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I am using Sync feature yet I lost all my bookmarks although I did nothing wrong, I really need help with this, please!

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I did nothing wrong yet when re-setting my Sync account, i somehow lost my data. Since then, I've been trying to do all the suggestions but haven't retrieved my data back. I'm sure it must be in your servers but can't access them. Please I desperately need your help!

I did nothing wrong yet when re-setting my Sync account, i somehow lost my data. Since then, I've been trying to do all the suggestions but haven't retrieved my data back. I'm sure it must be in your servers but can't access them. Please I desperately need your help!

All Replies (20)

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I don't have enough experience with Sync to know whether there is anything on Mozilla's servers that you aren't already seeing.

Firefox does keep some local backups of your bookmarks. Check out this article for steps on restoration: Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer. Does it work?

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That solution won't work for me since I formatted my hard drive. What I'm looking for is the solution with Firefox Sync servers.

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Did you have any problem when you went to setup Sync again after the drive format?

Did you have your Sync Key (aka Recovery Key), along with the email address that your used for your "user name" with Sync and your Password?

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I did not face with any problem in terms of using the Sync, yet I couldn't remember my password so I had to ask for a new one and tried with that but couldn't get my bookmarks loaded unfortunately.

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You didn't get a warning that your bookmarks would be deleted when you asked for a new password? Change your password or ask for a new Sync Key and your data is wiped from the Sync Server as a security precaution; your data would be retrieved from an installation where your data wasn't erased / overwritten by a format procedure.

To be clear, Firefox Sync isn't intended to be a backup medium as you attempted to use it. It is intended to synchronize Firefox data between multiple installations. When used properly, your Firefox data would still be on one of your other sync'd installations.

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Actually I synchronized my laptop with my tablet but I can't retrieve my data back from my tablet.

In case it resets all my data, what's the point of sending another password to me. I'm the "same" user and naturally need the same data however, it resets you say.

Isn't there a possibility to get my data back after all?

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Sync is not designed to allow password recovery on demand. Instead, you are given a recovery key at the time you create your account. (More info: Firefox Sync data is secure - Find out more)

Hopefully there's a way to extract your bookmarks from your tablet. User Nick Alexander starting posting a procedure here, but the thread didn't run to completion in a clear way. I do think the first step of making a backup of your Firefox Mobile settings (I just tried it; after installing the add-on and choosing it from the menu, it took a minute or two to run) is a good idea.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/947177#answer-398214

Please note that the backup on your SD card is not secured in the same way as files in Android's core memory, so when you are through and no longer need the backup, you probably want to delete it. To do that, you can use ES File Explorer or a similar file manager app to remove the /sdcard/mozilla_profile folder.

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The server sits in the middle of the Sync process; Sync doesn't work directly between your devices,

Have you tried "pairing" your devices? That should get your data from your tablet to the Sync Server, and then to your formatted PC.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/find-code-to-add-device-to-firefox-sync#w_where-do-i-find-the-code-on-another-computer

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Hi again, luckily I was able to find my bookmarks on my android device. Immediately I stopped synchronization and have been looking for a way to access a folder where bookmarks are kept or alternative ways to get my bookmarks but couldn't find a solution. Now what can I do?

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There was just another thread on how to get Firefox Mobile bookmarks to sync back to a desktop using a new Sync account -- and I can't find it. Here is a thread from January that I think covers similar ideas but the specific steps the original poster used were not mentioned.

How to export forefox for android bookmarks without sync

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@jscher2000 thanks for your answer, but in the discussion they don't offer a valid solution other than using sync. still not solved.

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I think the trick was to decouple Android from your existing Sync account and hook it up to a new one. However, you might want to use the Copy Profile extension to make a backup of your Firefox Mobile settings in case that comes to a tragic end.

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Actually I did so but don't know where to locate that folder in case I need.

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The folder is under

/sdcard/mozilla_profile

as mentioned in an earlier post. This was the thread I was thinking of when I said there was a recent thread. I must be reading too many forums. :-)

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I'm sorry I guess I'm misunderstood. What I meant is that I now have a back up folder on the location you mentioned. However, I don't know where to relocate it in case I try sync but lose my data.

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Sync won't touch the backup folder, but on the other hand, I'm not sure how you could restore the backup on a normal Android device. (On a "rooted" device you can copy files anywhere you like, but normally that is impossible.)

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So in this case, do you really mean there's no way to get the bookmarks from android other than using sync?

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Well, I can't say that for sure. In theory you could connect your device to a PC in the mode that allows you to copy the backup from the storage card, then use a SQLite database utility to reach into the browser database and fish out the bookmarks. But I haven't actually tried that to see how challenging it would be.

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@the-edmeister To be clear, Firefox Sync isn't intended to be a backup medium as you attempted to use it. It is intended to synchronize Firefox data between multiple installations. When used properly, your Firefox data would still be on one of your other sync'd installations.

I thought I read all the details about Firefox sync and I did not see this above explanation or anything like that. However this is huge.. I mean you say people that their data is secure on the servers but the fact that it is "NOT". I lost a 4-years-old bookmark list and I am blaming Firefox team for losing it.

I am sorry if I am impolite but this is stup*d, even this (https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-sync-take-your-bookmarks-and-tabs-with-you) page does not mention anything about losing the data if there is one computer is synced with the server! Moreover the "Where's all my data?" section of the same page gives the intuition to the reader that if you snyc your data once then you can retrieve them unless you deleted them intentionally.

Cheers, h.

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Hi halilsen, how did you lose your bookmarks on the server? Did they get erased when you sync'd a second device to your Sync account?

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