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What a browser backup contains
Your browser program and your personal browser data are separate. Firefox stores information such as bookmarks, passwords and extensions in a profile folder. Chromium’s user-data directory contains profile data such as history, bookmarks and cookies, along with local installation state. What transfers through a complete copy or a sync service can differ, so identify the data you need before choosing a method.
- Bookmarks and browsing history
- Saved passwords and other sign-in data
- Extensions, settings and open tabs
- Cookies and site data
These are useful items to check, not a guarantee that every browser or backup method will preserve them all.
Choose a local copy, built-in backup or sync
| Method | Best suited to | Separate offline copy? |
|---|---|---|
| Firefox Backup tool | Most users, especially when moving to a new computer; Mozilla says it is easier and recommended for most users. | Use the tool’s backup destination; a separate copy exists only if you save one outside the original device. |
| Manual profile or user-data copy | Troubleshooting, a damaged browser, or recovering selected files. | Yes, if you copy the folder to a separate drive or location. |
| Account sync | Keeping selected data available across signed-in devices. | No; syncing to an account is not by itself a separate offline backup. |
For Chrome, Google lets signed-in users choose data to save to a Google Account. Its listed categories include bookmarks, passwords, extensions, web apps and settings; history and tabs require the relevant setting. When signed out, bookmarks and other information remain only on the device unless saved to the account. See Google’s Chrome sync guidance.
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If you use an optional Chrome sync passphrase, you need it on new and already signed-in devices. Google also says some account features become unavailable with a passphrase, and changing it deletes passphrase-encrypted data from Google’s servers and signs devices out. Don’t change or reset it casually; consult Google’s current account instructions before doing so.
Find the active profile before copying
Firefox
If Firefox opens, go to Help → More Troubleshooting Information and find the Profile Folder (or Profile Directory) field. Use the button there to open the active folder. This is safer than assuming the default location: profile selection can depend on profiles.ini, startup arguments and environment variables.
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The default Linux profile root is ~/.mozilla/firefox; the default profile-local cache location is ~/.cache/mozilla/firefox. These defaults may not describe the active setup, and Mozilla notes legacy behavior for some Snap installations. See Mozilla’s Profiles Service documentation. If Firefox will not open, use Mozilla’s linked profile-discovery help rather than guessing which folder to recover.
Chromium and Chromium-based browsers
Find the user-data directory used by the installed browser, then identify the profile inside it—often a folder such as Default. Linux launchers can override the directory with --user-data-dir or CHROME_USER_DATA_DIR; when both are set, the command-line flag takes precedence. The Chromium Project explains these settings in its User Data Directory documentation.
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Do not assume one universal path: the location can depend on the browser brand, distribution package, sandbox format or custom launcher. The Chromium documentation describes the directory structure and overrides, but does not provide a consumer restore recipe for every such installation.
Make a manual local backup
- Identify the active profile or user-data directory. Use the browser’s profile information where available; do not copy a similarly named but inactive folder.
- Exit the browser completely. Mozilla explicitly instructs Firefox users to close the browser before copying its profile.
- Copy the whole relevant folder to a separate location, such as a USB flash drive. Copying the full folder is more complete than selecting a few files when you need a general recovery copy.
- Label the copy clearly with the browser, profile, date and machine or user context, so it is not confused with another profile.
- Keep the original until you have checked the copy. Spot-check that expected files and folders are present and that the browser still opens from its original profile. This is a practical check, not a formal integrity test; Mozilla does not specify a checksum or universal validation procedure.
Restore Firefox from a copied profile
Quit Firefox before replacing files. Mozilla’s manual restore procedure depends on whether the backup and destination profile names match.
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Replace a profile with the same name
If restoring over an existing profile folder, the folder name must match exactly—including its random eight-character portion. Copy the backed-up profile into the correct location and replace the existing contents only after confirming that this is the destination you intend to overwrite.
Restore to a differently named or new profile
- Create a new profile using Firefox Profile Manager, or use the profile Firefox created automatically on a newly installed system.
- Open the backup folder and copy its contents into the new profile directory, overwriting same-named files when prompted.
- Start Firefox and check that the expected bookmarks, settings and other important data are available.
Mozilla’s step-by-step guidance is in Manually back up and restore Firefox profile data (last updated May 1, 2026). Mozilla cautions that a complete profile is not always portable across operating systems because paths and versions differ. For a Linux-to-Windows move, copying only bookmarks or password files may be more appropriate than transplanting the entire profile; treat that as a separate migration.
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Restore or move Chromium data carefully
Start by confirming the user-data directory actually used by the installed browser and the profile within it. Close the browser fully before replacing or copying files. Because the correct path can vary across distributions, browser brands and sandboxed packages, verify the path against that specific installation rather than applying an assumed default. The Chromium Project’s directory documentation describes where profiles sit and how Linux overrides work, but does not establish a complete restore workflow for every package.
Check saved passwords separately
Chromium on Linux may store passwords using GNOME Libsecret, KWallet 4, KWallet 5, KWallet 6, or plain text. The selected option depends on the desktop environment, according to the Chromium Linux Password Storage documentation. That variability means a copied profile does not guarantee that saved credentials will work on another account or machine: verify password access after the move.
Quick Recap
Check the restore before relying on it
- Open the browser and confirm the intended profile is active.
- Check several bookmarks and, where relevant, history, extensions, settings and site data.
- Test access to saved passwords without exposing them in an untrusted environment.
- Keep the untouched original or backup until the restored browser has the data you need.
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