Recover lost or missing Bookmarks
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- Revision id: 182690
- Created:
- Creator: Rok
- Comment: Minor typo
- Reviewed: Yes
- Reviewed:
- Reviewed by: feer56
- Is approved? Yes
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If your bookmarks have suddenly disappeared, don't worry - you should be able to recover them. This article explains how to get back your bookmarks if they disappeared unexpectedly.
- If you are able to add, delete, and edit your bookmarks but the changes are lost when you restart Firefox, see Can't add, change or save bookmarks - How to fix.
Table of Contents
My Bookmarks Toolbar is missing
If you were using the Bookmarks Toolbar for quick access to your favorite bookmarks and the toolbar is now missing, you may have turned off the option to display the Bookmarks Toolbar. To turn it back on:
- Right-click on an empty section of the navigation bar and select in the pop-up menu.
- On the menu bar, click , select , and then select .
For more information, see the Bookmarks Toolbar - Display your favorite websites at the top of the Firefox window article.
I can't find all of my bookmarks and folders
Follow these steps to add a Bookmarks Menu toolbar button that shows all of your bookmarks and folders:
- Click the Library button on the toolbar, then click .
- Click .
- Click .
A Bookmarks Menu toolbar button will appear on the toolbar next to the Library button.
My bookmarks have disappeared
To recover bookmarks that were previously saved in the Bookmarks menu or on the Bookmarks toolbar but are now missing, see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer.
There is an "Old Firefox Data" folder on my desktop
In some cases, Firefox may create a folder on your desktop called "Old Firefox Data". This folder contains a complete backup of your Firefox profile and can be used to restore bookmarks and other missing information. If you have this folder on your desktop, see Recovering important data from an old profile.
No bookmarks are visible after installing an add-on
If you have restarted Firefox after installing an add-on and your bookmarks are gone, it's possible that Firefox did not close properly before restarting itself. To recover your bookmarks, restart your computer.
I can't find my bookmarks after importing them
If you have imported your bookmarks from another browser, they may appear in the Bookmarks menu in a specific folder. To find your imported bookmarks, do the following:
- Click the menu button to open the menu panel. Click and then click the bar at the bottom.
- Depending on the type of browser from which you imported, your bookmarks may appear in a specially named folder in the Bookmarks list.
- Internet Explorer - Folder name is From Internet Explorer.
- Opera - Folder name is From Opera.
- Bookmarks imported from other browsers follow a similar pattern.
- If your source bookmarks were stored in a hierarchy of folders, the folder structure is preserved inside the specially named folder.
If desired, you can move your imported bookmarks to other folders. For more information, see Bookmarks in Firefox.
I can see only the default set of bookmarks in the Bookmarks folder
Your bookmarks are associated with the Firefox profile you are using. Most Firefox users only have a single, default profile. However, there may be instances when you or Firefox creates a new profile. When this new profile is activated, it contains the default set of bookmarks which may give you the impression that you have lost your personal bookmarks. This troubleshooting sequence helps you to identify if a new profile has been created and how to restore your previous profile.
Determine if Firefox has created a new profile
You can open the Profile Manager to see if another profile exists, which may contain your missing bookmarks, as follows:
Type about:profiles into the Firefox address bar and press the EnterReturn key. This will open the About Profiles page.
This page should list at least one profile and could list many. The profile that Firefox is currently using will have this:
This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted.
If you have another profile listed on this page, it may contain your lost bookmarks. You can click the button to open another Firefox window using that profile. If it contains your missing bookmarks, you can set it as the profile that Firefox will open by default.You can click the Click the button to open another Firefox window using that profile. If it contains your missing bookmarks, you can set it as the profile that Firefox will open by default. button for that profile and Firefox will use it automatically the next time you open Firefox.
Based on information from Lost bookmarks (mozillaZine KB)