Richard, are you talking about the history sidebar? The one that appears if you either press ctrl+H or select View menu / Sidebar / History?

TechHorse, thanks for your reply. No, this isn't a history object. It is a URL link made by left-clicking and holding on the left part of a current webpage address in the Firefox address field on top of the page. Then you move the cursor to a desired location in the left sidebar list. The location is then indicated by a small line between two vertical links where you have placed the cursor. Releasing the left button then copies the URL link between the two. If desired you can then use a right-click to edit the link. Does this sound familiar?

Now there is no left-sidebar. The old icons to the left of the URL address are changed. There is no location to copy a URL to within the Firefox page.

Richard, I assume that you are talking about a panel that covers the lefthand side from near top to bottom of the screen?

could you try pressing ctrl+B a couple of times until a new lefthand side panel opens. Is that the sidebar that you are missing? Or is it the correct panel but the links that are usually there are missing?

I now have used ctl-B and it restores an empty sidebar marked 'Bookmarks'. However if I use the 'Search Bookmarks' functionj for a known non-bookmark link name, it shows that name. I then right-click on the name and select 'Show in Folder' AND I FIND MY LOST LINKS. This appears to be stable. Thank you very much for your assistance! I think we can now close this issue. Thank you again, Richard

The search bar in the bookmarks sidebar will only show bookmarks and not history items unless you have visited a bookmarked webpage, no I'm not sure why you write not bookmarks. Links that are not bookmarks in the sidebar can only be history on possibly vertical tabs.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-firefox-sidebar-access-bookmarks-history-synced

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.

• use the "Places Database" -> "Verify Integrity" button in "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support)

If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot the computer and retry.

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cant-add-change-or-save-bookmarks

Richard, the bookmarks sidebar should only show and search for bookmarks, as cor-el has said.

I suspect that what is happening is that when you drag and drop a link into the bookmarks sidebar then this creates a bookmark of that link without you realising.

So when you refer to links in the sidebar that are not bookmarks, then perhaps what you mean is that you did not create the links via any of the 'Add Bookmark' dialogue boxes, and so don't consider them to be bookmarks? Whereas as far as Firefox is concerned these are created bookmarks nonetheless?

Hopwfully this is just a question of terminology, as if you were seeing genuinely non-bookmarked links in the bookmarks sidebar then this would indicate a problem.

But all that aside, glad that the missing sidebar has been brought back.

TechHorse, I think you are correct. After reviewing the upper right 'Bookmarks' - 'Manage bookmarks' function and library, I can see all my 'links'. So my 'links' are a distinction without a difference. My method of creating them without using 'Add Bookmark' dialogue is still creating bookmarks. Well, your comment was quite insightful and explains cor-el's comment as well! Thank you once again, I just learned something.