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2025/04/09 Firefox bookmarks and tags missing. Restore not working.

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  • Last reply by Devolvio

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An hour ago I had all of my Firefox bookmarks. Ten years of meticulously filed and regularly culled references that I use multiple times daily. I rarely log out of Firefox sync, so that I can keep them up to date.

I now have no bookmarks and no tags.

For some context, two things just happened simultaneously. So, I'm not entirely sure which is the culprit.

1) Firefox just updated and I rebooted my computer.

2) Norton 360 updated sometime in the past two days. I attempted to familiarise myself with the new interface. Foolishly, given the track record of Norton-360-for-breaking-your-games, I ran the disc cleanup, which recommended I remove approximately 400 Mb of data. Norton stated this data was temporary files. If they were indeed my bookmark history, nowhere did Norton indicate they were bookmarks. Also, never have I encountered a disc cleanup that wholesale wipes bookmarks. I do hope Norton is not the culprit and this is just a glitch, because if this were due to Norton having no safety net for deleting an entire library of bookmarks - and they can't help me restore them - then that will be the final nail in the coffin for me doing business with Norton.

The suggestion to go to Import and Backup in Firefox, then click Restore, offers only the option of Choose file... - and then launches nothing.

Currently, I'm seeking any means of restoring my bookmarks. Any help would be appreciated.

I had presumed that I was taking reasonable measures through my Firefox Sync settings to protect my bookmarks and ensure they could be restored in the event of accidents. If these bookmarks are permanently lost, the amount of work I've just lost is quite the blow.

Edit No. 01: After writing this, my Bookmarks Toolbar is also now empty. Perhaps it had wiped earlier, but was merely waiting for a refresh to take effect.

Edit No. 02: Also, it seems I am unable to create any new bookmarks. I shall read the help suggestions relating to that now, to see if it's a relevant issue.

An hour ago I had all of my Firefox bookmarks. Ten years of meticulously filed and regularly culled references that I use multiple times daily. I rarely log out of Firefox sync, so that I can keep them up to date. I now have no bookmarks and no tags. For some context, two things just happened simultaneously. So, I'm not entirely sure which is the culprit. 1) Firefox just updated and I rebooted my computer. 2) Norton 360 updated sometime in the past two days. I attempted to familiarise myself with the new interface. Foolishly, given the track record of Norton-360-for-breaking-your-games, I ran the disc cleanup, which recommended I remove approximately 400 Mb of data. Norton stated this data was temporary files. If they were indeed my bookmark history, nowhere did Norton indicate they were bookmarks. Also, never have I encountered a disc cleanup that wholesale wipes bookmarks. I do hope Norton is not the culprit and this is just a glitch, because if this were due to Norton having no safety net for deleting an entire library of bookmarks - and they can't help me restore them - then that will be the final nail in the coffin for me doing business with Norton. The suggestion to go to Import and Backup in Firefox, then click Restore, offers only the option of Choose file... - and then launches nothing. Currently, I'm seeking any means of restoring my bookmarks. Any help would be appreciated. I had presumed that I was taking reasonable measures through my Firefox Sync settings to protect my bookmarks and ensure they could be restored in the event of accidents. If these bookmarks are permanently lost, the amount of work I've just lost is quite the blow. Edit No. 01: After writing this, my Bookmarks Toolbar is also now empty. Perhaps it had wiped earlier, but was merely waiting for a refresh to take effect. Edit No. 02: Also, it seems I am unable to create any new bookmarks. I shall read the help suggestions relating to that now, to see if it's a relevant issue.

Modified by Devolvio

Chosen solution

So, in reply to my own issue this matter has been resolved.

From the Mozilla support page: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cant-add-change-or-save-bookmarks

Followed the instructions on: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

This recommended I try the Refresh Firefox feature: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings

In so much as I can ascertain, Refresh Firefox has restored my entire Bookmark Library and my Bookmarks Toolbar.

Thank you, Mozilla Support.

No. Really. If thanks could be physically emanated, you ought to be feeling a warm breeze about now. And it should continue until the day my fingers are too arthritic to enable me to use a keyboard.

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Chosen Solution

So, in reply to my own issue this matter has been resolved.

From the Mozilla support page: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cant-add-change-or-save-bookmarks

Followed the instructions on: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

This recommended I try the Refresh Firefox feature: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings

In so much as I can ascertain, Refresh Firefox has restored my entire Bookmark Library and my Bookmarks Toolbar.

Thank you, Mozilla Support.

No. Really. If thanks could be physically emanated, you ought to be feeling a warm breeze about now. And it should continue until the day my fingers are too arthritic to enable me to use a keyboard.

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