MozBackup for Windows

Quick summary

MozBackup is an old, free utility designed to back up profiles from Firefox, Thunderbird, and other applications built on Mozilla technology. It captures key profile data into a portable archive so you can restore a profile after an OS reinstall or move it to another PC. The tool is straightforward to use but hasn’t seen active development since 2012, so its compatibility with recent releases of Firefox and Thunderbird is unreliable.

What it saves

• Email folders and message stores
• Saved passwords and sign-in data
• Installed add-ons and extensions
• Bookmarks and saved pages
• Browsing history and session data
• Profile preferences and configuration files

Backups are written as .pcv archives that you can copy to local or external storage, or transfer to another machine for recovery.

Compatibility and maintenance status

MozBackup’s codebase is effectively frozen. Official support and compatibility are documented only up through Firefox 62 and Thunderbird 60. That makes the tool a decent option for legacy installations, but risky for users running current releases because newer profile formats and changes in the applications can prevent successful backups or restores.

How it guides users

The program uses a step-by-step wizard that walks users through selecting a profile, choosing which components to include, and performing restore operations. Components are presented as checkboxes, letting you exclude or include items like mail, bookmarks, or settings. There’s also basic command-line support so backups can be invoked by external schedulers, but there’s no built-in scheduling interface or cloud sync.

Performance and automation notes

• Small profiles usually back up and restore quickly; very large profiles (especially those with extensive mail folders) can slow the process or cause temporary unresponsiveness.
• Disk activity can spike during large operations, although memory usage is generally modest.
• While command-line flags exist for scripted runs, users must configure automation themselves (for example, using Task Scheduler), since the app lacks native scheduling or direct cloud integration.

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strengths: lightweight, simple to operate, supports partial or full profile exports, and produces a single portable archive for easy transfer.
• Weaknesses: no active updates, limited support for modern Mozilla releases, no built-in automation, and no native cloud backup or modern UI conveniences.

Who should use it

MozBackup is best suited to users with older Firefox/Thunderbird installations or those who need a quick, manual way to extract and store profile data without extra features. If you run up-to-date versions of Mozilla apps or need hands-off backups and cloud integration, a more actively maintained solution is likely a better fit.

Alternatives to consider

• Google Drive for Desktop — integrates cloud storage and automatic syncing to protect profile archives.
• Other actively maintained backup tools or profile managers that offer scheduled backups, cloud destinations, and compatibility with current browser and mail client releases.