How do I import bookmarks from a different PC installation?
I recently changed from a desktop to a laptop for my primary system when the desktop power supply failed. I was able to recover all desktop files by moving the HDD to an external USB enclosure.
Now I need to import the old extensive bookmark collection in Firefox 3.x to the laptop Firefox 3.x and combine it with the current bookmarks on the laptop.
How do I do this without destroying the bookmarks already on the laptop?
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Before you do this, backup your laptops bookmarks as shown in the first part of the backing up and restoring bookmarks article. This step should not be necessary but I am just playing it safe so you can restore them if required.
The process below will save a copy of your bookmarks from the laptop, next it will replace the bookmarks on the laptop with those that were on the desktop. Finally it will import the laptops bookmarks, adding them to those from the desktop.
Export the bookmarks on the laptop again, this time to an HTML file, for details see exporting bookmarks to an HTML file.
The next step is to restore the bookmarks from the HDD for the desktop. Follow the instructions in the backing up and restoring bookmarks article for restoring bookmarks, using the "Choose File" option. Now browse to the old profile folder on the HDD. For details of finding this folder see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox. Inside the profile folder there will be a folder called bookmarkbackups containing files with names in the format bookmarks-yyyy-mm-dd.json, select the one with the latest date. This will import those bookmarks, and in the process replace those that are on the laptop.
The final stage is re-importing the bookmarks from the HTML file that you exported above, for details see importing Bookmarks from an HTML File. This will add the bookmarks to those that were originally on the desktop.
If you are likely to have duplicate bookmarks, you can use the CheckPlaces add-on to remove them if you wish.