Edge Beta won't import Firefox Browser Data.

Copper Contributor

On several Windows 10 PCs (Version 1909 build 18363.535) Edge Beta 79.0.309.54 refuses to import Browser data from Firefox 71.0 (and previous). All attempts result in a box saying "To finish importing, close all Firefox windows" and options to try again or cancel. Firefox is not running. This even happens when the first thing done after a boot following a full shutdown (not hybrid). This happens regardless of the types of browser data checked off to be imported. Process Explorer never shows any Firefox, Mozilla or other unknown programs or processes running. 

 

I've been trying for weeks, probably close to a hundred times on different PCs and different sign-ons on those PCs. One system is as vanilla and clean as it can be right after installing Windows, browsers, and Office 365. 

 

I had plans to move from Firefox to Edge Chromium and this is preventing it.

 

Unless the error message is completely wrong, it is false positive of some sort and I wound appreciate knowing a workaround. Since this is a once in a lifetime event, I don't care if a workaround is dangerous. I'll cheerfully do a full restore if there was a decent chance some workaround might work.

8 Replies

@Hoosier_Daddy  We're so sorry to hear that you're encountering that issue! The team has made a lot of improvements in the latest versions of Edge Canary and Dev; can you please try repeating the process on one of those channels and letting us know is the importing problem persists?

 

Fawkes (they/them)
Project & Community Manager - Microsoft Edge

@Deleted 

Same issue here, can't import favourite from firefox in the current stable version.

@deadvi5 @Hoosier_Daddy You can manually export your favorites by pressing Ctrl+Shift+B and exporting the file. You should see this:

Annotation 2020-01-22 091343.png

Save the file, then open edge. Then, go here:

Annotation 2020-01-22 091520.png

Select import from HTML file:

firefox.png 

Import the file, and all your favorites(AKA bookmarks) should be synced.

@cjc2112 thank you very much, it works. I can finally use Edge as my default browser! 🙂

@Deleted 

Still doesn't work after almost a year..
Not on beta, dev or stable..

@Omar-Os I get your point that it needs to do it automatically, but you can do it manually if needed. Look up to my post above for instructions and pictures how.

@cjc2112 

I know about your solution but sorry it's useless.. it only moves the bookmarks and without even their icons.
I need all the data from Firefox: years of histories, hundreds of login info,  a lot of extensions and around 1000 bookmarks.

@Omar-Os 

After more than 1.5 years I finally fixed this issue by creating a new profile in Firefox then removed it immediately, now Edge detects my default Firefox profile.
No thanks to Edge dev team.