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Restore session does not work properly - get a previous session from hours or days ago

  • 5 Antworten
  • 1 hat dieses Problem
  • 1 Aufruf
  • Letzte Antwort von cor-el

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This issue has been happening for years, through several upgrades. Finally tired and frustrated enough to write about it now.

I'll close down Firefox, and when I re-open it, it gives me a window and tab scheme from hours (or days, or weeks) ago, not the most recent one that was just shut down. In other words, I'll have shut down certain tabs hours (or days) before, but they reappear when I restart Firefox, and the ones that actually were open, are nowhere to be found. It's like Firefox takes a snapshot whenever it feels like it, but not when I am shutting it down.

What I've had to do to get Firefox to open up from the last section *exactly* how I left it last is go into Windows 7 Process Manager and shut down Firefox from there. Then, when I restart Firefox, it gives me the "Oops, shut down last time didn't go so well..." apology, but at least when I click through, it opens up my desktop exactly how I left it previously.

It seems pretty stupid that I have to do this, so I am hoping someone can enlighten me as to what I am doing wrong.

This issue has been happening for years, through several upgrades. Finally tired and frustrated enough to write about it now. I'll close down Firefox, and when I re-open it, it gives me a window and tab scheme from hours (or days, or weeks) ago, not the most recent one that was just shut down. In other words, I'll have shut down certain tabs hours (or days) before, but they reappear when I restart Firefox, and the ones that actually were open, are nowhere to be found. It's like Firefox takes a snapshot whenever it feels like it, but not when I am shutting it down. What I've had to do to get Firefox to open up from the last section *exactly* how I left it last is go into Windows 7 Process Manager and shut down Firefox from there. Then, when I restart Firefox, it gives me the "Oops, shut down last time didn't go so well..." apology, but at least when I click through, it opens up my desktop exactly how I left it previously. It seems pretty stupid that I have to do this, so I am hoping someone can enlighten me as to what I am doing wrong.

Alle Antworten (5)

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You may have corrupt sessionstore [v56] sessionstore.jsonlz4 file(s). Delete all sessionstore* files and the sessionstore-backups folder.

Type about:support<enter> in the address bar.

Under the page logo on the left side, you will see Application Basics. Under this find Profile Folder. To its right press the button Show Folder. This will open your file browser to the current Firefox profile. Now Close Firefox.

Linux: Under the page logo on the left side, you will see Application Basics. Under this find Profile Directory. To its right press the button Open Directory.

Locate the above file. Then rename or delete it. Restart Firefox.


Don't delete the files if you need to rescue any data from them, just move them out of the profile folder to some location where Firefox doesn't look for them. You can try to read out their contents using this tool: https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/scrounger.html

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Separate Security Issue: Update your Flash Player or remove it using these links; http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-windows.html Uninstall Flash Player | Windows http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/uninstall-flash-player-mac-os.html Uninstall Flash Player | Mac

Note: Windows users should download the ActiveX for Internet Explorer. and the plugin for Plugin-based browsers (like Firefox).

Note: Windows 8 and Windows 10 have built-in flash players and Adobe will cause a conflict. Install the plugin only. Not the ActiveX.

Flash Player Version: Version 30.0.0.134

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ Direct link scans current system and browser Note: Other software is offered in the download. <Windows Only>

https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/ Step 1: Select Operating System Step 2: Select A Version (Firefox, Win IE . . . .) Note: Other software is offered in the download. <Windows Only> +++++++++++++++++++ See if there are updates for your graphics drivers https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration

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Thank you for the interesting details:

rorge_retson said

What I've had to do to get Firefox to open up from the last section *exactly* how I left it last is go into Windows 7 Process Manager and shut down Firefox from there. Then, when I restart Firefox, it gives me the "Oops, shut down last time didn't go so well..." apology, but at least when I click through, it opens up my desktop exactly how I left it previously.

So Firefox is properly creating and maintaining session history files as you go (e.g., [profile]\sessionstore-backups\recovery.js), but when you shut down (normally), something goes wrong with creating the new [profile]\sessionstore.js file. Or something else tampers with the file. Either way, Firefox may go looking for a different session history file such as [profile]\sessionstore-backups\previous.js to restore your session.

Let's see if we can track down what's happening and why.


First, do you have Firefox set to bypass automatic crash recovery and display the Oops screen after any crash? That setting lives here:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste sess and pause while the list is filtered

(3) The browser.sessionstore.max_resumed_crashes preference determines this behavior:

  • 1 = try automatic restoration once, the default setting
  • 0 = go straight to the Oops screen

Second, do you use CCleaner or other utility programs to clear browser data?

When Firefox 56 came out, CCleaner users encountered a similar problem because the feature of cleaning up browser data would selectively delete files based on the older naming scheme. That was updated by November 2017 for compatibility with newer versions of Firefox, but I don't know what the status of compatibility is with pre-55 versions of Firefox.

If you use CCleaner or other cleaning programs, turn off the feature of clearing browser data as a test.

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You might already be familiar with the sessionstore-backups folder but, if not:

Accessing The Folder

You can open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Open Folder" (or "Show Folder") button.

In your profile folder, double-click into the sessionstore-backups folder. We recommend saving all files here to a safe location such as your Documents folder before making drastic changes.

Folder Contents

The kinds of files you may find among your sessionstore files are:

Firefox 56+

  • recovery.jsonlz4: the windows and tabs in your currently live Firefox session (or, if Firefox crashed at the last shutdown and is still closed, your last session)
  • recovery.baklz4: previous recovery.jsonlz4 (lags by 15+ seconds)
  • previous.jsonlz4: the windows and tabs in your last Firefox session
  • upgrade.jsonlz4-build_id: the windows and tabs in the Firefox session that was live at the time of your last update
  • various .js files from Firefox 55 or earlier

Firefox 55 and earlier

  • recovery.js: the windows and tabs in your currently live Firefox session (or, if Firefox crashed at the last shutdown and is still closed, your last session)
  • recovery.bak: previous recovery.js (lags by 15+ seconds)
  • previous.js: the windows and tabs in your last Firefox session
  • upgrade.js-build_id: the windows and tabs in the Firefox session that was live at the time of your last update

If you find files like recovery-1.js, etc., it indicates Firefox wasn't able to use the correct file name -- the file might be locked or Firefox might not have privileges -- and was forced to create a new file, but it will lose track of that file later.

Do you see anything unusual?

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I was thinking that Firefox might restore an upgrade file.

You can try to rename the sessionstore-backups folder (sessionstore-backupsOLD) as a quick test.