How to transfer Vivaldi standalone ver. with plugins to a new computer without hassle?
-
Hi everyone!
I'm currently exploring ways to enhance my browsing freedom, which is why I've opted for a standalone Vivaldi installation. I'm about to head out on vacation and want to transfer my browser setup to the laptop I'll be taking with me. However, when I try moving the folder over, the browser does launch but, due to stringent security measures, it ends up removing all my plugins. My workflow heavily relies on these plugins accounting for about 90% of my browser usage, I'm not keen on the idea of reinstalling and reconfiguring each plugin from scratch.
I'm aware of the option to sync profiles, but that doesn't quite do the job for me since it doesn't synchronize plugin settings. I'm pondering over how I can effectively transfer my browser setup to another computer without losing my plugins and configurations
one thought that crossed my mind was if the browser could ask for a previously set password upon recognizing new hardware and then decrypt data using AES 256 encryption. This approach would ensure user freedom isn't compromised under the guise of security, which often feels more like a constraint designed for detailed profiling rather than genuine user benefit.
As it stands, it seems my only recourse might be to operate through a virtual machine, allowing me the flexibility to move my setup across different hardware seamlessly.
Has anyone here managed to successfully transfer their browser setup without losing plugin configurations? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. It feels like there should be a straightforward solution for this, considering how common it is for people to switch devices.
Looking forward to your insights and suggestions. Thanks a lot!
-
@mavorte You say plugins, you mean extensions. The way to get all of your extensions working on your new computer is to use Vivaldi Sync. You can't manually transfer login data or extensions between computers (or even still have them if you re-install your operating system). But you can sync between computers, and all of your data - cookies, history, login data, extensions, bookmarks, some settings, reading list, web apps, notes - all can be synced to the new machine.
-
As Chromium derivatives encrypt your logins and other personal data to your account (not your username and password but what is basically a random number), copied data is unreadable by a different user or on a different machine. You can copy Bookmarks and some settings, but that's about it. (Maybe sessions or history, but no logins, cookies or extension data.)
-
This post is deleted! -
I think there might be a misunderstanding, and perhaps you didn't fully catch the essence of my previous post. Your advice, while appreciated, doesn't seem to address my core concern. My issue isn't about transferring colors or bookmarks—I'm actually focused on the settings of extensions, and data that's locally stored by these extensions, such as notes or browsing sessions, among other things. From what I've checked last, this kind of data doesn't get updated through synchronization.
So, this whole sync feature feels somewhat limited, only managing to synchronize bookmarks and the extensions themselves, without their customized settings or data. After syncing, one has to re-adjust settings, log in, etc., making the whole process feel a bit futile.
The browser's synchronization feature falls short of expectations, proving to be virtually worthless as it fails to synchronize extensions.Has anyone else encountered this? Any workarounds or tips would be greatly appreciated.
-
As I suspected, to avoid the hassle of reinstalling and logging into numerous extensions all over again, working on a virtual machine seems like the way to go. Modern browsers, however, are so heavily restricted in every conceivable way and aren't user-friendly. Like in many fields, there needs to be a balance between utility and security. Unfortunately, software has reached such a high level of paranoia that it's become nearly unusable. This paranoia is often fueled by users who neglect basic digital hygiene, recklessly clicking on links, etc., leaving more advanced users to suffer because these overly paranoid settings can't be bypassed.
-
@mavorte said in How to transfer Vivaldi standalone ver. with plugins to a new computer without hassle?:
So, this whole sync feature feels somewhat limited, only managing to synchronize bookmarks and the extensions themselves, without their customized settings or data. After syncing, one has to re-adjust settings, log in, etc., making the whole process feel a bit futile.
The browser's synchronization feature falls short of expectations, proving to be virtually worthless as it fails to synchronize extensions.Has anyone else encountered this? Any workarounds or tips would be greatly appreciated.
In User Data\Default\Local Extension Settings, there are folders which correspond to the ID for each extension.
