can't import passwords from Waterfox Classic to Pale Moon

[DM837945]

Operating system:Windows 7
Browser version:33.2.1
32-bit or 64-bit browser?:64
Problem URL:
Browser theme (if not default):
Installed add-ons:Cookies Control Panel 1.0.0, deduplicate-tabs 25.1.0, Greasemonkey 3.11, Hide Caption Titlebar Plus 4.2.0, Menu Wizard 5.10, NoScript 5.1.8.4, Tag Tweak 1.0.1, Tab Utilities Phoenix 2.1.2, Update Scanner 3.3.2
Installed plugins: (about:plugins):

Hi. New user here, moving from Waterfox Classic to Pale Moon (because of crookflare). I copied my whole profile to make the move easier but some stuff are not compatible.
I don't find any way to import my passwords. In Waterfox Classic they were in key3.db and logins.json. I tried using Password Backup Tool, as suggested in another topic, but it just gives me an error.
Can someone help, please?

[Goodydino]

I have both key3.db and key4.db in my Pale Moon profile. I think Pale Moon requires key4.db.

[DM837945]

I copied all three files with both browsers closed but it did not work.

[suzyne]

I tried using Password Backup Tool

A while back, I was able to transfer all my passwords from another browser into Pale Moon using the Password Backup Tool 1.4.1 by going via Firefox.

I exported the passwords from the other browser as a CSV file, and in Excel reduced it to these three columns, with the header in row one.



Then this file is imported into Firefox.

After successfully importing into Firefox, I exported the passwords from Firefox using the Export Passwords command hidden behind the three dots in the Firefox password manager. This created another CSV file with this header row. The extra columns contain information that appears to be necessary for the Password Backup Tool to work.



This second CSV file can successfully be imported with the Import Saved Password feature of the Password Backup Tool 1.4.1 add-on into Pale Moon.

[DM837945]

I don't have excel or any other and know nothing about database software.
I tried exporting with https://github.com/kspearrin/ff-password-exporter , which export as either a .csv file or a .json file. But Password Backup Tool for the .csv says "Cannot import from this file" and for the .json "Error: Couldn't get data from the Chrome passwords database.".

Each line in the .csv is "hostname,username,password,timeCreated,timeLastUsed,timePasswordChanged,timesUsed".
I'll write a little program to convert these lines automatically to the order you say would work (and share it here in case someone ever needs it too), but what are "httpRealm", "formActionOrigin" and "guid" supposed to be? Can I just leave them empty?

[suzyne]

It doesn't have to be Excel, but the goal was to make a simple file (only three columns) to get my passwords into Firefox.

Creating the more complex file that the Password Backup Tool add-on needs in another way, may not work because I don't understand the data in the extra columns, and so I don't want to advise on what should be in them, in case I get it wrong and waste your time.

But since the Password Backup Tool expects the file to be in the same format that Firefox exports, the most reliable route is to actually import your passwords (from a file with the 3 columns) into a copy of Firefox and then export the passwords from it as CSV.

I don't use Firefox, so I downloaded a portable version from here.

https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable

And then deleted it when I was finished.

[DM837945]

I have Firefox. The only import option is Chrome, it does not see any other browser and does not let me import a file.
I copied key3.db and logins.json from my Waterfox Classic profile to the Firefox profile, with both browsers closed, then started Firefox but its save logins stay empty. I also tried renaming key3.db key4.db but it's still empty.

[Moonchild]

key3.db is a different database format than key4.db (which is why the name is different). Pale Moon no longer supports the old format and as such can't read your old key3.db -- I'm assuming the same is valid for Firefox in this case, they probably also removed support for the old format as they've been using the newer format for many years now.
The last version of Pale Moon to support key3.db was v28.17.0 - v29 and later no longer support it and can not read it. As a potential workaround you could get an archived version of Pale Moon (portable? any version between 28.11 and 28.17 should work), have it read the passwords and let it save out the new format, then copy the new format files (key4.db and logins.json) to your current install.

[suzyne]

I have Firefox. The only import option is Chrome, it does not see any other browser and does not let me import a file.
I copied key3.db and logins.json from my Waterfox Classic profile to the Firefox profile, with both browsers closed, then started Firefox but its save logins stay empty. I also tried renaming key3.db key4.db but it's still empty.

Firefox can import passwords from the CSV file already described, and the browser is not limited to only importing from Chrome. And any discussion about key3.db vs key4.db files is complicating the problem. The straightforward process that I already suggested works, and I know this because I have successfully done it.

[DM837945]

Firefox can import passwords from the CSV file

Mine doesn't have this "Import from a file" feature unfortunately, probably because it's a few versions late because more recent versions don't support Windows 7 anymore.

firefox password import.jpg (40.19 KiB) Viewed 453 times

get an archived version of Pale Moon (portable? any version between 28.11 and 28.17 should work), have it read the passwords and let it save out the new format

I'll try that.

edit: It worked.
Thanks.

link to v28.17 if someone ever has the same issue:
https://archive.palemoon.org/palemoon/28.x/28.17.0/

[suzyne]

Not being a Firefox user, I downloaded what I could find on Portable Apps and didn't even think about Windows 7 vs the latest version of Firefox. Importing from a CSV file seems like a pretty basic feature, so I am surprised that it is "new".

But the password problem was solved in another way, which is great! And maybe my suggestions will be useful for somebody else in the future?