Hopefully this article will help you move the most important data files from your Firefox profile on Windows XP to your Firefox profile on your Mac.

Recovering important data from an old profile

Note: In the right column of the article, it will show the version of Firefox and operating system detected. To see dialogs and system locations for a different platform, change the drop-down to the other platform.

Export the bookmarks to an HTML file and import that HTML file on the Mac.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Backing_up_and_restoring_bookmarks_-_Firefox

• https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Importing+Bookmarks+from+an+HTML+File

Why can't I just copy the whole thing from my Favorites folder on to a usb Drive and then plug that into my Mac and import for that? I suppose that will not work? I sure am or was hoping that is what I would hear.

Skip

The Favorites folder is where IE stores its Favorites. Unless you synchronize regularly between IE and Firefox, you would get an incomplete set.

Okay, but I completely quit using IE a long time ago and almost never even bring it up unless something will not let me do what I want with Firefox which has happened a few time over the last 2 years. So just don't know if that means it will work or not. I do know I have way too many and need to go through them at some point and delete some. I guess that if I deleted all the ones form IE and imported all the ones from Firefox back to IE they would be the same, but I also know when I look in that folder all I see are IE symbols which I don't understand at all since Firefox is my default browser.

I wouldn't bother using IE for this. You can either create a fresh HTML-format export of your bookmarks, or you can restore one of your Windows bookmarks backups to your Mac.

HTML file method: see cor-el's links.

Restore backups method:

First, copy your Firefox 3.6 profile folder (on Windows) to the USB drive. This article has tips for locating the folder:

Profiles | How to | Firefox Help

Then you can use the import/restore feature to copy from the bookmark backups folder on the USB drive.

In Firefox 3.6 (or 4.0) on the Mac:

Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks (Show All Bookmarks)

There should be a menu bar in that dialog with Back, Forward, and three icons (Organize, View, and Import and Backup). Using the third one, Restore > Choose file

Then navigate in your old profile to the Bookmark Backups folder for the latest .json format backup file.

Does it work?

Be aware that restoring a JSON backup will replace the current bookmarks with the ones in the JSON backup, so you lose bookmarks if you already have any.
That is why I suggested to import an HTML backup to avoid potential dataloss of current bookmarks.
Importing an HTML backup merges bookmarks and restoring a JSON backup replaces bookmarks.

Okay I tried this today and all went good until I wanted to find this.... menu bar in that dialog with Back, Forward, and three icons (Organize, View, and Import and Backup). Using the third one, Restore > Choose file

I got it copied over to the usb chip and just couldn't find any place that had these choices. It also still shows as Favorites. Is there any chance that the back up files have all my bookmarks? It was something a little over 27 MB??

Thanks, Skip

On the Mac, were you able to open

Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks (in Firefox 3.6)
Bookmarks > Show all bookmarks (in Firefox 4)

This screen shot shows the menu bar in that dialog:

https://support.mozilla.com/media/uploads/gallery/images/f60cc26c38fc04cce87eb6ea6ec8c400-1233986594-573-2.jpg

That is in the Mac and all I got done was copying the profile folder off my Windows 3.6 Firefox. Is that all I needed to do on windows to then put them on my Mac? I may have all I need and just don't know it yet?

I thought I was to find that menu bar on my PC, but if I copied the profile folder on my PC is that all I need to to then use it on the Mac?

Sorry for being lost here, but this Mac I am so lost still.

Skip

Which version of Firefox did you install on your Mac?

If you haven't added very many bookmarks on your Mac yet, here's what I suggest:

(1) On your Mac, export your current bookmarks to an HTML file in a safe place (e.g., Desktop). In this article, the screen shot shows the Firefox 3.6 menu language (Organize) rather than the Firefox 4 language (Show All) but they work the same.

Exporting bookmarks to an HTML file | How to | Firefox Help

(2) On your Mac, attach the USB flash drive. Then import the JSON backup file from your Windows profile folder as described in earlier posts.

Which data in particular do you want to recover?

Only bookmarks (places.sqlite) or more like passwords (key3.db and signons.sqlite) or certificates (cert8.db)?

You shouldn't copy a complete Firefox profiles folder from a windows installation to a Mac to avoid problems.
Only copy files that you really need and that are safe to copy.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

I am passed confused at this point and see nothing any place in tools that says switch Profiles or make new Profile. I tried to make an HTML folder on my Desk top so copy and put it on my chip. Plugged it into my Mac and it shows on the desk top, but when I open the Mac Firefox and get into the bookmarks and try to import HTML file it doesn't show up.

Skip

I tried to make an HTML folder on my Desk top so copy and put it on my chip. Plugged it into my Mac and it shows on the desk top, but when I open the Mac Firefox and get into the bookmarks and try to import HTML file it doesn't show up.

On your Windows system, when you exported your Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file, what did you name it? Usually it will suggest saving the file with the name bookmarks.html (at least as of Firefox 4). If the exported file was not saved with a .html extension, then it might be invisible to Firefox's bookmark importer. If you have the file on your Mac desktop, you could try renaming it to bookmarks.html.

I'm not familiar with the Mac dialogs, but hopefully it will be easy after that to find your desktop and the file.

If you didn't go through the export process on your Windows system, then you probably do not have a file in the correct format to do an HTML import.

I am not totally sure if I just didn't try the right spot on my Mac or not, but this time after naming it like you said it worked. Just have some moving around to do now to get them like I want them. I am a happy guy right now!

Thanks so much guys I do appreciate the help,

Skip