# FIREFOX HELP! My booksmarks have vanished! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738 "2008-04-24T21:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/1 "2008-04-24T21:21:34Z")
More than 100 bookmarks gone! POOF! Help, please? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/2 "2008-04-24T21:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] More than 100 bookmarks gone! POOF! Help, please? [/QUOTE] How exactly did you find them missing? I mean, did the program crash or had you shut it down and when you started again they were gone? What’s the timeline? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/3 "2008-04-24T21:25:36Z")
Firefox froze. Then, I pressed the reset button on my computer, & when I tried to get on again, poof. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/4 "2008-04-24T21:26:02Z")
No problem! Just restore the bookmarks file from your latest backup. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/5 "2008-04-24T21:28:23Z")
Try this: [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Lost\_bookmarks](http://kb.mozillazine.org/Lost_bookmarks) ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/6 "2008-04-24T21:45:01Z")
You have over 100 bookmarks?!! WTF! [QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] No problem! Just restore the bookmarks file from your latest backup. [/QUOTE] I work at a company that develops software for court reporters. They are we get a ton of calls where they are freaking out that their 50,000 entry dictionary (which allows the software to transcribe what they steno into english) is gone and they need to finish their job or they go to jail. Your response is the first thing we say (with a smile, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/7 "2008-04-24T21:58:28Z")
This has been happening for years. Why people still rave about Firefox, I will never know. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/8 "2008-04-24T21:58:40Z")
OK, I have found by backups. How do I move them to firefox? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/9 "2008-04-24T22:03:37Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] Try this: > **[Lost bookmarks - MozillaZine Knowledge Base](http://kb.mozillazine.org/Lost_bookmarks)** [/QUOTE] I can’t make head or tails of this. Help. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/10 "2008-04-24T22:17:18Z")
Help in what way? Did you locate the back up files or not? Is the problem making them the current bookmarks? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/11 "2008-04-24T22:19:52Z")
Allow me to join in your frustration **Bosda** , it happens to me also, and is likewise extremely irritating. Sorry to say that I don’t know what is going wrong - I think it last happened on my system after a firefox update. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/12 "2008-04-24T22:23:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] OK, I have found by backups. How do I move them to firefox? [/QUOTE] Bookmarks menu -\> organize bookmarks. on the window that pops up file -\> import then select the bookmarks backup file ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/13 "2008-04-24T22:23:42Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] Help in what way? Did you locate the back up files or not? Is the problem making them the current bookmarks? [/QUOTE] I don’t know? I’m confused. I went to the Start program, & searched. The files exist. But when I call up the Organized Bookmarks, hit import, then I can’t locate them. Also, what do I do then? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/14 "2008-04-24T22:31:18Z")
This is a cut and paste from a thread in July that I helped on. You can read this while I try to set this up again in my mind. Open this folder or whomever you log under in place of administrator. C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles Open the folder in that directory. Open the folder in that directory named bookmarkbackups. You can open the bookmark dated html file you wish with firefox, and see your book marks. Apparently the backup happen only once per day, so you haven’t already over written them. I’ll let you read on to get the rest done. [http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile\_folder\_-\_Firefox](http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/15 "2008-04-24T22:40:33Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] This is a cut and paste from a thread in July that I helped on. You can read this while I try to set this up again in my mind. Open this folder or whomever you log under in place of administrator. C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles Open the folder in that directory. Open the folder in that directory named bookmarkbackups. You can open the bookmark dated html file you wish with firefox, and see your book marks. Apparently the backup happen only once per day, so you haven’t already over written them. I’ll let you read on to get the rest done. > **[Profile folder - Firefox - MozillaZine Knowledge Base](http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox)** [/QUOTE] I’m lost. I don’t grasp any of it. Why can’t I find my profile? How do I do it? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/16 "2008-04-24T22:41:59Z")
try copying the bookmarks backup to another location, such as the desktop. change the extension from .bak to .html, it might help. importing is easy, just select the file. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/17 "2008-04-24T22:43:35Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] try copying the bookmarks backup to another location, such as the desktop. change the extension from .bak to .html, it might help. importing is easy, just select the file. [/QUOTE] Select the file and do what? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/18 "2008-04-24T22:46:18Z")
Can you navigate to this directory with with windows explorer? Open this folder or whomever you log under in place of administrator. C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/19 "2008-04-24T22:53:31Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] try copying the bookmarks backup to another location, such as the desktop. change the extension from .bak to .html, it might help. importing is easy, just select the file. [/QUOTE] Copying the bookmarks to desktop simplified everything. Many thanks to all, & especially to **Peter Morris** , & to **Harmonious Discord** (who was patient with me). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738/20 "2008-04-24T22:56:03Z")
Good now I can go to supper. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/firefox-help-my-booksmarks-have-vanished/446738.md?page=2)