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How can I import bookmark HTML records directly into pre-defined (but empty) Folders?

Reinersmdr
Reinersmdr
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Firefox is my default browser. I am in the process of replacing an old computer with a new one. I've converted into HTML files the Bookmark content of all of the Folders appearing within the Bookmarks section of Firefox on my old computer. I then uploaded this into the cloud, and downloaded it to my new computer. I've loaded Firefox afresh on the new computer. Now . . .

Ideally, I would like to be able to import these saved/HTML bookmarks (now on my new computer) directly into the new Firefox, keeping the Folder structure maintained in saving them from the old computer; less ideally, but still acceptable, would be to simply re-create as empty Folders each Folder from the old computer's Firefox setup and then do a 'Select All' copy/paste from each of these Folders as saved in my downloaded HTML bookmarks into these initially empty Folders created in the new computer's Firefox Bookmarks section. Is either of these currently possible? In short, this is a quite distinct scenario from importing bookmarks from other browsers on the same computer.

I have tried, but it seems that neither of these functions is currently viable. As common as replacing one computer with another is, I find this a pretty significant oversight which will require a very time consuming conversion process if such functions are not currently available; i.e., I'll have to open each saved HTML Folder and manually activate each individual html bookmark, go to that website, and individually re-bookmark each of these one by one within the Bookmarks section of Firefox on my new computer as if I were bookmarking this site for the very first time. With hundreds and hundreds of bookmarks segregated into about 30 Folders, I think you can see what a productivity drain this will be.

While there appear to be some quite interesting and potentially useful FireFox Addons - e.g., Categorize - none of these seems to address/resolve this problem. Can you advise? Thank you.

Firefox is my default browser. I am in the process of replacing an old computer with a new one. I've converted into HTML files the Bookmark content of all of the Folders appearing within the Bookmarks section of Firefox on my old computer. I then uploaded this into the cloud, and downloaded it to my new computer. I've loaded Firefox afresh on the new computer. Now . . . Ideally, I would like to be able to import these saved/HTML bookmarks (now on my new computer) directly into the new Firefox, keeping the Folder structure maintained in saving them from the old computer; less ideally, but still acceptable, would be to simply re-create as empty Folders each Folder from the old computer's Firefox setup and then do a 'Select All' copy/paste from each of these Folders as saved in my downloaded HTML bookmarks into these initially empty Folders created in the new computer's Firefox Bookmarks section. Is either of these currently possible? In short, this is a quite distinct scenario from importing bookmarks from other browsers on the same computer. I have tried, but it seems that neither of these functions is currently viable. As common as replacing one computer with another is, I find this a pretty significant oversight which will require a very time consuming conversion process if such functions are not currently available; i.e., I'll have to open each saved HTML Folder and manually activate each individual html bookmark, go to that website, and individually re-bookmark each of these one by one within the Bookmarks section of Firefox on my new computer as if I were bookmarking this site for the very first time. With hundreds and hundreds of bookmarks segregated into about 30 Folders, I think you can see what a productivity drain this will be. While there appear to be some quite interesting and potentially useful FireFox Addons - e.g., Categorize - none of these seems to address/resolve this problem. Can you advise? Thank you.

All Replies (1)

the-edmeister
the-edmeister
  • Moderator
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To start out with, Firefox hasn't used the HTML format for storing bookmarks for a few years now; you can still import and export bookmarks in HTML format, as you can with just about any other browser out there as an interchange format. Firefox 3.0+ versions use an SQLite database for storing bookmarks and browsing history in the place.sqlite file. Firefox 3.0+ versions do automatic backups of your bookmarks in the JSON format; that file includes "Tags" data but not the web site Favicon data. Restoring a backup from an old PC to the new PC is how Mozilla handles replacing an old computer - or you can "backup" the entire old Profile and transfer that data to the new PC manually. A user could also use Firefox Sync to "sync" their personal data onto the new PC. IMO, you're over-thinking this using dated information (talking about HTML files) without knowing about what options you currently have with Firefox and Mozilla.

Is that a genuine Netscape-1 bookmarks.html file? Look at the first line of code in that HTML file to see.
Or is it a standard HTML file?

If you have a genuine bookmarks.html file, you can Import that file thru Organize Bookmarks > Import and Backup > Import HTML... > From an HTML file.

Doing it that way you will be appending the bookmarks & folders that are in the Bookmarks Menu folder right now. The ordering of the folders and bookmarks in the "imported" file is identical, the "imported" data is added below the existing data. That said, the Bookmarks Toolbar folder and the Unsorted Bookmarks folder from the "imported" data will be in the Bookmarks Menu folder at the bottom; you'll have to move the bookmarks that are in that folder to their respective folders, above and below the Bookmarks Menu folder.