# Some startling observations about Firefox bookmarks **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142 "2008-06-25T01:24:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/1 "2008-06-25T01:24:08Z")
In Firefox 3, when I exported my bookmarks and double-clicked on the file, I got a pop-up message saying “bookmarks.html is a web application which was downloaded from the Internet.” From the looks of it, my bookmarks file does not even reside on my computer, but on Firefox’s server! I verified this by searching for “bookmarks.html” and the only copy of this file was the one I just downloaded! Correct me if I’m wrong about this, but then explain why I got the pop-up message and why the original bookmarks.html file is nowhere to be found on my computer. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/2 "2008-06-25T07:27:08Z")
The key word here is ‘export’. The bookmarks are normally stored in a firefox-specific file format, you’re exporting them to an HTML file for transfer - so the file doesn’t exist until you create it. The HTML file doesn’t exist until Firefox creates it - you could try doing the process with your internet connection unplugged if you’re really unsure, but I’m certain this will be done locally - the popup warning is just because Firefox used its standard, inbuilt methodology to save it as a file. The reason you can’t easily see the _other_ file - the one that FF has created locally first, before offering it to you as a ‘download’ is probably because it exists only in the cache, where it will not have the same name or extension. Firefox is a big open source project. It’s highly unlikely that it could contain components that snoop so severely as to harvest and phone home your bookmarks - without it sparking a big scandal. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/3 "2008-06-25T11:17:06Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] The key word here is ‘export’. The bookmarks are normally stored in a firefox-specific file format [/QUOTE] Actually, I might be wrong about this bit anyway. If you explore \Documents and Settings[your username]\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles[something].default, can you see a file called bookmarks.html? ---
**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:** [June 25, 2008, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/4 "2008-06-25T11:20:10Z")
There should be 5 copies of the bookmarks, because Firefox automatically makes some backups. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/5 "2008-06-25T11:26:21Z")
Here’s a cut and paste from an earlier thread that I posted to. 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. Your current bookmark file is in here 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. By the way there are 5 backups at that location. if you can’t find the folder “Application Data” you probably need to set the system to view hidden folders. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/6 "2008-06-25T11:34:08Z")
I ran out of edit time so here’s the finished post. Here’s a cut and paste from an earlier thread that I posted to. 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. Your current bookmark file is in here Open the folder in that directory named bookmarkbackups. Your 5 backups are here. You can open the bookmark dated html file you wish with firefox, and see your book marks. By the way there are 5 backups at that location. if you can’t find the folder “Application Data” you probably need to set the system to view hidden folders. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-startling-observations-about-firefox-bookmarks/454142/7 "2008-06-26T01:22:40Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] 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. Your current bookmark file is in here Open the folder in that directory named bookmarkbackups. Your 5 backups are here. You can open the bookmark dated html file you wish with firefox, and see your book marks. [/QUOTE] OK, thanks for explaining this.