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Firefox Sync forgot my data...

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 7 views
  • Last reply by FReQuEnZy

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I have been using Firefox for many years at this point and Sync has been keeping safe my 400+ bookmarks, many of my user accounts and an important collection of add-ons.

I was previously using Windows 10 and a few days ago I decided to reinstall Windows 7 along with Firefox, being used to just entering my sync account info and having the browser set itself up automatically I did just that, yet to my surprise nothing was synchronized.

I have lost many years worth of important data, is there any way to retrieve it?

I have been using Firefox for many years at this point and Sync has been keeping safe my 400+ bookmarks, many of my user accounts and an important collection of add-ons. I was previously using Windows 10 and a few days ago I decided to reinstall Windows 7 along with Firefox, being used to just entering my sync account info and having the browser set itself up automatically I did just that, yet to my surprise nothing was synchronized. I have lost many years worth of important data, is there any way to retrieve it?

All Replies (2)

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You can check if you have a "C:\Windows.old" folder with personal data from the previously installed Windows version.

Did you change (reset) the password of the sync account?


Sync isn't designed to be used as a backup device, but merely to sync data between multiple devices. It is not guaranteed that you can restore data from the Sync server in case of severe problems with your OS. If you do not remember the password for the Firefox Sync account and request a new password that this will wipe all data stored on the Sync server and you won't be able to retrieve your data. Best is to backup your personal data locally to be sure to be able to recover from issues.

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I had no sever problems with my OS, I simply got a new SSD, Installed Windows 7 and then formatted the Windows 10 drive. The above answer is not an option to me, everything I had is formatted.

I'm quite experienced with these kind of things so I'm only asking here as a last resort. Seeing as I was forced to reset the password the data is cleared.

This should be 100% clear to any user committing to a password reset and also an option to opt out of this feature would be beneficial to users willing to take this unlikely security risk that it proposes.

Also what's the deal with having to make a separate account for the support forum, instead of using the FF account...

Modified by FReQuEnZy