Firefox is getting the ability to import add-ons from other browsers, e.g. Chrome. The new feature will work similar to how it imports bookmarks, settings, saved passwords and browsing history. As of this writing, an early implementation of the expanded import is already enabled for a small percentage of Firefox 116 users.
Currently, 73 add-ons are supported for migration from the Chrome browser. Firefox maintains a match list of add-on identifiers for add-on that exist for both Chrome and Firefox.
This way, when you import your browsing data to Firefox from Chrome, Firefox , instead will fetch its native add-on version and install it. For example, if uBlock Origin was installed in Chrome, then the version of the uBlock Origin extension from the Mozilla Add-on Catalog will be installed in Firefox.
If you are out of the group of lucky users for whom the new feature is already enabled, you can enable it manually. Just ensure that you are running Firefox version 116. In the browser menu, click on Help > About Firefox.
Finally, do the following to enable the extension import feature in Firefox.
Enable Extension Import in Firefox
- Open a new tab in Firefox.
- Type about:config in the address bar, and press Enter.
- Click on the Accept the risk and continue button.
- In the search box on the Experiments tab, paste browser.migrate.chrome.extensions.enabled into the search box.
- Double-click the browser.migrate.chrome.extensions.enabled setting and set it to true.
- Finally, go to Settings > General (
about:preferences#general
) and click on the "Import Data" button. You now have an option to import add-ons.
You are done.
This is definitely a welcome change for the vast majority of Firefox users. Many of them have to use more than just a single browser. So having the option to import extensions from Chrome to Firefox is very quick and convenient way to sync your online environment.
Also, this addition may make users more loyal to Firefox. The browser is failing to maintain its popularity: It has lost 7.4 million users in the last 12 months. So such changes may improve the situation.
Support us
Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options: