Bookmarks corrupted
I have lost all my Bookmarks - they have the same name, but the icon & address is wrong.
- This is on-going = I cannot Bookmark without it occuring.
- I have attempted to restore to a previous point, but the issue did not resolve.
- This occurs over all my synced devices. (I have now stopped Firefox syncing.)
- The incorrect icon & address is from a 'trusted' site (ie. national govt, email provider etc) that I have previously visited, but never Bookmarked.
Please help as I use Bookmarks professionally & have built an excellent database over many years.
- thank you -
All Replies (7)
If you use Sync, best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.
This could be a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.
- use the "Places Database" -> "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page
If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot and retry.
If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from the most recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.
- keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created
- you lose the history when a new places.sqlite is created
You may have to restore an older bookmarks backup in the bookmarkbackups folder via the Bookmarks Manager (Library).
- Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> Import & Backup -> Restore
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them
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
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 (Root directory).
- 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
Thank you very much.
Unfortunately these did not work. Do you have any additional advice?
I thought maybe...
1. use one of the fake bookmarks to obtain the date the issue started = they are actual sites I've visited. How would I obtain this date?
2. Use this date to find my Bookmarks prior to the issue occuring = aside from a backup, where could I find this?
The oldest backup on the Restore menu didn't have valid addresses? That's a bad sign.
In case the problem is not in the file but in the restored database, you could use my online tool to convert a backup to the traditional HTML export format. This will make it easier to determine whether a file has valid addresses, or whether you might need to go back further in your computer backups.
The backup files are in your profile folder here:
[profile.folder]\bookmarkbackups
And the online tool is here:
You can check if you have an "Old Firefox Data" folder on the Desktop in case you have ever used the Refresh feature in Firefox.
Unfortunately these have not helped.
If I can find an uncorrupted copy of the bookmarks on another device - how could I move it to my main computer (after making a back-up copy first)?
The Bookmark corruption occurred with internet security installed (Total AV) - is there an internet security suite which can protect Bookmarks?
Is this type of malware common?
I don't think malware would change the addresses of your bookmarks. But I don't know what did.
What kind of device is the other device? For example, another computer running a "desktop" version of Firefox, or a mobile version of Firefox which has a copy of your desktop book marks acquired via Sync, or something else?