Firefox keeps deleting my browsing history without warning

I have never had this problem before but all of a sudden Firefox keeps deleting all my browsing history even though I have it set to keep history and cookies. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox, I've tried going through the Firefox options for my history and now I'm fed up. I like being able to use the predictive web address when surfing so any information as to why this is happening would be wonderful.

Try to delete a possible user.js file and numbered prefs-##.js files and rename (or delete) the prefs.js file to reset all prefs to the default value including prefs set via user.js and prefs that are no longer supported in the current Firefox release.
Start Firefox in [[Safe Mode|Safe Mode]] to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).
*Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window.
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems.
See "Creating a profile":
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer some files from an existing profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem
*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

Similar Messages

Firefox keeps deleting my (older) history

I keep a firefox history that dates back several years.
Recently I discovered that my older history had been deleted without me doing anything. I was able to restore it from an older backup, losing months of newer browsing history in the process.
Firefox *keeps* deleting my old history occasionally. I do not want this. I did not ask for it. There are articles on a setting called "browser.history_expire_days" but all I can find in about:config is a setting called browser.history_expire_days.mirror and I don't know what (if anything) will happen if I change it.
I want this behaviour to stop in a reliable manner.

So you are telling me there is no way to keep a longer browser history anymore?
Apparently, you are unable to maintain responsiveness from using a moderately big database file, fair enough.
Worse yet, your engineers do not understand that you DO NOT DELETE USER DATA without asking them. Yes, the history is user data.
How disappointing.
EDIT: I forgot to thank you for your answer, it was helpful regardless

Does Firefox have a setting for retaining cookies similar to the 'Preserve Favorites website data' setting found in I.E. so you do not delete cookies from favorited websites when deleting your browsing history?

In I.E. when you want to delete your browsing history, the Internet Options tab allows you to retain the cookies for the websites that are listed in your 'Favorites'. With this preference enabled, you can delete your browsing history regularly without having to maintenance your cookies that you need. My bank requires that I register my computer for security reasons. The registration process places a cookie on PC. My browsing history is set to delete upon logout and I'm concerned that I will have to re-register my PC every time I log in or I will have to maintenance my browsing history every time I clear it. Does Firefox provide a feature so I can retain certain cookies that I want to keep?

If you use [[Clear Recent History]] or other means to clear (all) cookies then those specified cookies will be removed, even if there is an allow exception.
You can let all cookies expire if you close Firefox and make an Allow exception for the ones that you want to keep.
*Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Keep until": "I close Firefox"
*Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Exceptions"
Make sure that you do not use [[Clear Recent History]] to clear the "Cookies" and the "Site Preferences"
See also [[Cookies]] and [[Enabling and disabling cookies]]

Firefox doesn't delete the browsing history in the address bar

No matter what you do with Firefox in clearing the browsing history by going to History -> Clear Recent History and deleting everything or resetting FF by going to Troubleshooting information, Firefox doesn't delete the browsing history. The website you have browsed still appear in the address bar.
Several people already have complained about this issue (see thread https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/939028) and the answer from the Firefox staff is that there is got to be a malware. This is not true, I've seen versions of Firefox in clean computers both Windows and Mac with Firefox doing the same thing, or more like not doing what it's supposed to do: clean the browsing history.
How unsafe is that. Where is your privacy? Firefox has to find a way to fix this glitch. Something tells me they're doing it on purpose because it hasn't been fixed after the complains.

You can delete the places.sqlite file if you aren't able to clear all history.
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file
Are that entries that appear if you click the arrow at the far right of the location bar?
Do these items have a star to indicate that they are bookmarks?

How do I keep the new tab page thumbnails visible even after deleting my browser history?

Every time I delete my browser history, I notice thumbnails of my pinned sites on the new tab page disappear. Is there a way around that; or something that can be done so it doesn't occur in future versions of Firefox?

