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Firefox - Recover lost or Missing Bookmarks

If your bookmarks have suddenly disappeared, don't worry - you should be able to recover them. This article explains how to get back your bookmarks if they disappeared unexpectedly.

Table of Contents

  • My Bookmarks Toolbar is missing
  • My Bookmarks toolbar button is missing or incomplete
  • My bookmarks have disappeared
  • My Google Bookmarks are missing
  • I can't find my bookmarks after importing them
  • I can see only the default set of bookmarks in the Bookmarks folder
    • Determine if Firefox has created a new profile

My Bookmarks Toolbar is missing

If you were using the Bookmarks Toolbar for quick access to your favorite bookmarks and the toolbar is now missing, you may have turned off the option to display the Bookmarks Toolbar. To turn it back on:

  • On the menu bar, click View, select Toolbars, and then select Bookmarks Toolbar.

For more information, see the Bookmarks Toolbar - Display your favorite websites at the top of the Firefox window article.

My Bookmarks toolbar button is missing or incomplete

To add a Bookmarks menu toolbar button that shows your bookmarks and folders, see the "How do I add the Bookmarks Menu button to the toolbar?" section in the Bookmarks in Firefox article.

My bookmarks have disappeared

To recover bookmarks that were previously saved in the Bookmarks menu or on the Bookmarks toolbar but are now missing, see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer.

My Google Bookmarks are missing

To access your saved Google Bookmarks, go to www.google.com/bookmarks and log in. Once there, you can export your Google Bookmarks and import them into Firefox if you wish. For more, see Google Toolbar is no longer compatible with Firefox - Here are some alternatives.

I can't find my bookmarks after importing them

If you have imported your bookmarks from another browser, they may appear in the Bookmarks menu in a specific folder. To find your imported bookmarks, do the following:

  1. Click the 57 library icon , then click Bookmarks. Scroll to the bottom and click Show all Bookmarks.

  • Depending on the type of browser from which you imported, your bookmarks may appear in a specially named folder in the Bookmarks list.
    • Internet Explorer - Folder name is From Internet Explorer.
    • Opera - Folder name is From Opera.
    • Bookmarks imported from other browsers follow a similar pattern.
  • If your source bookmarks were stored in a hierarchy of folders, the folder structure is preserved inside the specially named folder.

If desired, you can move your imported bookmarks to other folders. For more information, see Bookmarks in Firefox.

I can see only the default set of bookmarks in the Bookmarks folder

Your bookmarks are associated with the profile that you are using. For most Firefox users, only the default profile is used. There may be instances when you wish to create a new profile in Firefox. When this new profile is activated, it contains the default set of bookmarks which may give you the impression that you have lost your personal bookmarks. This troubleshooting sequence helps you to identify if a new profile has been created and how to recover your bookmarks from the previous profile.

Determine if Firefox has created a new profile

  1. Go to the Firefox profile folder.
  2. If there is only one profile folder, then stop.
    Note: Each profile folder is named something like the following:
    xxxxxxxx.<ProfileName>
    where xxxxxxxx represents a random string of 8 characters and <ProfileName> corresponds to the name of the profile. For example, the folder containing the default profile is named xxxxxxxx.default.
  3. If you have multiple profile folders in this location, that means you have multiple profiles. If you have more than one profile folder, then it is likely that a new profile has been created in Firefox. In this case, you need to change the profile Firefox is currently using to the profile that contains your saved bookmarks. You can do this by opening the Firefox Profile Manager and choosing the correct profile. See the Use the Profile Manager to create and remove Firefox profiles article for details. 

If you have any questions, come by the Help Desk at Hardman & Jacobs Undergraduate Learning Center Room 105, call 646-1840, or email us at help@nmsu.edu.



KeywordsRecover lost or missing Bookmarks firefox web browser internet   Doc ID82311
OwnerJohn B.GroupNMSU
Created2018-05-16 14:17 MDTUpdated2018-05-16 14:25 MDT
SitesNew Mexico State University
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