Bookmarks do not sync
If I make a change to my bookmarks they do not sync between devices. For example I moved some bookmarks on my Windows desktop but the changes do not appear on my iPad. I tried forcing a sync on both devices but that did not work. I disconnected the sync on the iPad and then reconnected using the bar code. After watching the sync wheel spin for a while the bookmarks were in sync. Then I deleted a bookmark folder on the iPad but that change is not visible on the desktop.
Why do the bookmarks not stay in sync??
Chosen solution
If you use Sync then best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.
This can be caused by a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite databases in the Firefox profile folder.
- use "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page
If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot and retry.
If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.
- keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created
You lose the history when a new places.sqlite is created.
See also:
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional
You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data
All Replies (2)
Chosen Solution
If you use Sync then best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.
This can be caused by a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite databases in the Firefox profile folder.
- use "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page
If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot and retry.
If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.
- keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created
You lose the history when a new places.sqlite is created.
See also:
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional
You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data
I believe the problem may be that there is a long delay in the time it takes to sync. I did some test changes to the bookmarks. Sometimes the changes show up on other devices within a few seconds, but sometimes it takes several minutes or even longer. It seems bizarre, but I am going to mark this solved.