Fix "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional" error message

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  • Revision id: 177992
  • Created:
  • Creator: AliceWyman
  • Comment: favicons.sqlite - see discussion
  • Reviewed: No
  • Ready for localization: No
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Do you see this error message when you start Firefox?

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.

This error happens when a database file that stores bookmarks and browsing history (places.sqlite) and related site icons (favicons.sqlite) can’t be accessed by Firefox. This article covers possible solutions.

If you don't see the error above, then you should try one of these articles instead:

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

    • Click the menu button Fx89menuButton, click Help and select More Troubleshooting Information.From the Help menu, select More Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    • Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click Open FolderShow in FinderOpen Directory. A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
    Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox.

Leave the Profile folder open – go on to Part 2.

Part 2 – Create a new database

  1. Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Exit.Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select Quit Firefox.Click the Firefox menu Fx89menuButton and select Quit. Wait until Firefox has completely quit.
  2. In the Firefox profile folder, find and delete (or rename) the favicons.sqlite and places.sqlite files. Also delete the places.sqlite-shm and places.sqlite-wal files, if they exist.
    • You can rename instead of deleting a file, to keep it as a backup. To rename a file, right-click on it and select Rename from the menuclick on it once to select it and then click a second time on the file name to make it editable. Then add .old to the end of its name.
  3. Finally, reopen Firefox.
    • When Firefox reopens, it will create new favicons.sqlite and places.sqlite database files. Your browsing history will be lost but Firefox will automatically import 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.

This problem has symptoms that are similar to a number of other problems. Maybe one of these articles better describes your problem.