Hidden items to make it visible, or paste the path directly into the address bar.
If you installed Firefox as a Flatpak or Snap on Linux, the profile may live in a different location such as ~/.var/app/org.mozilla.firefox/.mozilla/firefox/ or ~/snap/firefox/common/.mozilla/firefox/. The about:profiles page is the most reliable way to confirm the actual path.
Copy the Profile Folder to a Safe Location
With Firefox closed and the profile folder open, you can copy the whole folder to any safe destination. Treat the copy as a single snapshot of your setup at that moment.
- Rename the folder so the name includes the date, for example my-firefox-profile-2026-09-25. This makes it easy to recognise later when you have several backups.
- Copy the renamed folder to a backup location such as an external drive, USB stick, or a cloud storage folder you control.
- Wait for the copy to finish. You’ll know it worked when the destination folder contains files like places.sqlite, key4.db, logins.json, and a subfolder named extensions.
A complete profile backup can be several hundred megabytes or more, because it includes your local cache. If size matters, you can safely delete the cache2 subfolder inside the backup copy after the copy finishes. Your history, bookmarks, logins, and extensions are stored in other files and will not be affected.
Restore a Firefox Profile From a Backup
To bring a backed up profile back, the process is the reverse of the backup. Firefox must be closed first, then you replace the active profile folder with the copy.
- Quit Firefox completely, as in the earlier step.
- Open the profile folder using about:profiles or by navigating to the path for your operating system.
- Rename the existing profile folder to something like old-default-release so you have a fallback if something goes wrong.
- Copy the backup folder into the same parent directory and rename it to match the original profile folder name (for example xxxxxxxx.default-release).
- Start Firefox. It will load the restored profile, and your bookmarks, logins, extensions, and history should be back exactly as they were.
ALERT: If your backup was made while a Firefox Primary Password was set, Firefox will ask for that password the first time it tries to read saved logins. Without the original password, the logins in the backup cannot be recovered.
Tips for Keeping Your Backup Useful
A backup is only useful if it is current and easy to find when you need it. A few small habits make profile backups much more reliable.
- Make a fresh copy before any major change, such as a clean Firefox reinstall, an operating system upgrade, or switching computers.
- Keep at least one copy on a separate physical device, in case the main computer fails.
- Encrypt or password protect the backup, especially if it contains saved logins and you store the copy in cloud storage.
- Test your backup once by restoring it to a second profile using the about:profiles page. This confirms the copy is not corrupted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Firefox Sync count as a backup?
Firefox Sync mirrors bookmarks, logins, history, and some preferences across devices, but it does not store extensions, local certificates, or a complete copy of your profile. Treat Sync as a convenience, and a folder copy as the real backup.
Where is the Firefox profile folder on Windows 10 or Windows 11?
The default path is C:\Users\<your-username>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\, and the active profile usually ends in .default-release. The AppData folder is hidden by default, so enable Hidden items in File Explorer or open it through the Troubleshooting Information page.
Can I just export bookmarks as HTML instead of copying the whole profile?
Yes, but bookmarks are only one piece of your profile. A full folder copy also saves saved logins, browsing history, cookies, extensions, site permissions, and form autofill entries, none of which the HTML export includes.
How often should I back up my Firefox profile?
Make a fresh backup any time you make a change you cannot easily redo, like installing many new extensions, changing important settings, or before a major Firefox or operating system update. For most people, once every few months is enough when combined with Firefox Sync.
Will a backup work if I move it to a different computer?
Yes, as long as both computers run the same or a similar Firefox version. Copy the folder into the matching profile path on the new computer, rename it to match the expected .default-release name, and start Firefox. Bookmarks, logins, and extensions will all travel with it.
