Windows profile copy to MX Linux?

[Garland]

I would like to save some effort in copying my Pale Moon configuration (with 10 add-ons) from my Windows PC to my new MX Linux live USB. I used Steve Pusser's Deb installer for Pale Moon on MX Linux 23.6-ahs. Is Pale Moon platform-independent enough that I can just copy the whole profile folder?

I understand that I will have to do manual changes to any setting that uses C: and/or backslashes. In about:config, I searched for the backslash character. There were Windows paths in browser.download.dir, extensions.bootstrappedAddons and extensions.xpiState. Can I just edit the prefs.js file in the copied profile folder to fix these, and that's it?

Thank you to the Pale Moon team for putting in the Help|Troubleshooting Information. That's how I found the profile folder in Linux even though I am a newbie. I haven't been able to find the Firefox profile in MX Linux yet. I would appreciate some help on this too!

[Moonchild]

Please don't do this.
The incompatible path issue extends to many more files including various databases, session information, etc. and paths isn't the only platform-specific information that is in the profile.

I suggest you use Pale Moon Sync instead to get your data across to save time. That will allow you to transfer profile data in a way that avoids OS specifics.

[Garland]

Thanks for the quick help Moonchild. I will heed your warning and not copy the whole profile.

Pale Moon Sync sounds very convenient. However, I need an offline method for now. For a Linux newbie like me, this is the only way I know what changed on my live USB before I manually persist all changes. I use a USB flash drive to copy files between computers.

After I install all 10 add-ons, can I just copy places.sqlite, ublock0.sqlite and ematrix.sqlite to the Linux profile? This is the data that would take the longest to re-create.

I seem to remember from Firefox 52 that 3 files are needed to copy bookmarks from one profile to another. But if the sqlite files are vacuumed just before the transfer, then only places.sqlite needs to be transferred. I could install this for vacuuming: https://addons.palemoon.org/addon/swabby/

I have Pale Moon automatically delete all history at exit, so I only want to transfer the bookmarks in places.sqlite. Would it be simpler (no need to vacuum) to just backup bookmarks to the bookmarkbackups folder and then copy the latest .jsonlz4 file over to the new Linux profile?

[Moonchild]

You can't copy places.sqlite because the places db will have Windows-specifics in it (e.g. download paths).
I don't know about extension-specific databases being OS agnostic or not.

[Night Wing]

@ Garland

This is just a "shot in the dark", but I thought of the link below since you mentioned "persistent". In MX Linux, there is "pesristance" when using a USB drive. It is a long read, but it might be what you are looking for. And there are pictures to guide you if this is what you want.

https://blog.ctms.me/posts/2025-01-28-p ... -mx-linux/

[Garland]

I can export bookmarks as HTML and import them as HTML in Linux Pale Moon. But this flattens the folding folder structure I have and possible shortens labels. Can I backup bookmarks to the bookmarkbackups folder and then copy the latest .jsonlz4 file over to the bookmarkbackups folder in the new Linux profile?

I answered my own question about where the Firefox profile is stored in Linux. about:profiles has the info, just like Pale Moon. Good to knock some rust off my knowledge.

[Night Wing]

I can export bookmarks as HTML and import them as HTML in Linux Pale Moon. But this flattens the folding folder structure I have and possible shortens labels. Can I backup bookmarks to the bookmarkbackups folder and then copy the latest .jsonlz4 file over to the bookmarkbackups folder in the new Linux profile?

You export your bookmarks as HTML and import them as well in HTML, but I export my bookmarks as JSON and import them as JSON. I do not know if they well act the same, but I suspect they should.

As for backing up your bookmarks to the boarkmarksbackups and (to make this short which is yada, yada, yada), in your new Linux profile; I do not know if it will work or not work. Just try it and see what happens.

In my travels in the linux distro world, "trial & error" is a good learning tool.

[Garland]

How do you export and import as JSON? If I go to Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks>Import and Backup>Export Bookmarks to HTML..., I don't get an option to export to JSON -- only to HTML.

[Night Wing]

How do you export and import as JSON? If I go to Bookmarks>Organize Bookmarks>Import and Backup>Export Bookmarks to HTML..., I don't get an option to export to JSON -- only to HTML.

Close, but no cigar.

Bookmarks> Organize Bookmarks>Import and Backup. When the Library window opens up, click on "Backup". When the Backup window opens, look down at the "bottom of the right hand corner of the window" and you will see word "json". And then click on "save" and the backups are saved as a json file.

[Moonchild]

Can I backup bookmarks to the bookmarkbackups folder and then copy the latest .jsonlz4 file over to the bookmarkbackups folder in the new Linux profile?

That might work; it should only contain bookmarks entries. Definitely worth a shot if you can't use PM Sync. History will be lost in that case, but if you only care about bookmarks that should work.

[Garland]

Can I backup bookmarks to the bookmarkbackups folder and then copy the latest .jsonlz4 file over to the bookmarkbackups folder in the new Linux profile?

This worked! The nested folder structure was preserved. Copying ublock0.sqlite and ematrix.sqlite to the Linux profile also worked!

I have Pale Moon 33.8.2 in Windows and MX Linux. In Linux, doing a bookmark backup gives a dialog for saving to a JSON file, and no option to save to the bookmarkbackups folder in jsonlz4 format. In Windows, doing a bookmark backup saves to the bookmarkbackups folder in jsonlz4 format, with no option for saving to a JSON file. Wouldn't it be better to offer both options on both platforms to cover various scenarios? As it is, I can't backup the current bookmarks in Linux and restore to Windows.