Current Firefox versions use a separate thumbnails folder to store those images, so clearing the cache should no longer make them disappear. 
However clearing the history will prevent any slots from retaining the URL. 
If you want specific pages to show on the about:newtab page then you can drag a bookmark or history link into a slot to pin a web page.
Do any of the slots have an URL displayed under the image placeholder?

I have dial-up, and when I delete my browser history, the facebook games refuse to load for MONTHS until magically one day, they decide to open again. How can I make them load right away?

I am using a gateway laptop, and Windows 7. I use Netzero as my dialup service, using my phone line. I deleted my browser history and cookies, but I left all passwords intact. Whenever I do this, the games on Facebook come up with a LOADING bar, but they hit 100 percent and never actually load. It does this for months, and one day, they magically (Without me changing any settings) decide to load when I click on them. How do I make the games load, and prevent this from happening every time I clear the history?

I am using a gateway laptop, and Windows 7. I use Netzero as my dialup service, using my phone line. I deleted my browser history and cookies, but I left all passwords intact. Whenever I do this, the games on Facebook come up with a LOADING bar, but they hit 100 percent and never actually load. It does this for months, and one day, they magically (Without me changing any settings) decide to load when I click on them. How do I make the games load, and prevent this from happening every time I clear the history?

Find and delete private browsing history

trying to find and delete private browsing history in safari. info suggests data in safari folder, file "WebpageIcons.db". Unable to locate. any assistance appreciated.
using IMac
Mac OS X, version 10.5.8
Processaor: 2.4 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo
memory: 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

I don't have Safari 5.0.6 to test.
I haven't read the article you refer to.
You can check the home library.
~/Library/Safari/Webpageicons.db.
Finder
Click your account name in the Finder sidebar. Then open "Library".
Open Safari folder.
You will find "Webpageicons.db" there

I know how to delete my browsing history but for some reason 'delete browsing history' has gone grey and does nothing?

I know how to delete my browsing history but for some reason 'delete browsing history' has gone grey and does nothing?

By chance have you tried connecting your device to your Desktop (USB Cable) & then opened up the Device Files using iTunes?

I delete my browser history but websites visited still show up in Search mode. Why?

How can the browser history really be deleted so nothing shows up when a search is being done? When I follow the traditional steps to delete the browser history, it shows the history as being cleared, but any letter typed in Search mode will show any websites visited with that letter in the name... So how do I really delete the browser history, so nothing shows up under search? And yes, I know you can take the browser info off the search mode, but that doesn't clear the info. If you put the browser back on search, it's all still there.

Don't wipe your phone!!! its a pain in the back side re-installing everything back

Firefox is slowly deleted my browser history older than 6 months. How do I keep history forever?

I just noticed that my browser history older than 6 months is slowly being deleted day by day. How do I prevent this from happening? This has only started happening recently. I have my settings as "Remember history". I want to keep all my history forever. Are there any configurations I can make to achieve this?
Thanks for your time.

Firefox automatically calculates how many pages to keep without affecting performance and saves that value in the transient_max_pages pref.
You can create a max_pages pref to override that current maximum, but it is better to leave those prefs at their default.
You can see the current value via the read-only pref places.history.expiration.transient_max_pages on the about:config page.

Why is my Firefox 4.0.1 crashing and deleting my browsing history and bookmarks?

