Backup Opera browser settings on Linux

Continue reading the article below to learn detailed steps to backup Opera browser settings on Linux via Terminal and Tar command.

Article Table of Contents:
1. Backup Opera browser settings on Linux.
2. Compress browser files using the Tar command.
3. Encrypt backup.
4. Restore backup.

1. Backup Opera browser settings on Linux

To backup Opera browser settings, the first step you need to do is close the browser window on your Linux computer. This is because during use the browser will create files in the Linux file system.

The next step is to access Terminal using the key combination Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T.

On the Terminal window, enter the CD command and move the current Terminal window session from the (-) home directory to the -/.config directory . This directory contains all browser configuration files.

In the -/.config directory , run the ls command and look for the "opera" directory to ensure that the Opera browser configuration files on your Linux computer are in the -/.config directory:
ls
In case you run the ls command and the result is The result returns too many different folders and files, you can run a combination of the ls command with the grep command to filter unnecessary folders and files:
ls | grep opera

If the command does not display the opera folder, it means that the browser configuration files are not available on your Linux computer. Now you will have to add a browser login step before creating a backup.

2. Compress browser files using the Tar command

Before uploading browser data to backup services, you should take the additional step of compressing this data to avoid problems with failed data uploads. Furthermore, compressed files are easier to encrypt.

Follow the steps below to compress browser files:

First run the CD command to move into the -/.config directory:
cd -/.config

In the -/.config directory , run the command below to create a compressed file containing Opera browser settings:
tar -czvf my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz opera

After the command finishes running, it will output a TarGZ file named my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz in the -/.config directory . The next step uses the mv command to move files from the -/.config directory to the home directory .

mv my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz -/

Now you can upload files to cloud storage services (Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, .) or store them on an external hard drive to ensure file safety. A small note is that the file is not encrypted, so anyone can decompress and access your browser data.

3. Encrypt backup

As mentioned above, the my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz file is not encrypted, which means anyone can access your Opera browser settings. To encrypt the file we will use the GPG command.
If your computer does not have GPG installed, go here to download and install. 

Follow the steps below to encrypt the my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz file:
Step 1: Run the command below to make sure your computer has GPG installed:
Step 2: Run the CD command to move Move the Terminal window from the -/.config directory to the home directory (-):
cd -/
Step 3: Use the gpg -c command to encrypt the my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz file. In addition, TipsMake recommends that you use a strong password:
gpg -c my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz
The output file is in the form my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz.gpg .
Step 4 : Run the command below to delete unencrypted files:
rm my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz

4. Restore backup

To restore a backup of Opera browser settings, follow the steps below. Note that if the backup file is not encrypted, you can skip steps 1 and 2.

Step 1: Use the Linux file manager to move the encrypted file my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz.gpg to the home directory (-).
Step 2: Next step open the Terminal window and run the gpg command to decrypt the file my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz.gpg: gpg my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz.gpg
Step 3 : Use Use the tar xvf command to decompress the decrypted TarGZ Opera backup file in the home directory:
tar xvf my-opera-browser-backup.tar.gz
After the Tar command decompresses the backup file, additional information will be displayed in the home directory. folder named " opera ". This folder contains all Opera browser data.
Step 4 : Use the mv command to move the "opera" folder into the -/.config directory:
mv opera/ -/.config

In the above article, we  have just guided you through the steps to backup Opera browser settings on Linux. Hope the above article has provided you with useful information. In addition, if you have any questions or concerns like how to install Google Chrome on Linux , readers can leave their comments in the comments section below the article.

Lesley Montoya

Update 16 June 2024