Using an html bookmark file to update another computer using Firefox

[davhar1111]

When the hinge on my HP Envy 360 computer broke, I acquired another computer exactly like it.  My first task was to install Firefox on the new computer and then move a copy of my bookmarks from my old computer to the new one.  Unfortunately, nothing works even though Firefox says it worked. 

I tried:

1. Installing using an bookmark html file from a thumbdrive and from an email attachment that was downloaded.

2. Doing a restore using a file from the old computer and trying to restore to the new one.

3. Uninstalled Firefox and reinstalled it on the new computer. 

I am out of ideas on what to do next?  Anyone else have this problem and solved it?

[jscher2000]

For #1, Firefox may nest the imported bookmarks in one of these places:

• Bookmarks Menu > Imported Bookmarks
• Other Bookmarks > Imported Bookmarks

Do you see either of those? If not, this might indicate either a problem with the exported HTML file or a problem with the receiving database. Are you able to create new bookmarks in the usual way on the new system?

For #2, the Restore method should do a complete replace of your pre-Restore bookmarks with the contents of the .json or .jsonlz4 file. It would be very obvious. If nothing happens, this might indicate either a problem with the backup file or a problem with the receiving database. Are you able to create new bookmarks in the usual way on the new system?

Have you seen the error described in the following article:

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional

[davhar1111]

For #1:

I don't have any trouble creating bookmarks on the new computer but I have 1500 (4.3 mb) files that I want to move over to the new computer from the old. 

Neither of the two files that you mentioned appear on the new computer. And, when I search for "bookmarks" for the whole drive they don't come up

I can see the bookmarks.html file in my download folder and I can see the links when I open it. So it doesn't look corrupted.   Can I just move/override the bookmarks.html file to the correct place where it is stored in Firefox?  If yes, what specific location would I move it to and how ?  Can you specify the exact path where it should be as well as the exact name of the file where bookmarks are stored?

The restore file didn't work either.

[jscher2000]

Firefox no longer uses bookmarks.html, except as an export/import format. I just assumed you tried the Import but just in case, this article has the steps:

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/import-bookmarks-html-file

For restore, you would use the steps in the following article, but it will wipe and replace, so if you need to preserve new things you've bookmarked, stick with import.

https://support.mozilla.org/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them (use Choose file... to point Firefox to the .json backup you created)

[davhar1111]

I tried both of these methods and both said they were successful but neither one updated the bookmarks on the new computer.  So, I am still at square one.

[jscher2000]

Just to clarify:

On your old computer, you created a new HTML export file and/or a new .json backup file, you copied these over to your new computer, and you ran the import and/or restore features, both features confirmed that they completed successfully, but none of the bookmarks in those transferred files actually appears in Firefox (even in an Imported Bookmarks folder)?

[davhar1111 · Accepted solution]

That is correct but I finally decided to uninstall Firefox again on the new computer and use the json file to restore to that computer and that finally worked!

Thanks for your ideas and support! I appreciate it.