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

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 9293
  • Created:
  • Creator: Cheng Wang
  • Comment: Made minor changes
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: Verdi
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: Yes
  • Readied for localization:
  • Readied for localization by: Verdi
Revision Source
Revision Content
This article applies to Firefox 3.5 and above. If you are having problems with your bookmarks in Firefox 3.0.x, see Bookmarks and toolbar buttons not working after upgrading for a solution.

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

That happens when the file (named places.sqlite) that stores your bookmarks and browsing history can’t be accessed by Firefox. This article covers two 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 places database

If restarting your computer doesn’t take care of things, you can fix this by having Firefox create a new places database for you. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds.

Part 1 – Open your profile folder

  • (Firefox 3.0 and 3.5): See How to find your profile.
  • (Firefox 3.6):
    1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
    2. Under Application Basics, click on Open Containing FolderShow in Finder.
  1. At the top of the Firefox windowOn the menu bar, click on the Help menuFirefox menu and go over to the Help menu (on Windows XP, click on the Help menu) and select Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open.
  2. Under the Application Basics section, click on Open Containing FolderShow in Finder.

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

Part 2 – Create the 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 rename the files places.sqlite and places.sqlite-journal (if it exists).
    • 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 a new places database. Your browsing history will be lost but Firefox will automatically import your bookmarks from the most recent backup file.
    • If your bookmarks weren’t restored after creating a new places database, 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.