Sync your Firefox extensions and profiles across computers

Since the dawn of time, humanity has longed for a simple way to sync Firefox extensions, themes, bookmarks, and saved passwords between computers so that no matter where you're working, your browser is customized in the exact same way—the way you always intended it.

Verily I say unto you, I have seen the road to synchronization! The solution comes in the form of the Microsoft-owned folder syncing and sharing tool, FolderShare. It requires a small sacrifice, but in exchange you'll receive the complete automated extension sync we've all been dying for for. Hit the jump to find out how.

The great thing about this method is that not only does it sync all of your extensions, but it also syncs almost all of your profile data. That means that your browsing session, bookmarks, themes, saved passwords, about:config settings, search engines, Greasemonkey scripts, etc. will all sync as well. What's more, this method works across both Windows and Mac (sorry Linux users). Sounds pretty good, right? Let's dive in.

Sync your Firefox extensions to any computer

• 1. Getting started with FolderShare
• 2. Set up your Firefox profile folders for syncing
• 3. Create new profiles and set up your remaining computers
• 4. Complete your setup and get synced

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In a nutshell, each time you install a new extension on one machine (or add a bookmark, etc.), FolderShare will distribute those changes across every computer that's running FolderShare. Once you've set up Firefox synchronization with FolderShare, whenever you run Firefox on Computer A, all of the application data that Firefox uses during that browsing session will be synced to Computer B, C, etc. When you fire up Firefox on one of those computers, it'll be using the most recent application data, including the latest extensions you've installed.

Limitations

There are a few limitations to syncing your Firefox profile and extensions in this way, including (but not necessarily limited to:

• As I said in the step-by-step, you can't use your browser history. The history.dat file buried deep in your profile folder isn't keen on being messed with, and FolderShare will complain and throw errors if your history is enabled. This may be a dealbreaker for some, but with Session Restore and prolific keyword bookmarking, I find my history surprisingly dispensable.
• As far as I can tell, the browsers can be run simultaneously under normal conditions, but don't be surprised to see a few FolderShare copying errors if you're running them simultaneously and installing extensions at the same time. I've had few such problems so far, which is very promising.
• Any platform-dependent extensions, of course, won't magically start working everywhere. Likewise, there will certainly be some extensions that have trouble. I've tested this method with several extensions, including the Lifehacker Code Firefox extensions, and everything worked like a charm.
• In order for FolderShare to sync, at least 2 computers need to be on with FolderShare running. FolderShare does not log changes made and then push the sync whenever the devices are available. That means you can't turn off your home computer, install a few extensions at work, and expect them to have synced to your home computer if neither computer was powered on at the same time.

Alternatives

If full profile syncing isn't your goal, there are a lot good tools available for other forms of Firefox synchronization (though none boast extension syncing). We've always liked Foxmarks for bookmark syncing. On the other hand, the popular Google Sync extension syncs bookmarks, passwords, history, and browsing sessions, but stops short of extensions.

FolderShare is Windows and Mac only, but there are other Linux-friendly sync tools available, like Unison, that would likely work, as well. I haven't spend a lot of time using this sync method, either, so there may be a few hiccups here and there that I'm not aware of. Additionally, there may very well be a better option for tackling this whole process, so if you've got a streamlined method for keeping your extensions and more synced across computers, let's hear how you do it in the comments.