The ID is always the same for extensions installed from the Chrome Webstore.
In those folders are the settings for each extension, and I've been able to backup/restore those settings. -
Have you managed to transfer your setup to a different computer?
I know that extensions have unique identifiers, making them easily recognizable online under the same number, and I'm aware of the specific folder where the settings for these extensions are stored. I attempted to copy the entire folder where Vivaldi Standalone is installed, but when I launched it on my laptop, none of the extensions loaded. It seems Vivaldi detected the change of device and removed the extensions. It would have been simpler if it just asked for the main password, but it appears they prefer users to store settings on Google's servers for full control.
-
I have not needed to transfer my setup to a different computer.
I believe you would need to reinstall the extensions first and then copy the settings for each extension to where they need to be. -
I'm gearing up for a vacation soon, and I'll be taking my laptop with me. Typically, I work on a desktop, so it's not exactly an extraordinary situation. My goal is to continue working in my usual browser environment without having to spend hours reinstalling extensions. To tackle this, I'm setting up a virtual machine to virtualize my Windows environment. In today's fast-paced world, it seems this approach is a necessity to avoid wasting a ton of time.
Has anyone else found themselves in a similar situation? How do you manage your work setup while traveling? I'm curious to hear about your strategies or any tips you might have to make the process smoother.
-
I do this all the time. I do two things: I sync Vivaldi between machines (lots of machines) so that my data is always the same between machines, day-to-day. To the degree something critical cannot be synced (like certain data access I subscribe to which is IP-specific and cannot be done from ANYWHERE but my home office), I use TeamViewer to run my home machine's desktop from afar, and access needed data.
-
@Ayespy Hi, tkhanks foir yous answer, but NO, you definitely haven't been doing this the whole time. It seems like you haven't read my post thoroughly, so please go through it once more. You're not addressing the issue at hand at all. I remind you that the problem described is how to transfer extension settings.
-
@AllanH Unfortunately, that didn't work. I tried to do it by moving the entire 'extension settings' folders, but it didn't work. This is probably because something might be encrypted or there are some additional entries in the database.
-
@mavorte
Hi, as @sgunhouse mentioned already, you cant copy your extension data to a different PC.
Extension and login data are encrypted with your Windows user ID, this doesn't work even on the same PC but a different user.
Vivaldi has no portable version.Cheers, mib
-
@mib2berlin Yes, I'm aware of what you've mentioned regarding encryption, and plus Vivaldi recognizes device identifiers.
That's why I'm inquiring in another thread
https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/96817/how-to-make-vivaldi-browser-portable-sharing-between-desktop-and-laptop
about how to disable these features to make it both secure and portable across devices. Could anyone share how to tweak these settings for better privacy and convenience? -
@Ayespy Seriously, don't joke—I attempted this synchronization through my Vivaldi account. Some parts worked, but even basic settings like vertical tabs, interface language, and user interface zoom weren't synchronized at all. It feels like a bad joke. Not to mention the time I wasted opening two browsers simultaneously and checking if all settings were identical.
I had to manually export and import settings for each extension that allowed it, and for those that didn’t, I had to configure each setting by hand. In an era where we can set up an entire server and development environment using configuration files—like JSON, YAML, and Dockerfiles—it seems absurd that full synchronization isn't available. It feels like if it's not fully done, then it might as well not be done at all because I still have to go through everything myself.However, there was one pleasant surprise: the files are encrypted on the server, meaning they use what's called zero-knowledge encryption. It's a small consolation, but it matters for privacy.
Is anyone else experiencing these issues? Would love to hear your thoughts or any tips you might have.
-
@mavorte Sync does not and at this point is not intended to make a carbon copy of your browser on another machine. For this, you literally can just copy the profile from one to another.
BUT what it does do, is make your passwords and extension settings available at both ends - which copying your profile can NOT do.
