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New Firefox version did not keep my Bookmarks

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3-26-21: I just upgraded to the latest version of Firefox and NONE of my bookmarks are available. I've tried all the tips I've found and nothing works. I tried to Restore Bookmarks and get the error: Unable to process the backup file. This is a terrible version of Firefox. I need my Bookmarks. Where did they go?? How do I get them back? I am not a computer expert. I am a user of your product. I should not have to jump through hoops just to get my browser set up the way I had it before. Right now it is a big mess. I've used Firefox for years when other browsers are available. I will dump Firefox if I have to but I would prefer to solve this problem.

3-26-21: I just upgraded to the latest version of Firefox and NONE of my bookmarks are available. I've tried all the tips I've found and nothing works. I tried to Restore Bookmarks and get the error: Unable to process the backup file. This is a terrible version of Firefox. I need my Bookmarks. Where did they go?? How do I get them back? I am not a computer expert. I am a user of your product. I should not have to jump through hoops just to get my browser set up the way I had it before. Right now it is a big mess. I've used Firefox for years when other browsers are available. I will dump Firefox if I have to but I would prefer to solve this problem.

All Replies (7)

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Appreciate the suggestion but when I entered about:profiles, it shows only 1 Profile. So that doesn't help.

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Did you look on the hard drive to see if there are profiles that aren't registered on the Profile Manager (profiles.ini) ?

Location used for the main profile that keeps your personal data (Root Directory on about:profiles).

  • C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>
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That was part of the response to About Profiles so it is the only Firefox Profile. Profile: default This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. Default Profile yes Root Directory C:\Users\Sue\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\tranoesb.default-1616769950708 Local Directory C:\Users\Sue\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\tranoesb.default-1616769950708

How can I restore the previous Firefox version? So far, 87 is a dud so I would like to go back to the previous version if that is possible.

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Hi Sue, your profile name shows that Firefox performed a "Refresh" yesterday. Normally your old profile would be on your Windows desktop inside a folder named Old Firefox Data. Can you find that there? Hold that thought.

Inability to restore a bookmark backup can be caused by Firefox being unable to access or read/write the Places database. For that, I suggest:

(1) Do a regular shutdown and restart of Windows to free up file locks and complete deferred updates. This also can resolve transient permission/privilege issues that prevent Firefox from working normally.

(2) Run the "Verify Integrity" function. That's here:

Open Firefox's Troubleshooting Information page using any of these methods:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

Near the bottom, there is a section titled Places Database -- that's the file which stores history and bookmarks. Click the button labeled Verify Integrity. There may be a 10-15 second delay before results appear.

If all is well, the report that appears below the button should start with:

> Task: checkIntegrity
+ The places.sqlite database is sane
+ The favicons.sqlite database is sane

Does yours say that, or something else? You can select and copy the report, and then paste it into a reply for review and comment.

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I have this problem, too. Firefox is turning into a very unhelpful browser. I just bookmarked a page and saw that all of my old folders are still there - but there's absolutely no way that I can find to scroll through them to find the relevant folder(s) I want/need and then to find the web pages I am looking for.

After years of using Firefox, this is a huge disappointment.

No - it does NOT appear that this is a new profile if the folders are all still there when I create a new bookmark, does it?!?

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pwjohnso22 said

I just bookmarked a page and saw that all of my old folders are still there - but there's absolutely no way that I can find to scroll through them to find the relevant folder(s) I want/need and then to find the web pages I am looking for.

What method were you using before? If you were using the Bookmarks Sidebar and you are missing a menu item to open the sidebar, here are some other options: