The Mozilla Firefox web browser has been offering an option to sync Firefox data, including passwords and browsing history, across your devices. However, the feature requires creating a Mozilla account and uploading data to the cloud, which many users are not comfortable with.
Users who are not interested in syncing the data across devices but want an easy way to back up their data had to manually back up the profile folder from the File Explorer, which was not easy, especially for beginners.
Luckily, the Firefox web browser now offers an easy way to back up your data to your computer without installing or using third-party tools. A built-in backup and restore feature has been added to recent versions of Firefox.
What does the Firefox backup file include?
The Firefox backup file includes your browsing history, saved passwords, bookmarks, settings, payment methods, and extensions. The best part is that you can password-protect the Firefox backup file when including passwords, credit card information, and payment methods.
If it sounds helpful, follow the directions below to create a backup of Firefox right away.
Create a local backup of Firefox profile data in Windows 11
Important: The feature is being rolled out gradually. So, it might not be available on your PC right away. If not available on your PC, update Firefox to the latest version and then try again.
NOTE: Once turned on, the Firefox browser automatically backs up the data to the selected folder every 24 hours. Although you can manually backup if and when you need, you cannot turn off the automatic backup via the Settings page.
Step 1: Launch the Firefox browser.
Step 2: Click the menu icon (hamburger icon) in the toolbar and click Settings to open the Firefox Settings page.
Step 3: On the left pane of the Settings page, click Sync.
Step 4: On the right side, in the Backup section, click the Turn on backup button.
Step 5: When you get the Turn on backup dialog on the screen, click the Browse button and select a location to save the Firefox backup file.
NOTE: Please note that you can also select a cloud location such as your OneDrive, Google Drive, or iCloud account. In fact, we recommend backing up your Firefox to a cloud account rather than on your PC.
Step 6: Next, select the Back up your sensitive data option if you wish to include your passwords, payment methods, and cookies in the backup.
Step 7: Upon selecting the Back up your sensitive data option, you will be asked to type and retype a password that you would like to set to protect the file containing your Firefox data.
Step 8: Type and retype the password, and then click the Turn on backup button. Please note that the password must be at least eight characters and not your email address.
Step 9: Now, in the Backup section, click the Backup now button to manually back up your Firefox data. Note that the Firefox browser will automatically back up the data once a day to the selected location.
The page also displays the last backup time, date, and name of the backup file. You may click the Show in folder button to view the backup file. Click the Turn off backup button to turn off the backup.
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