Firefox Sync troubleshooting and tips

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If you've run into a problem while trying to sync with Firefox Sync, this article will walk you though the most common solutions.

An error is displayed

Follow the step below depending on the error:

Incorrect name or password

If you see "Sync encountered an error while connecting: Incorrect name or password. Please try again." in a bottom error bar, do the following:

  1. Click Preferences.... The Sync panel will display.
  2. Click Update. The Update Password window will open.
  3. Enter your new password in the window.
  4. Click Update Password to close the window and get connected again to Sync.

Wrong Sync Key

If you see "Sync encountered an error while connecting: Wrong Sync Key. Please try again." in a bottom error bar, do the following:

  1. Click Preferences.... The Sync panel will display.
  2. Click Update. The Update Sync Key window will open.
  3. Get a copy of your new Sync Key from the device you generated the new Sync Key. For more, see Sync your Firefox bookmarks, history, passwords and more
  4. Enter your new Sync Key in the window.
  5. Click Update Sync Key to close the window and get connected again to Sync.


No errors is displayed

There are number of things that can cause this:

  • Your Sync client isn't compatible with the data you have on the Sync server.
  • The Sync servers are having issues to handle your data.
  • The Sync servers are under a heavy load - in this case, the error will stop when the server load returns to normal.

To solve your Sync error, follow these steps in order until one of them fixes it:

Check to see if other extensions are interfering with Firefox Sync

  1. Disable all extensions and themes except Firefox Sync.
  2. Then test for faulty extensions or themes.

For more information on how to troubleshoot extensions and themes, see Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems

Uninstall the Firefox Sync add-on

Since we launched Firefox 4, Sync is now part of the browser and the Sync add-on that was used in Firefox 3.6 and below is no longer needed. If you still have this Sync add-on, uninstall it. For detailed instructions on how to uninstall add-ons, see Disable or remove Add-ons.

Update Firefox and the Sync add-on on all your devices

To improve the Sync service, the Sync data format may be changed when the latest Firefox version is released. This means that any of your other devices which have not been updated will need to be updated in order to keep syncing. Update Firefox and download the latest Firefox Sync add-on.

Note: After updating, you may need to connect your device again. See How do I add a device to Firefox Sync?

Replace your Sync data

In some cases where you are getting regular errors and restarting Firefox or waiting doesn’t solve the issue, you can try to replace your Sync data. In order to do so, see Replace your Sync information.