JSON

json icon

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.

What is json file?

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.

How to open json file?

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.

How to convert json file?

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.

Suggested software to open json file:

Associated software actions with the json file

Software applications that can open json files:

NotePad++ text editor icon NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text icon Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

Adobe Dreamweaver icon Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)

JSON View for Mac icon JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Visual JSON for Mac icon Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro icon PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Mac icon Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac icon Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

gedit icon gedit (Linux/Unix)

Sublime Text for Linux icon Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor icon oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code icon Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

no icon available JSON formatter (On-line services)

Software applications that can edit json files:

NotePad++ text editor icon NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text icon Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

Adobe Dreamweaver icon Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)

JSON View for Mac icon JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Visual JSON for Mac icon Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro icon PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Mac icon Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac icon Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

gedit icon gedit (Linux/Unix)

Sublime Text for Linux icon Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor icon oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code icon Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

no icon available JSON formatter (On-line services)

Software capable of saving json files:

NotePad++ text editor icon NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Sublime Text icon Sublime Text (Microsoft Windows)

Adobe Dreamweaver icon Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)

JSON View for Mac icon JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Visual JSON for Mac icon Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

PlistEdit Pro icon PlistEdit Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Sublime Text for Mac icon Sublime Text for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac icon Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

gedit icon gedit (Linux/Unix)

Sublime Text for Linux icon Sublime Text for Linux (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor icon oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code icon Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

no icon available JSON formatter (On-line services)

Software apps that create json files:

NotePad++ text editor icon NotePad++ text editor (Microsoft Windows)

Adobe Dreamweaver icon Adobe Dreamweaver (Microsoft Windows)

JSON View for Mac icon JSON View for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Visual JSON for Mac icon Visual JSON for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac icon Adobe Dreamweaver for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

gedit icon gedit (Linux/Unix)

oXygen XML Editor icon oXygen XML Editor (Multiplatform)

Visual Studio Code icon Visual Studio Code (Multiplatform)

Software apps that convert json files:

Full Convert Pro icon Full Convert Pro (Microsoft Windows)

Software apps that import json files:

Toodledo icon Toodledo (Multiplatform)

Software apps that export json files:

Pyxel Edit icon Pyxel Edit (Microsoft Windows)

no icon available DB Browser for SQLite (Multiplatform)

Mozilla Firefox bookmark backup

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

How to open json file?

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"

How to convert json file?

Firefox bookmarks can be exported only in json or html file. Any other formats are not supported.

Suggested software to open json file:

Associated software actions with the json file

Software apps that convert json files:

no icon available Transmute (Microsoft Windows)

Software apps that export json files:

no icon available Firefox Bookmark Backup Reader/Decompressor (On-line services)

Software apps that backup json files:

Firefox icon Firefox (Microsoft Windows)

SeaMonkey icon SeaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

Firefox for Mac icon Firefox for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Seamonkey for Mac icon Seamonkey for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Seamonkey for Linux icon Seamonkey for Linux (Linux/Unix)

Firefox for Linux icon Firefox for Linux (Linux/Unix)

Software apps that recover json files:

Firefox icon Firefox (Microsoft Windows)

SeaMonkey icon SeaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

Firefox for Mac icon Firefox for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Seamonkey for Mac icon Seamonkey for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Seamonkey for Linux icon Seamonkey for Linux (Linux/Unix)

Firefox for Linux icon Firefox for Linux (Linux/Unix)