I don't know why there aren't better scrolling methods for the Bookmarks Menu. The tiny triangles are hard to work with and as you point out, the keyboardability is low. Edit: Keyboard behavior with arrow keys, End and Home summarized here.

So I switched to a multi-column bookmarks menu. If you're interested in trying it, you'll need to learn about the optional userChrome.css file (assuming that like most people you've never created one before).

https://userstyles.org/styles/119797/bookmarks-menu-in-multiple-columns

To spell that out in a little more detail:

Multi-Column Bookmarks Recipe

Firefox looks for a file named userChrome.css at startup and applies those rules to the user interface. When you have 10 minutes, here's what you do:

(A) Create a new chrome folder in your profile folder. This article has the steps for that (#1, #2, and optionally #3)

https://www.userchrome.org/how-create-userchrome-css.html

(I posted boring videos, too, if you like demos.)

(B) Set Windows not to hide the .css file extension (step #4 in the above article)

(C) Download the following file and move it into that chrome folder:

https://www.userchrome.org/samples/userChrome-multi-column-bookmarks-3-and-2.css

(D) If you don't already have a userChrome.css file, rename that file to just userChrome.css

If you do already have a userChrome.css file, you can add the new rules to the end of your existing file.

The next time you quit Firefox and start it up again, it should discover that file and apply the rules.

Success?

retiredman said

Also, why can't I keep a list open, for example "other bookmarks" instead of always going back to it, open it up and scroll some more to find what I want.

You could try out the Bookmarks Sidebar, which will stay open to the left of the page until you close it. Either:

• Ctrl+b
• Library toolbar button > Bookmarks > Bookmarking Tools > View Bookmarks Sidebar
• optional Bookmarks Menu toolbar button > View Bookmarks Sidebar

retiredman said

There are two users on my laptop. the second one has a password to enter it. The primary and second user bookmarks seemed to have merged. Two accounts with Comcast, two users names & profiles, yet now I'm seeing bookmarks from each on the other users bookmark list. How could that happen? I do use Icloud to have cloud features ( calendars, reminders, etc) set up to show on my Windows 7 and vice versa.

Each separate Windows user should have their own Firefox data folder, and Firefox should be looking in the current Windows user's profile, not in other Windows users' profiles. I'm sure it is possible to cross that up, but it's definitely would not be easy.

Normally Firefox bookmarks (and history, cookies, tabs, etc.) are purely local data. The Firefox Sync feature can copy this data between different Firefox installations, but you probably wouldn't be sharing a Firefox Account. I don't know how data is getting shared otherwise.

You can also add scroll bars to such lists with code in userChrome.css.

Add code to the userChrome.css file below the default @namespace line.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/userChrome.css

@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul"); /* only needed once */

/* SCROLLBOX - scroll bar */
.arrowscrollbox-scrollbox {overflow-y:auto!important}
.autorepeatbutton-up, .autorepeatbutton-down {display:none!important}

It is not that difficult to create userChrome.css if you have never used it.

The first step is to open the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" page and find the button to access the profile folder.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-troubleshooting-information-page-fix-firefox

You can find this button under the "Application Basics" section as "Profile Folder -> Open Folder". If you click this button then you open the profile folder in the Windows File Explorer. You need to create a folder with the name chrome in this folder (name is all lowercase). In the chrome folder you need to create a text file with the name userChrome.css (name is case sensitive). In this userChrome.css text file you paste the text posted.

In Windows saving the file is usually the only time things get more complicated because Windows can silently add a .txt file extension and you end up with a file named userChrome.css.txt. To avoid this you need to make sure to select "All files" in the dialog to save the file in the text editor using "Save File as".

You need to close and restart Firefox when you create or modify the userChrome.css file.

• https://www.userchrome.org/how-create-userchrome-css.html
• https://www.userchrome.org/what-is-userchrome-css.html

Thanks for replying. Since I'm unsure of making changes ( they usually don't work out for me) is it really worth installing this user chrome.css? The issue I am having was not being able to use my plug in mouse to scroll up the list or even a a set of key combinations that will take me to the top of a list, like my favorites that I often use. User chrome.css seems like a lot of work to "customize" a lot of things, but will it even solve my basic question for sure?

You can't do any permanent damage by experimenting with simple style rules in a userChrome.css file, but it's true that you can spend a lot of time getting everything just right.

I don't think anyone has a workaround for using Home, End, Page Up, Page Down on a menu. The two workarounds suggested are:

(A) Showing a scroll bar on the single-column bookmarks menu

(B) Spreading out the bookmarks over multiple columns

Edit: Home and End work relative to the current selection on the menu.

Soil I understand what user chrome does, instead of one long column of favorites, you create multiple shorter columns that are easier & take less time to scroll. And you can add a scroll bar on your existing favorites column. Is this about right? So my mouse or computer settings are not malfunctioning, it’s just that Firefox didn’t have the foresight to incorporate this into their system? Brilliant. There are times I regret letting my local computer man install FF, this I think is one of them. It’s not that complete or user friendly and I’ve come to dislike companies that want want the “community” to take the job of supporting their product. Lazy & cheap way of not supporting their own product.

Hi retiredman, the built-in ways to scroll the bookmarks menu using the mouse are:

• use the mouse wheel (or the two-finger scroll gesture on a touchpad)
• hover the tiny triangles at the top or bottom

On the keyboard, there was more functionality than I remembered -- I use a multi-column layout, so I had to disable that in order to test:

• Up and down arrow keys go to next and previous bookmark or folder, respectively
• Right arrow key expands the select folder, left arrow key contracts it
• Page Up and Page Down don't seem to do anything
• If a bookmark is selected (highlighted) using the arrow keys:
  • End goes to the last bookmark relative to the current selection
  • Home goes to the first bookmark relative to the current selection

I’ve come to dislike companies that want want the “community” to take the job of supporting their product. Lazy & cheap way of not supporting their own product.

Mozilla is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fighting for an open web. https://www.mozilla.org/mission/ The Mozilla community includes volunteers from around the world. Be part of the solution.

Jscher2000 first, thank you for your time, suggestions, & patience. I wish there was a scroll bar, but I don’t seem to have one or know how to activate it. I was guessing that it was of the benefits of userchrome.css. I use the mouse wheel and it often doesn’t move the favorite files up & down. That’s why I end up using that tiny arrow. Thanks for clarification about Mozilla. I do appreciate people like you who do their best to help non technical people like me. Be part of the solution, good point, but having me try to help anyone would be down right scary!

If you decide to try a style rule modification later, we'll be here.

retiredman said

I have a lot of bookmarks and folders with bookmarks in the bookmarks menu. Why must I SCROLL all the way up and down for everything?... Why can't I keep a list open, for example "other bookmarks" instead of always going back to it, open it up and scroll some more to find what I want. And show all bookmarks doesn't do what I'm looking for here...

Show All Bookmarks seems to do what you want. Two, scrolling windows and a Search Box to find anything rather fast. It stays open. You can 'Alt-Tab' and switch between it and a browser window or minimize it and pull it up when needed. You have Left/Right, Up/Down arrow key control plus the Page-Up/Down and Home/End keys control.

I mostly use the Search Box to find stuff. I have a very large number of Bookmarks going back about 4 years. It was larger, going back to 2010 until I recently pruned it.

~Pj

I'll have to digest everything you said. The wired mouse I use will not scroll up and down the open favorite/bookmarked files.The wheel doesn't seem to function on this particular area likes it does on everything else. I have to hover over that Tiny little arrow to move up or down. You doesn't put a scroll bar on something used that frequently and would likely have a lot of files. i thought maybe there was a setting or something I could change to make that happen.