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Log ins and passwords lost

  • 6 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by chris431

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Hi, I have recently upgraded to the latest version of Firefox and when I tried to access my saved passwords they have disappeared. I presume they were deleted in the upgrade. Is it possible to retrieve them? If not, this is a disaster as there are many that I use rarely and have no record of what they are/were. Any help gratefully received.

Hi, I have recently upgraded to the latest version of Firefox and when I tried to access my saved passwords they have disappeared. I presume they were deleted in the upgrade. Is it possible to retrieve them? If not, this is a disaster as there are many that I use rarely and have no record of what they are/were. Any help gratefully received.

All Replies (6)

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What about the rest of your profile? Settings, bookmarks, history, passwords . . . .


Firefox 80+ has a logins-backup.json file in the profile folder that can be used in case of issues with logins.json or to undo an accidental delete of a login, so you can check if you can find this file in the profile folder or in a backup and replace the current logins.json. Make sure to keep a backup copy of all involved files (logins.json and key4.db and logins-backup.json)

You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.

Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory: Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data

If you use a Primary Password then you can prevent losing passwords by canceling the PP prompt. You need to logout beforehand by canceling a PP prompt, e.g. by clicking the eye icon in Lockwise (about:logins).

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In a Private Message, chris431 said;

Hi Fred, Thanks for sending me the message about my disappeared passwords. I have followed your instructions and opened the logins.json file and can see the sites that I have previously stored passwords for. However, the passwords in the json file are encrypted, not in the ordinary text I used to create them. Thus I don't know what they are. What can I do with the json file either to return them to automatic use, or to be able to read the passwords so that I can go to the various sites and restore them for future use? Cheers Chris

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Re-read my last post. You are looking for the logins-backup.json file. Follow the instructions above.

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I followed your instructions but there was only the logins.json file, no logins-backup.json file. I've attached a screengrab of the files that I could see.

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Firefox (or another utility) can only decrypt the encrypted usernames and passwords stored in logins.json if you have a matching key4.db file. If the logins.json file is valid JSON (i.e. you can open logins.json i a Firefox tab and the JSON viewer doesn't complain) then this can only mean that your key4.db is corrupted or isn't a matching key file.

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So does that mean nothing can be done?