Look on your desktop. Do you see a folder called; Old Firefox? Look inside. Look for the folder with the latest creation date.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-run-firefox-when-profile-missing-inaccessible

Firefox seemingly decided not to support your older version bookmarks and passwords.

Here is my opinion:

It is a disgrace !

Your only option seemingly is that you are FORCED to open a sync account with firefox. Then save all your old browser passwords and bookmarks to firefox sync then open up the new version and use sync to get them impiorted into the new version.

This is a SERIOUS SECURITY RISK as Firefox now forces users to use ONE alternative ..ie the firefox online account for your passwords -- go figure, and you have no more control over keeping your passwords locally..

I can see a huge class action lawsuit developing, due to the fact that the user is technically now forced to give up their passwords and bookmarks file to firefox sync. If there ever will be a breach at firefox it shoud trigger class-action suits never mind what they can prop up in the agreements as the user was forced to open an account, just like a bank. See how far banks get with their eula...doesnt help how they cover themselves in the eula the state and federal laws will trump them and they get sued. Firefox is going in the wrong direction here and in my opinion opens themselves up for liability.

Firefox needs to at least give us an option to import our passwords and bookmarks files LOCALLY and not be forced to go smear passwords and bookmarks accross the internet.

Marcia said

I made the big mistake of refreshing Firefox thinking it would solve another issues. Now all of my bookmarks are gone. I've tried the show all bookmarks, import and restore thing but I don't get a date to click on, it just takes me to my desktop folder. What am I doing wrong? I also did a system restore on my computer hoping that would help, but it didn't. I'm clearly not very good at this.

Sorry you are having a problem. As Fred mentioned, the Old Firefox Data folder is supposed to have a copy of your places.sqlite file which is the file where bookmarks (and other types of data related to "places" / URL's / browsing history) are stored.

The Refresh Firefox feature is what creates that Old Firefox Data at the conclusion of the Refresh process, which can seem to take forever - like maybe as long as 7-plus minutes in my experience - with no 'progress meter' appearing to see that the Refresh procedure is "doing its' thing". Well, the first time I used Refresh I thought the process was 'hung' and I closed Firefox too early; in the process all my data when "poof!" and disappeared in the nether regions of the trons floating around inside my PC! No big loss for me, I had backed up my Profile before hand, and only lost ~ 5 minutes or so recovering all my Profile data.

If you do have the Old Firefox Data folder that FredMcD posted about, you should follow his instructions to recover your data.

If you don't see the Old Firefox Data folder on your desktop, perhaps doing the system restore before asking for help here was a tragic mistake, resulting in your losing your data before trying to fix the situation.

As far as doing a system restore on your operating system - that is how users usually lose their data in situations similar to what you described. Windows does not save restore points for every (or any) data that is saved by non-MS programs (such as the Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome web browsers); the user has to purposely select those applications user data to be saved in the restore points.

zimbodel said

Firefox seemingly decided not to support your older version bookmarks and passwords. Here is my opinion: It is a disgrace ! Your only option seemingly is that you are FORCED to open a sync account with firefox. ... This is a SERIOUS SECURITY RISK as Firefox now forces users to use ONE alternative ..ie the firefox online account for your passwords -- go figure, and you have no more control over keeping your passwords locally..

Your response is what's a disgrace; your opinion isn't worth diddly-squat! Simply spreading FUD; that is what's disgraceful. The "owner" of this support thread deserves better than your illogical perceptions about their stated issue with Firefox.

There's is no "force" to open and use a Firefox Account; and since the data stored online is encrypted and secured with a 64-character alpha-numeric password (algorithmically derived) which is created by the local Firefox installation and based upon the users chosen Password. The user is the only person that ever has access to that 64-character password, which can only be used automatically for Sync to log in to the Sync server thru a local Firefox installation, it is nigh on impossible for any one else to gain access to user data which is stored on a Sync server. Mozilla never see's that password and it would be useless for anyone working on the Sync servers to try to use even if the "owner" of that data would provide that password for purposes of trying to recover that data from the Sync server; the system precludes that type of action.

I am sorry, your response shows a total disregard for literally 10s of millions of people.

Do you have any idea how valuable our passwords and bookmarks are ? Just willy nilly trashing support for everyone of our millions of users password and bookmarks is the REAL insult, since you spoke of insults.

Do you really think that the average user is going to jump through loops to reconstruct passwords and bookmarks ?

What kind of decision is that.?

Attached is the popup us users get when installing the new version. It gives us ONE option .. join the firefox sync account where all your passwords and bookmarks will be sent to.. go figure. They will most likely end up either in marketing or on the web, it is just a matter of time.

Do the right thing. Give us a way to migrate our old passwords and bookmarks with a few clicks LOCALLY, not loading them up to the internet.

Again, rethink what this means..you are hurting tens of millions of unsuspected users, and for most of them either force them onto your sync accounts (is that the real reason for this?) , possibly exposing their passwords or they have to use another browser.

If I were on windows, I would switch to IE now and never before had the intention to do so.

Please at least just think what you are doing to the firefox users.....literally tens of millions of them.

