How to backup history in Firefox?

Question

Firefox currently has a history page limit. In about:config:

places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 10322

I want to retain it completely. There are lot of useful information in that data. Is there a setting or extension that allows me to save old history automatically to my hard drive?

Answer 1

What does the places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages preference do in Firefox? According to this Mozilla: Places Expiration article:

places.history.expiration.max_pages: The maximum number of pages that may be retained in the database before starting to expire.

• Steps: As the question is with Linux, the following procedure is focused on Linux environment. But the procedure is same for Windows or MacOS but the Firefox installation path is different. Use any file manager or text editor to create and edit files. These steps are with command line.

  • Find the Firefox executable. Type this command to find firefox executable: which firefox. The usual installation path will be /usr/bin/firefox.
  • Change directory to /usr/lib/firefox.
  • Create autoconfig.js file: touch ./defaults/pref/autoconfig.js. The file name is constant, don't use any other name. Add these lines in that file:

  //comments
  pref("general.config.filename", "mozilla.cfg");
  pref("general.config.obscure_value", 0);
  //END//

The mozilla.cfg file name can be any other name but it should be match with the very next step. * Create mozilla.cfg file: touch /usr/lib/firefox/mozilla.cfg. Add these lines in that file and change that value as you want:

  // IMPORTANT: Start your code on the 2nd line
  lockPref("places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages", 999999);

• Notes: The folder structure will be like this (other files are omitted):

/usr/lib/firefox
|
+-- mozilla.cfg
|
+-- defaults/pref
    |
    +-- autoconfig.js

Always remember to change those file permission with chmod 644 aka. -rw-r--r--. Kill all Firefox processes to make effect the changes. The mozilla.cfg file should have a comment at first line. lockPerf can be changed as following:

• pref(prefName, value) – If the user has changed the value, it will get reset every time the browser is started.
• defaultPref(prefName, value) – It can be permanently changed by the user.
• lockPref(prefName, value) – Locking a preference prevents a user from changing it.

See more options and details in this article: Customizing Firefox Using AutoConfig

Answer 2

Simply open your History panel.

Then at the top left of the panel, click the menu "Import and Save". And there, the first line you find in that menu is... "Save". It saves all your history.

Simple. Direct. Without any need of a technical knowledge and without any need of an extension.

:-)

In the past there was the wonderful extension FEBE, from Chuck Baker which was the best to make backups of everything at once or feature by feature, and automatically (scheduled) as well as manually. But since Firefox 57 Quantum it doesn't work any more, like many other wonderful extensions which were awesome (Add Bookmark Here², CLEO, DownThemAll, FEBE, FireFTP, FlashGot, Location Bar Enhancer, OPIE, Roomy Bookmark Toolbar, Saved Password Editor, Show Parent Folder, TabMix Plus, etc, etc, etc). Conclusion : as many very old Firefox users which were faithful to Firefox from the very first days I have ended up by being definitely fed up and I have eventually dropped Firefox recently. All along these last 6 years the management team of Mozilla has taken the habit to turn the back to the users. That's why Firefox which was a wonderful browser with more than 80% of the netizens throughout the world at the end of the last decade has now fallen to a pitiful 10% of use among the different available browsers.

If instead of Firefox you use Cyberfox or Waterfox or Palemoon you can keep on using >>ALL<< these old awesome extensions that I cited above. But not in the native Firefox. So the best is to use Cyberfox or Waterfox or Palemoon instead of Firefox. You won't be disturbed nor worried... as they all are forks of Firefox in its former way to work BEFORE Quantum.