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This article explains what to do if you see the error message "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional" when you start Firefox.

'''Do you see this error message when you start Firefox?''' {warning}The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Firefox's files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem.{/warning} This error happens when a database file that stores bookmarks and browsing history ({filepath places.sqlite}) and related site icons ({filepath favicons.sqlite}) can’t be accessed by Firefox. This article covers possible solutions. '''If you don't see the error above, try one of these articles instead:''' *[[Recover lost or missing Bookmarks]] *[[Can't add, change or save bookmarks - How to fix]] __TOC__ = Solution 1: Restart your computer = The most common causes of this error are another program using the file or a problem with the file that was caused when the computer was shut off unexpectedly (like a power failure). The good news is that most of the time, simply restarting your computer and then restarting Firefox is the fix for both problems. = Solution 2: Create a new database = If restarting your computer doesn’t take care of things, you can fix this by having Firefox create a new places and favicon database for you. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds. == Part 1 – Open your profile folder == #[[Template:OpenProfileFolder]] Leave the Profile folder open – go on to Part 2. == Part 2 – Create a new database == # (Optional) [[Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer#w_manual-backup|Create a bookmark backup file]]. #[[T:closeFirefox]] Wait until Firefox has completely quit. # In the Firefox profile folder, find and delete (or rename) the '''favicons.sqlite''' and '''places.sqlite''' files. #* You can rename instead of deleting a file, to keep it as a backup. {for win,linux}Right-click on it and select ''Rename'' from the menu{/for}{for mac}Click on it once to select it, click a second time on the file name to make it editable{/for}, then add .old to the end of its name. # Also delete the '''favicons.sqlite-shm''', '''favicons.sqlite-wal''', '''places.sqlite-shm''' and '''places.sqlite-wal''' files, if they exist. # Finally, reopen Firefox. #* When Firefox reopens, it will create new {filepath favicons.sqlite} and {filepath places.sqlite} database files. Your browsing history will be lost but Firefox will automatically restore your bookmarks from the most recent bookmarkbackups file. #* If your bookmarks weren’t restored, try the steps in the [[Recover lost or missing Bookmarks]] article. = Help! This didn’t fix the problem = If the above solutions didn't work, you may be able to resolve the problem with a new Firefox [[Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data|profile]]. You can [[Use the Profile Manager to create and remove Firefox profiles#w_manage-profiles-when-firefox-is-open|use these instructions]] to create a new Firefox profile and set it as the default profile. When you restart Firefox, it will open with the new profile and hopefully, you will no longer see the error message. You can then [[Recovering important data from an old profile#w_copying-files-between-profile-folders|copy important data to the new profile]] and, if necessary, [[Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer#w_restoring-from-backups|restore bookmarks from a backup file]], if you have one.