@ zimbodel,

The-edmeister is right about your response being a disgrace - it is disrespectful towards Marcia, the OP of this thread.

If you must rant and rave, do it here :

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors

Or submit feedback using these links :

Input page : https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/

Discourse  : https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/firefox-development

Reddit  : https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/

Twitter  : https://twitter.com/firefox

Facebook  : https://www.facebook.com/Firefox

Sync is an option. Shut down sync from here.

Type about:accounts<enter> in the address bar. [v57+] https://accounts.firefox.com/settings

Fine I can switch sync off in about:config, but the point is, will I still be able to import my passwords and bookmarks without sync, without having to become a unix sysadmin.

zimbodel said

Fine I can switch sync off in about:config, but the point is, will I still be able to import my passwords and bookmarks without sync, without having to become a unix sysadmin.

This thread is about bookmarks, not about Sync.

Please start your own thread if you have questions that are not related to this thread's topic.

Maybe you cannot read that I use BOOKMARKS in my question.. It is there clearly. I cannot see your point and your rant is unrelated to the problem.

Good advice If you must rant and rave, do it here :

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors Or submit feedback using these links : Input page : https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/ Discourse  : https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/firefox-development Reddit  : https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/ Twitter  : https://twitter.com/firefox Facebook  : https://www.facebook.com/Firefox

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

• bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
• bookmark backups: compressed .jsonlz4 JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
• cookies.sqlite for the Cookies
• formhistory.sqlite for saved autocomplete Form Data
• logins.json (passwords) and key4.db (58+) or key3.db (57 and older) (decryption key) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
  if you only have key3.db then make sure to remove an existing key4.db
• cert9.db (58+) or cert8.db (57 and older) for (intermediate) certificates stored in the Certificate Manager
  if you only have cert8.db then make sure to remove an existing cert9.db
• persdict.dat for words you added to the spelling checker dictionary
• permissions.sqlite for Permissions and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for other website specific data (Site Preferences)
• sessionstore.jsonlz4 for open tabs and pinned tabs (see also the sessionstore-backups folder)

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

zimbodel said

Maybe you cannot read that I use BOOKMARKS in my question..

Your problem with bookmarks is in no way related to the OP's problem (nor are your other problems) - hence I suggested that you start your own thread.

cor-el said

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

Thank you cor-el, Will this work to migrate older version bookmarks and passwords to the current version firefox that is not backward compatible with previous versions?

zimbodel said

I am sorry, your response shows a total disregard for literally 10s of millions of people. ....

10's of millions of people don't install a fresh version of Firefox; they would just update whatever version of Firefox that they already have installed. Your bad luck that you pulled that fresh installation stunt with Firefox 68, the first version that created a new Profile automatically when a 2nd version of Firefox is installed. And BTW, that message about Sync isn't recommending that you begin using Sync; the wording is a message to existing Sync users to let then know that Sync will work in that manner.

That is a new feature, albeit a feature that I feel is silly for a Release version of Firefox; evidently the people in charge of decisions like that at Mozilla give the "average user" more credit than I would give them to not "screw the pooch" by getting in over their head. The Alpha Nightly and Beta - Developer editions are IMO more suited to a feature such as that "new Profile automatically created" for the 2nd version.

You should be able to open about:profiles (typed in the Location Bar & hit Enter) and view how many and which Profiles that you now have; and by using "Launch Profile in new browser" button you can access your other Profile which has the user data that you think is gone or lacks compatibility.

You won't be able to "import" than data, but with the information that cor-el posted you might be able to pull your head out of the sand.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried doing the bookmarks restore, but the only date that comes up is the backup for the ones I tried to recreate last night. I'm not very good at this stuff, so you're losing me with profiles and stuff and I'm so afraid to do anything complicated now.

I did find a list of bookmarks in the old firefox folder, but those dates don't come up as choices when I try to do a restore, only the bookmarks I've recreated yesterday. Is there a way to get restore to show me those dates? Please tell me the steps if it's possible. I'm old and don't know what I'm doing....obviously!!!

Open your file browser to your current profile. Now open another file browser to the Old Firefox folder.

Open the Old Firefox folder you want to use. Copy the places.sqlite file to the current profile folder, overwritting the current file.

Hi Marcia, FredMcD's method will replace your current bookmarks+history with the bookmarks+history from the time of the Refresh. That might be the best way. However, if that seems too difficult, here's another option.

On the Restore menu, click the "Choose File..." option at the bottom. This should open a file browsing window. Navigate the window to your Desktop, then click into Old Firefox Data, click into the old profile folder (the name is partially random, like az425bq1.default), and click into the bookmarkbackups folder.

Then you can choose a file to restore. Usually the one with the most recent date indicated in the file name will be the one you want to try first.

Thank you all so much, especially Fred and jscher. Is there anything I can do to save them so this doesn't happen again???? I'm so happy.

Hi Marcia, you can make a copy of the bookmarkbackups folder from time to time (pasting the copy in a location that Firefox doesn't manage, such as your Documents folder). Or you could create your own backups in a more convenient location. This article has the steps for creating manual backups:

Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer