Having Trouble Exporting Bookmarks
I've been trying to export my bookmarks to an external hard drive so that if something should happen to my computer I have a file of them. I'm using Windows 11.
When I export the bookmarks as an HTML file, it saves OLD bookmarks from a few years ago, not the current ones. I know this because when I go to my external hard drive and click on the file and open it up it shows the old bookmarks.
I have no idea why this is happening. Can anyone help me? Thanks.
Vsi odgovori (5)
Do you see the correct bookmarks in the Bookmarks Manager (Library) ? Are you creating the HTML backup in the Library in Firefox ?
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/export-firefox-bookmarks-to-backup-or-transfer
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/import-bookmarks-html-file
You can try to safe the file first to the desktop and open the file in Firefox for inspection. Make sure that you have the real file on the external drive and not a link to a file on your Windows drive, so check the properties and the file size.
cor-el,
Yes, I am seeing the correct bookmarks in the Bookmarks Manager (Library) and I am creating the HTML backup in the Library in Firefox.
I saved the file to the desktop as you recommended and then opened the file in Firefox for inspection. When I opened it, it was again the old bookmarks, not the new ones.
I don't know why I'm seeing the correct bookmarks in the Bookmark Manager but when I create an HTML file it's saving the old bookmarks.
I'm very confused. Can you suggest anything else? Thanks.
You can try to export the Bookmarks to JSON or use a backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.
You can look at this tool to inspect a compressed jsonlz4 bookmarks backup and possibly convert this file to HTML.
If you use Sync, best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.
This could be a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.
- use the "Places Database" -> "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 the most 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
You may have to restore an older bookmarks backup in the bookmarkbackups folder via the Bookmarks Manager (Library).
- Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> Import & Backup -> Restore
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them
See also:
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cant-add-change-or-save-bookmarks
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 (Root directory).
- 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
cor-el,
I appreciate your help very much but none of the solutions you offered above worked. I followed the steps closely to make sure I didn't make any mistakes but nothing has changed. I still see the "correct" bookmarks in the Bookmarks Manager but when I export an HTML file to my desktop and open it, it still shows the "old" bookmarks.
This is very frustrating.
Is there a new file created every time you create a new backup or are you replacing the file what might fail if you still see the old bookmarks ?
Using the bookbackreader tool should allow you to inspect the bookmarks and verify that they are correct and generating an HTML file with this tool should give you the correct file. Maybe try to export to a different location.
You can set browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML to true on the about:config page to make Firefox create an automatic HTML backup (bookmarks.html) in the Firefox profile folder when Firefox is closed.
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 (Root directory).
- 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