Lost bookmarks

From MozillaZine Knowledge Base
Jump to navigationJump to search

This article deals with missing or "lost" bookmarks, recovery methods and future prevention. If changes you make to your bookmarks are not being saved or if you can't add new bookmarks, see the article Bookmarks not saved.

Background

Mozilla-based browsers like Firefox and Mozilla Suite store your bookmarks in the file "bookmarks.html" located in the profile folder. Changes you make to your bookmarks are saved in this file. Bookmark backup files may also exist, depending on the browser version. You can find your bookmarks file(s) by using your operating system's file and folder search feature or by opening up the profile folder and looking through its contents. Note: Windows 2000/XP users will need to enable viewing or searching hidden files and folders, as described here. Note also that, for searching in Windows XP, it is not sufficient to check "Show hidden files and folders" in Windows Explorer. You must set this option in the Search box.

Recovering lost bookmarks

If you no longer see your bookmarks, they are not necessarily lost. Try these methods to recover your bookmarks.

Note: A corrupt localstore.rdf file can cause your Firefox bookmarks to "disappear", then reappear (but not function) when you click "Manage Bookmarks" [1]. See this article for instructions.

Multiple logon accounts

Make sure you are logged on to your computer with your usual logon name. With multi-user operating systems such as Windows XP Pro, each logon account has its own bookmarks and other user data.

Multiple profiles

Multiple profiles can exist and your "lost" bookmarks might be located in another profile. Start the Firefox or Mozilla Suite Profile Manager and if multiple profiles are listed, select another profile. If you receive a message that the profile is "in use" or if you are unable to start the original profile, read this article.

Firefox 1.5 automatic backups

Firefox 1.5 creates daily bookmark backups and stores the five most recent "bookmarks-(date).html" backup files in the "bookmarkbackups" folder, located inside the Firefox profile folder. You can restore one of the dated bookmark backup files using one of the methods to restore bookmarks from backup, given below.

Restore bookmarks from backup

Use either one of these methods:

Method 1

Replace the current "bookmarks.html" file in the profile folder with a bookmark backup:

  1. Exit Firefox or Mozilla Suite.
  2. Rename the "bookmarks.html" file in the profile folder to "Xbookmarks.html".
  3. Copy the bookmark backup file you wish to restore to the profile folder.
  4. If using a Firefox 1.5 "bookmarks-(date).html" backup, rename it "bookmarks.html".
  5. Restart Firefox or Mozilla Suite.

Method 2

Import the bookmark backup file you wish to restore:

  • Firefox: "Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> File -> Import -> from File"
  • Mozilla Suite: "Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> Tools -> Import"

You can then move the imported (Firefox) "Bookmarks Toolbar Folder" or (Mozilla Suite) "Personal Toolbar Folder" contents, if you wish, to the current Toolbar.

Recovery procedure if you haven't closed since losing bookmarks

If you haven't closed Firefox/Mozilla Suite after you first noticed you lost your bookmarks, you may be able to recover them using this method. In your profile folder, look for files whose names start with "bookmarks". (They can have different extensions.). The one containing your current bookmarks is likely to be the largest such file or the one most recently modified. If you wish, you can open the file with Firefox/Mozilla Suite or any browser to make sure it’s the right one. Do not completely close Firefox/Mozilla Suite yet. Copy the chosen file to a safe location (such as My Documents or the desktop on Windows XP) and rename it "bookmarks.html", if it isn’t already. Now, close Firefox/Mozilla Suite and copy the file back into your profile folder, overwriting the existing bookmarks.html file. Restart Firefox/Mozilla Suite, and check your bookmarks.

Other methods of recovery

  • Check the Recycle Bin/Trash for a file called bookmarks.html
  • (Windows) Run the error-checking tool chkdsk (Windows 2000, XP) or scandisk (Windows 95, 98, ME) to see if you can recover any file fragments that contain your lost bookmarks. Look for files with names like FILE0001.chk or FILE0002.chk on the root directory (the files may be inside folders named FOUND.000 or similar). Open each file in Wordpad or Notepad and, if it contains bookmark data, rename it with an .html extension (for example, rename FILE0001.chk to bookmarks1.html). Finally, import the file using the Mozilla Suite or Firefox Bookmarks Manager [2].
  • Use a file undelete utility to see if you can recover the file [3] [4]

Prevention

  • Do not power down your computer with Firefox/Mozilla Suite running.
  • Some "cleaner" programs like System Wiper wipe out Firefox bookmarks. Make sure you do backups before using these types of programs.
  • Back up your bookmarks on a regular basis. Many extensions exist that do this. As mentioned earlier, Firefox 1.5 saves five dated bookmark backup files to the profile folder. You can also use the "Export" feature of the Bookmarks Manager to periodically save your bookmarks to the backup location of your choice:
    • Firefox: "Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> File -> Export"
    • Mozilla Suite: "Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks -> Tools -> Export"

See also