In my case, I have noticed that sync DOES make several custom settings I do (like moving taskbar buttons, etc) show up at both ends, as well as making my tab positioning the same. It does NOT copy over my theme settings, which I kind of wish it would. I don't use extensions (I am philosophically against them) so their settings are not an issue for me.
But the changes I make in the settings overall are rather simple and straightforward, and easy for me to replicate. So what I do is install a new instance, wipe out the bookmarks, sync the new instance, make my settings changes (takes about ten minutes) and sail on from there. If I want, I can even "open all" of the current tabs from an earlier instance, using the sync cloud in the tab bar. This has the advantage of preserving all of my data, and not inheriting any possible corruptions from an earlier instance.
If I am determined to get a carbon copy, I do it differently. I install the new instance, replace its User Data/Default folder with the one from the instance I want to copy, delete the Bookmarks and Login Data files, start it up, and sync it. (I also don't use notes, so that's not a factor,) This just takes the time necessary to copy and paste the Default folder, possibly across the intermediary of a thumb drive, which takes a few minutes just to do that step.
But the only thing really important to me is the data, and only sync can take care of that. The settings are simple for me, so I just take the time arranging my settings rather than take that time copying and pasting a rather large file.
I get that folks would prefer that sync completely copy one instance to another, and over time, it has come closer and closer to doing that. But there are still many settings that have to be written into sync, and this is a painstaking task, which our sync dev slaves away at on a regular basis.
-
@Ayespy I definitely agree with you—when you don't have a customized browser setup and don’t utilize related settings, synchronization, which has almost nothing to sync, might indeed seem to work. However, for power users like myself, who use the browser as a crucial work tool and employ various extensions to enhance productivity, the idea of reliable synchronization is as believable as Santa Claus. Simply put, it just doesn’t work fully.
Such synchronization might be fine for my seventy-year-old grandmother, who barely uses any extensions and doesn't have many bookmarks, but it falls short for advanced users.
It would be somewhat acceptable if Vivaldi didn’t intentionally block the transfer of user folders. This is what frustrates me the most because other browsers like Brave don’t have this limitation, allowing advanced users to transfer settings and configure their browsers without losing hours of their life when setting up a new laptop. As I mentioned, in an era where we can configure and transfer entire development environments, servers, and network settings via a configuration file—often referred to as infrastructure as code—the inability to transfer simple browser settings and extensions feels like a mockery.
Vivaldi's synchronization doesn't work, and moreover, Vivaldi developers have blocked the ability to transfer entire folders by removing the functionality of switches that disable file encryption and machine identification. Therefore, it's necessary to ask the developers when they will introduce proper synchronization, as the current system seems more like a beta version.
-
@mavorte
Really, except of bookmarks, passwords, notes, reading lists, tabs, search engines, history, extensions (not settings), Vivaldi sync 200+ settings.
Vivaldi block nothing, Chromium does not support portable profiles, you can get a Brave portable but it is not officially supported, for example.Chrome does not sync extension settings either, I test this a few minutes ago and they have 10 times more developers to tackle this.
-
@mib2berlin Really, what's the point of syncing 200 settings, or even extensions, if it doesn’t sync their settings too? You might as well sync a thousand settings but if I still dont have the same browser experience and need to spend hours tweaking it to match my desktop setup, then to me, that’s not true synchronization. If I install an extension on my desktop, customize it and log into it, I expect the same settings to be mirrored on my laptop. Otherwise, it's not really syncing, is it?
Also, as I mentioned, it failed to sync several settings like vertical tabs, which caught my eye immediately. Even such basic things weren't synced, and I had to do it manually. Honestly, this feels more like a beta version of syncing, not full synchronization. I'm curious if someone were to sync apps from one production environment to another as Vivaldi does, and let's say they didn't sync all user accounts, would that still be considered syncing? So, Vivaldi's syncing seems to be in beta mode because it doesn’t sync everything, and it's hardly usable unless, perhaps, all you need are bookmarks—like my grandma
Would love to hear your thoughts or if anyone has found a workaround for these issues.