JavaScript object notation data interchange format
File type: Source code and script file, Internet related file
Files with json extension are typically found as special JavaScript object notation files, which are based on the ECMAScript programming language standard.
Found 2 different file type records with the same json filename suffix.
File type category:
Source code and script file
Internet related file
Date updated: June 27, 2025
File extension json is associated to JavaScript Object Notation file format, a lightweight, text-based, language-independent data interchange format.
JavaScript object notation is derived from the ECMAScript programming language standard. JSON defines a small set of formatting rules for the portable representation of structured data. It is used by various applications as alternative option to XML file format.
The data in a json file are stored in simple text file format and the content is viewable in any simple text editor.
It originates as a way to represent objects in JavaScript, but most modern programming languages or applications will have built-in functionality for working with JSON file format.
To open and edit a .json file you could use any simple text editor or more advanced text source code and XML editors or development tools.
Special parsers can be used to convert .json files to CSV or XML data formats. If you know the syntax you can also do it manually in a text editor, but this will be likely very time consuming.
NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)
Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)
Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)
JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
gedit (Linux/Unix)
Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)
oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)
Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)
JSON formatter (On-line services)
NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)
Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)
Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)
JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
gedit (Linux/Unix)
Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)
oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)
Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)
JSON formatter (On-line services)
NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)
Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)
Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)
JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
gedit (Linux/Unix)
Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)
oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)
Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)
JSON formatter (On-line services)
NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)
Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)
JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
gedit (Linux/Unix)
oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)
Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)
Full Convert Pro (Microsoft Windows)
Toodledo (Multiplatform)
Pyxel Edit (Microsoft Windows)
DB Browser for SQLite (Multiplatform)
File type category:
Backup file
Date updated: June 27, 2025
Mozilla Firefox web browser uses json file format for user backup of website bookmarks.
Used by Mozilla Firefox from version 3.0 for bookmark backup in JSON format. Firefox version 1.0 - 2.0 stored bookmark backup in HTML file.
JSON is a part of the ECMAScript standard since ECMA has defined in 1999 the eval function that parses the format.
It has been popularized with the success of Ajax. The JSON word appears often when one is speaking about Ajax. We know this is another data format, that can replace XML, and this format is supported by a lot of programmers.
You do not need to open the json file, you can use Firefox to import the backup file. You can import them using the Library.
Open the Library - Bookmarks → Organize Bookmarks
To import the bookmarks from the JSON backup, in the Library choose:
Import and Backup → Restore → Choose File
Note that importing a json file will replace any existing bookmarks with those in the json file.
Firefox automatically creates 5 backup files, and these backups are stored in the bookmarkbackups folder inside the profile folder. On Windows Vista the usual location for the profile folder is:
C:\Users\"Windows login/user name"\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\
xxxxxxxx is a string of random characters, the second half of that part of the folder name is normally .default but may be something else. The Application Data folder is usually a hidden folder. To show hidden folders, open Windows Explorer and choose:
Organize → Folder and Search Options → Folder Options → View and select Show hidden files and folders
MIME type used for json files: application/json
You can use export/import (HTML) or backup/restore (JSON) in the Bookmarks Manager to create a backup or restore the bookmarks.
Another possibility is to make a backup of the file places.sqlite in the profile folder.
The file places.sqlite stores the History and the Bookmarks in Firefox 3.
Restoring a JSON backup will replace all your current bookmarks (you get a warning about that), so if you already have bookmarks that you wish to keep then export them to a HTML file before restoring the JSON backup.
You can import that HTML file after you have restored the JSON backup to get your current bookmarks back (you need to remove duplicates). You can't import a JSON backup to add (merge) bookmarks.
Importing bookmarks from a HTML file adds the imported bookmarks to the already existing bookmarks, so you may need to remove duplicates.
A HTML backup doesn't support tags and annotations, so if you want to preserve those then you need to use a JSON backup.
JSON backup/restore:
Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Backup
Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Restore > Choose File
HTML export/import:
Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Export HTML
Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > Import & Backup > Import HTML : "From File"
Firefox bookmarks can be exported only in json or html file. Any other formats are not supported.
Transmute (Microsoft Windows)
Firefox Bookmark Backup Reader/Decompressor (On-line services)
Firefox (Microsoft Windows)
SeaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)
Firefox for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Seamonkey for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Seamonkey for Linux (Linux/Unix)
Firefox for Linux (Linux/Unix)
Firefox (Microsoft Windows)
SeaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)
Firefox for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Seamonkey for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)
Seamonkey for Linux (Linux/Unix)
Firefox for Linux (Linux/Unix)