This is the third time in the past month and a half that my Firefox 4.0.1 has crashed and deleted both my browsing history and my recent bookmarks. It seems to delete up to about a week's worth of information.
In the past, my Firefox browser would crash, but it would at least retain my last entered information (but that was the older version of Firefox); so this is something entirely new. I updated to 4.0.1 about two months ago, hoping that this would be better, but these random, information deleting, crashes are driving me crazy! I'm hesitant to download the new 5.0 version for the fear that these crashes will get worse...but mainly because I love Hypertext too much and I don't want to lose it to the upgrade.
I had read that one of the options to identifying the problem is to post a crash I.D.; however, when I searched for my latest crash reports, it doesn't show either of the two crashes that concerns me. So I'm even more curious to what this problem might be. I can tell you some of the key behaviors before it crashes:
* It begins to lag (slower than snail pace).
* It's almost impossible to click from one tab to the other (even if I only have two tabs open).
* My comp's physical memory spikes.
* The browser window will sometimes freeze and shut down the whole program, but this time (today), the window closed on its own.
* When I'm forced to close Firefox from my Task Manager, sometimes I actually have to restart my computer before I'm able to use the browser again.
* The crash happens randomly. I haven't noticed a crash pattern based on websites that I visit.
I hope someone can help me. I would really like this remedied. It just sucks having spent so much time bookmarking research material, just to have all of it wiped away without a reason.

Try to update to the latest Firefox 12.0 version.
You can find the latest Firefox release in all languages and for all Operating Systems here:
*Firefox 12.0.x: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
See:
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/gfx.color_management.mode
* https://developer.mozilla.org/En/ICC_color_correction_in_Firefox
Caveats: The new QCMS color management system introduced in Firefox 3.5 currently only supports ICC version 2 color profiles, not version 4.
You can set the gfx.color_management.enablev4 pref to true on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to enable ICC V4 support in Firefox 8+, but that feature is not yet fully implemented, so there may be problems in some cases.
Test page:
* http://www.color.org/version4html.xalter - Is your system ICC Version 4 ready?

Why firefox keep deleting my history? i try to reinstall it but it won't work. help me please.

I just upgrade my windows and reinstall my firefox. then it won't make me save my history. at first the history saved. but when I restart my laptop then open my firefox the history won't show up. and i try to reinstall but nothing changes. help :(

I expect you are deleting your history at the end of your session, as opposed to only clearing cache.
Make sure your are saving history, then in the settings that you are not clearing history.
'''Tools > Options > Privacy''' you must have "Remember my browsing history" and in Settings where check marks mean to clear things you must leave unchecked "Browsing history". Annotated picture:
* http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4928/clearcachew.png
FWIW,
App-tabs are considered part of browsing history so you must save your browsing history for app-tabs to work.

How to view list of browsing history without much hassle?

I have tried to check browsing history using the method provided in the Firefox Help. When I clicked on "open containing folder", I could not find any list that shows the browsing history websites. Please help.

See: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Viewing_the_browsing_history_-_Firefox
 
You need to update your plugins. It is important to keep them updated due to continuing security fixes and improvements in those plug-ins:
* Adobe PDF Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape (you '''MAY''' need to update)
* Shockwave Flash 10.0 r45
* Next Generation Java Plug-in 1.6.0_18 for Mozilla browsers
#Check your plugin versions: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/
#*'''Note: plugin check page does not have information on all plugin versions'''
#'''Update Adobe Reader (PDF plugin):'''
#*From within your existing Adobe Reader ('''if you have it already installed'''):
#**Open the Adobe Reader program from your Programs list
#**Click Help > Check for Updates
#**Follow the prompts for updating
#**If this method works for you, skip the "Download complete installer" section below and proceed to "After the installation" below
#*Download complete installer ('''if you do NOT have Adobe Reader installed'''):
#**Use Firefox to download and SAVE the installer to your hard drive from the link in the article below
#**On the Adobe page, un-check any extra items (i.e. Free McAfee® Security Scan Plus) then click Download button
#**If you see message just under tabs, DO NOT click the Allow button, instead click below that where it says "click here to download".
#**Click "Save to File"; save to your Desktop (so you can find it)
#**After download completes, close Firefox
#**Click the installer you just downloaded and allow the install to continue
#***Note: Vista and Win7 users may need to right-click the installer and choose "Run as Administrator"
#**'''Download link and more information''': https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Adobe+Reader+plugin+with+Firefox#Installing_and_updating_Adobe_Reader
#*After the installation, start Firefox and check your version again.
#'''Update Shockwave Flash'''
#*Use Firefox to Download and SAVE to your hard drive from the link in article below; '''the link takes you directly to the download and you avoid the "getplus" download manager and "extras" (i.e., toolbars, virus scan links, etc.) on the main Adobe page.'''
#*SAVE to your Desktop so you can find it
#*After download completes, close Firefox
#*Click on the file you just downloaded and install
#**Note: Vista and Win7 users may need to right-click the installer downloaded and choose "Run as Administrator"
#**Note: Most browsers other than IE will also get updated with this one download
#**Note: To update IE, same procedure '''but use IE''' to go: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/install_flash_player_ax.exe
#*After installation, restart Firefox and check your version again.
#*'''Download links and other information''':
#** https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+the+Flash+plugin#Updating_Flash
#** '''or''' you can download, save, then run the manual installers for IE, then for Firefox (and all other browsers) from here: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/191/tn_19166.html#main_ManualInstaller
#* Also see: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Installing+the+Flash+plugin
#* Also see (if needed): http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/191/tn_19166.html#main_Uninstall
#'''Update Java:'''
#* Download and update instructions: https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Java+plugin+with+Firefox
#* Removing old versions: http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/remove_olderversions.xml
#* After the installation, start Firefox and check your version again.

