How to Migrate Browser Profiles to a New Mac

Transfer Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox user profiles to a new Mac. Follow these steps to migrate your bookmarks, history, and extensions securely.

1. Close all active browser instances. Exit Google Chrome or Firefox completely on both your old and new Mac. Press Command + Q to ensure the process is fully terminated; failing to do so may result in file locks or corrupted database migration.
2. Identify the profile directory on your source Mac. Open Finder, select Go in the menu bar, and press the Option key to reveal the Library folder. Navigate to Application Support, then locate the folder named Google/Chrome or Firefox/Profiles.
3. Copy the profile folder to external storage. Copy the entire 'Default' or 'Profiles' folder to an external drive or transfer via AirDrop. Ensure the entire directory structure is preserved, as these folders contain the SQLite databases required for your browser state.
4. Locate the destination path on the new Mac. Open the browser once on your new Mac to generate the initial file structure, then quit immediately. Navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/ on the new device to prepare the directory.
5. Overwrite existing profile data. Paste your copied folder into the destination directory on the new Mac. When Finder prompts you to replace files, confirm the action to overwrite the empty default profile with your migrated data.