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.

  • If you are able to add, delete, and edit your bookmarks but the changes are lost when you restart Firefox, see Can't add, change or save bookmarks - How to fix.

Table of Contents

  • 1 I can see only the default set of bookmarks in the Bookmarks folder
    • 1.1 Determine if Firefox has created a new profile
    • 1.2 Firefox creates a new profile each time it starts
  • 2 My Bookmarks Toolbar is missing
  • 3 I can't find all of my bookmarks and folders
  • 4 My bookmarks have disappeared
    • 4.1 There is an "Old Firefox Data" folder on my desktop
  • 5 No bookmarks are visible after installing an add-on
  • 6 I can't find my bookmarks after importing them

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

Your bookmarks are associated with the Firefox profile you are using. There may be instances when you or Firefox creates a new profile containing the default set of bookmarks (for example, if you make a separate installation of Firefox or when you downgrade Firefox). A new profile may give you the impression that you have lost your bookmarks.

Determine if Firefox has created a new profile

To see if another profile exists, type about:profiles into the Firefox address bar and press the Enter Return key. This will open the About Profiles page, which will list at least one profile and could list many. The profile that Firefox is currently using will show: This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. If you have another profile listed, you can launch that profile in a new Firefox browser window to see if it contains your lost bookmarks. See Recover user data missing after Firefox update for more information.

Firefox creates a new profile each time it starts

A new profile is automatically created for each separate installation of Firefox (see Dedicated profiles per Firefox installation for details). If you are running Firefox directly from the disk image (Firefox .dmg) file you downloaded, it may be detected as a new installation each time you start Firefox. Do not run Firefox directly from the .dmg file; move it to the folder instead. See How to download and install Firefox on Mac for instructions.

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:

  • Right-click on an empty section of the navigation bar and select in the pop-up menu.
  • On the menu bar, click , select , and then select .

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

I can't find all of my bookmarks and folders

You can view all of your bookmarks and folders when you click the menu item in the Firefox Menu bar, if you enable the Menu bar. You can also add a Bookmarks menu button to your Firefox toolbar.

Follow these steps to add a Bookmarks Menu toolbar button that shows all of your bookmarks and folders:

  1. Click the Library button 57 library icon on the toolbar, then click .
  2. Click .
  3. Click .

A Bookmarks Menu toolbar button Bookmark Menu icon (star on tray) will appear on the toolbar next to the Library button.

My bookmarks have disappeared

Firefox automatically backs up your bookmarks and saves up to 15 backups in the profile bookmarkbackups folder. To recover bookmarks that were previously saved in the Bookmarks menu or on the Bookmarks toolbar but are now missing, you can restore them from one of these backups:

  1. Click on the menu button fx57menu Fx89menuButton to open the menu panel. Click the Library 57 library icon button on your toolbar. (If you don't see it, click the menu fx57menu button, then click click the menu fx89menuButton button.) Click and then click the Show All Bookmarks Manage Bookmarks bar at the bottom.
  2. In the Library window, click the import-export-arrows Import and Backup button and then select .
  3. Select the backup you want to restore from the list of dated automatic backups.
    • You can also select to restore bookmarks from a manual backup, if you created one.
  4. After confirming your choice, the bookmarks from the backup you selected will be restored.

For more information, see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer.

There is an "Old Firefox Data" folder on my desktop

In some cases, Firefox may create a folder on your desktop called "Old Firefox Data". This folder contains a complete backup of your Firefox profile and can be used to restore bookmarks and other missing information. If you have this folder on your desktop, see Recovering important data from an old profile.

No bookmarks are visible after installing an add-on

If you have restarted Firefox after installing an add-on and your bookmarks are gone, it's possible that Firefox did not close properly before restarting itself. To recover your bookmarks, restart your computer.

I can't find my bookmarks after importing them

If you imported your bookmarks from another browser, you can find them inside a specially-named folder, for example, From Google Chrome or From Microsoft Edge depending on the browser, in one of these locations:

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. See Bookmarks in Firefox to learn more about organizing your bookmarks.

These fine people helped write this article:

AliceWyman, Chris Ilias, jscher2000, zzxc, Tonnes, Michael Verdi, scoobidiver, Andrew, Swarnava Sengupta, Wesley Branton, user917725, sillysocks, vesper, Rok, Fabi

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