Everytime I close Mozilla Firefox, it deletes all the history, what can I do?

I lose all sites visited, passwords saved and everything.

Hi leopatricio
Be sure you '''don't''' have Private Browsing on :
click on the Firefox button > Options > Privacy panel > set Firefox will: to Use custom settings for history > '''UNCheck''' Always use private browsing mode.
see for more info : [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-browse-web-without-saving-info Private Browsing - Browse the web without saving information about the sites you visit]
thank you

A cleaning utility deleted my browsing history! My fault! I want to re-open the old pages and tabs. The info may be in an old "sessionstore.js" or "places.sqlite" file but these are huge and some URLS are written backwards. Where do I start please?

I have copied "places.sqlite" and given it a .txt extension, then opened in Wordpad - but it's huge - I don't know what order it's in and many of the URLS are written backwards - like "moc.smooretal.www" instead of "www.laterooms.com."
Similarly there are several numbered versions of sessionstore.js in the profile and these can be opened with a text editor too. But if I simply substitute the current sessionstore.js file with an older (numbered) one in the profile, Firefox seems to ignore it.
So:
1. Is there a method of re-installing the "history" sites list or "previously opened pages and tabs" from the 'places.sqlite' file, or from a previous sessionstore.js file (and if so how do I go about it ?)
2. If not, is there an alternative source of browsing history back-up which I can use or
3. If not that either, is there at least a way of reversing the backwards text so I can read the URLs and copy/paste them?
All knowledgeable help much appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
Peter

Firefox has other backups it makes automatically, unfortunately your cleaning utility may have wiped them.
#First step backup manually whatever you have
#*''' edit''' <s>[[backing up and restoring backups]]</s> [[backing up and restoring bookmarks]]
#Second step find and copy all of your profile folder and all the sub files and sub folders
## easiest method of finding it is Help -> Troubleshooting Information -> Profile [Open containing folder] The places.sqlite is a database that contains all your bookmarks and history, if this exists and is not corrupt then your bookmarks library should work and allow you to create backups.
##*see [[backing up your information]]
## put it somewhere safe your Windows desktop will do
.JSON files are the backup files, either created manually or by firefox
sessionstore.js files probably are of little use to you, containing only the tabs & windows from recent close downs, not the full history and bookarks.
Now that any existing files are safe try to see if any backups exist that firefox created automatically
* these would be in a folder within the profile
* they can most easily be used by opening the bookmarks library, as explained in the article linked above.
You may be interested in
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks_history_and_toolbar_buttons_not_working_-_Firefox {Locked or damaged places.sqlite]
There are sqlite editors available, including some as add-ons for firefox.

Firefox keeps deleting my browsing history without warning

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