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refresh firefox...lost all bookmarks

  • 1 reply
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by cor-el

tomconff
tomconff
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Firefox was completely "not working". It was not crashed, but no web sites would connect, even when they were connecting in other browsers at the same time. Pages stopped loading when either completely blank or sometimes they were partially present (but not readable).

So, followed the "refresh Firefox" instructions in support. This seems to have helped. Web sites are working again, if I type the URL into the address bar.

BUT, in that process I lost all my bookmarks. According to the page, these would not be lost. But, they are gone. I made sure that the bookmarks bar was showing. It is completely blank.

(1) Is there any way I can recover my bookmarks?

(2) If I have to go to a backup, I do have one from a few weeks ago. Can somebody explain how to access the information in a backup (a particular file?), and then what to do with it in order to recover the bookmarks?

Thanks!

Firefox was completely "not working". It was not crashed, but no web sites would connect, even when they were connecting in other browsers at the same time. Pages stopped loading when either completely blank or sometimes they were partially present (but not readable). So, followed the "refresh Firefox" instructions in support. This seems to have helped. Web sites are working again, if I type the URL into the address bar. BUT, in that process I lost all my bookmarks. According to the page, these would not be lost. But, they are gone. I made sure that the bookmarks bar was showing. It is completely blank. (1) Is there any way I can recover my bookmarks? (2) If I have to go to a backup, I do have one from a few weeks ago. Can somebody explain how to access the information in a backup (a particular file?), and then what to do with it in order to recover the bookmarks? Thanks!

All Replies (1)

cor-el
cor-el
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  • Top 10 Contributor
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Do you have an "Old Firefox Data" folder on the desktop?

When you Refresh/Reset Firefox then a new profile is created and some personal data (bookmarks, history, cookies, passwords, form data) is automatically imported. The current profile folder will be moved to an "Old Firefox Data" folder on the desktop. Installed extensions and other customizations (toolbars, prefs) that you have made are lost and need to be redone.

It is possible to recover data from the "Old Firefox Data" folder on the desktop, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.

You can copy files like these to the current Firefox profile folder to recover specific data.

  • bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
  • bookmark backups: JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
  • SQLite files like cookies.sqlite (cookies) and formhistory.sqlite (saved form data)
  • logins.json and key3.db (decryption key) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
  • cert8.db for stored intermediate certificates (Certificate Manager)
  • persdict.dat for words you added to the spelling checker dictionary
  • permissions.sqlite and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for Permissions and Site Preferences
  • sessionstore.js for open tabs and pinned tabs and tab groups

You can use this button to go to the current Firefox profile folder:

See also: