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In principle, it is possible to synchronize passwords between Firefox instances via the cloud. However, if you hesitate to transfer your credentials for business applications to the cloud, then exporting and reimporting is an alternative.
Exporting credentials to a file
The function for saving the login data to a CSV file can be found in the settings under Passwords (the page can be reached directly via about:logins). There, click the three dots in the upper right corner, and then select Export Logins from the dropdown menu.
Firefox command for exporting passwords
After confirming a warning and entering your Windows password, select the location where the browser will save the data.
Activating the import function
Reimporting to another instance of Firefox usually requires a bit more effort because the import feature is disabled by default. To make it available, type about:config in the address bar. After confirming the displayed warning, search the page for
signon.management.page.fileImport.enabled
By default, this parameter has the value false. Click the toggle icon on the far right of the line to change it to true.
Enable function for importing credentials from a file
Starting the import
If you now go back to the passwords page in the settings, the menu from which you previously exported the credentials should have the command Import from a File.
Execute the command to import credentials
The function will ask for the CSV file and import it. This import is smart enough to detect duplicates and thus avoids overwriting existing passwords.
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If certain credentials already exist on the target computer, they will not be overwritten
After the successful import, remember to permanently delete the CSV file because it contains all passwords in plain text.
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Thanks Wolfgang for sharing this document, for you information only for specific security reason it is possible check Firefox password using PasswordFox by Nirsoft.
It is a small password recovery tool that allows you to view the user names and passwords stored by Mozilla Firefox Web browser.
It works very well ! thanks you.
Hi,
I exported my saved logins in Chrome (Version 104.0.5112.102 (Official Build) (64-bit)) to a CSV file.
In Notepad, I can open that CSV file exported from the Chrome and see that all logins are there, in this order and format;
name,url,username,password
In Firefox (104.0 (64-bit), I followed your instructions and toggled the “signon.management.page.fileImport.enabled” to TRUE.
Restarted Firefox.
From the “about:logins”, choose “Import from a file”.
Choose the CSV file I exported from Chrome.
Pressed “Open”.
The result is; “No logins found” 🤔
What can it be that is not working?
Why can Firefox be not importing or not seeing the rows (lines) in the CSV file?
Is there a “specific order” of login credentials required (name,url,username,password) in each line of the CSV file, for Firefox to be able to recognize or accept it?
Many thanks,
Hakan
Hakan, if you export passwords from Firefox, the CSV file’s header looks like this:
“url”,”username”,”password”,”httpRealm”,”formActionOrigin”,”guid”,”timeCreated”,”timeLastUsed”,”timePasswordChanged”
So I suppose you have to stick to this format when importing passwords from another browser.
Thanks Wolfgang,
You are right. I also taught that and did a login credentials export from the Firefox itself to a CSV file and checked the CSV file created by the Firefox and seen that data order format as the header row.
I rearranged the data order of the Chrome’s CSV files data order to the data order of Firefox and tried to import that into Firefox but that did not work as well.
What is more interesting is; I exported all the login credentials from the Firefox to a CSV file, after that I deleted all login data within the Firefox, again within Firefox I performed an “import from a CSV file” procedure but this as the source file choose the CSV file which was exported by Firefox itself, and the result was again; “NO LOGIN DATA FOUND”.
Hakan, just double-checked the import from Chrome. Firefox accepted the exported Chrome PW file without any modifications.
In Firefox 104 this doesn’t work, as Mozilla wants to know all your passwords by having you sign in to something called Sink or Synk or something (I think, like a kitchen sink?) and I won’t do it. I won’t allow it to save any passwords if they are going to Mozilla’s servers. Bring back the old system where you can store locally. Firefox went downhill after version 4, and 100 versions later is even worse than ever. So, forget it, I’ll be using ANYTHING but a Mozilla browser (Haven’t for years, anyway…) Maybe they need to just let Vivaldi do the things they used to be good at.
At least Firefox ESR 102 can import passwords, but if ESR 113/114/115 will arrive, it’s game over.
What is the reasoning or motivation behind the hindering of the import functionality of login credentials?
It already doesn’t work in my Firefox (104.0 (64-bit)).
It seems like it is there but it does not work.
I went through the process, got the import option, I invoked “import from a file” and Selected the logins.csv file and clicked open and nothing happened.
The dialog window closed and no logins were imported.
Did it several times. Einstein – – Madness, I know . Still no import.
Apparently it uses eval and thus Bug 1772378 “broke” it. If you must import some passwords, you can temporarily enable eval in the main process by setting security.allow_eval_in_parent_process to true. Import the file you need and return the pref to false afterwards. Then, file a bug and share the link to your report.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/vzq8fj/comment/igg0plb/
Thanks for that.
I just did it the old fashioned way and manually typed them all in.
I know A sucker is born every minute, but it’s done.
Worked!!!
The import did not work. I tried a lot but the solution was here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/vzq8fj/firefox_nightlys_logins_passwords_not_importing/igg0plb/
had the same issue you all on mac osx..i did 1 more trick..and it worked ..i copied the .csv file to my desktop and it worked
yep worked – rememebr to set ti to fals e afetrwards though 🙂
very often This Will Not Be Sufficient. In Linux Deb firefox you need to do a little more
about:config
signon.management.page.fileImport.enabled
switch it to true
if I doesn’t work then go back into about:config
Set
security.allow_eval_in_parent_process
to true,
import your file, then set it back to false. You must set it back to false because it is a security vulnerability if you don’t
If you must import some passwords, you can temporarily enable eval in the main process by setting security.allow_eval_in_parent_process to true. Import the file you need and return the pref to false afterwards.
worked for me. Firefox 106
Many thanks Wolfgang, Ive searched for hours and its nuts that firefox itself makes this so difficullt when trying to re-install thier own software to add the logins saved in firefox itself rather than the import fro another browser only – you’d think it would be the other way around. Thanks again Wolfgang!