I have reinstalled Firefox 26 as well as reset it to default. Besides losing the bookmarks, my tool bar does not function- particularly add bookmarks.

Question

Not sure if either Windows or Firefox update caused my bookmarks to be lost. I uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox (26) as well as made multiple attempts to reset to default. Any attempts to restore only show the current date and NOT the date when last had the bookmarks. I have researched (ad nauseum) and have found multiple profiles- a couple of which show bookmarks backups from an earlier time, although earlier than I wanted (gap of 2+ weeks from other profiles up until loss of the bookmarks). I have attempted to copy the older bookmarks backup folder(s) and place them on to the desktop. When I tried to restore from a file, it was not recognized so I'm not sure if the file format is different I'm also not sure if I'm doing all of this correctly because within those backup folders (after clicking on the folder) it shows the Json files. Needless to say, I'm pulling my hair out and said lost bookmarks are important for school research. This has happened before and "somehow" (after reading different sources) I was able to get the lost bookmarks back. Now, nothing is working and can not add bookmarks. I'm "somewhat" knowledgeable of computer glitches and usually have corrected them within a reasonable amount of time. I haven't been this lost (and frustrated) in a good while. Sorry for the length here, but this has become quite cumbersome. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Answer 1

<u>Initially back up all the profiles,</u> you have they will hopefully contain useful bookmarks files.
*[[Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles]]
It may even be possible to repair some files or add bookmarks from other profiles so it is important to backup whatever is available.
<u>Take CARE with any restore attempts</u> .json files overwrite existing bookmarks so you should always manually backup existing bookmarks before any restore attempt.
*[[Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer]]
* HTML may be useful they append
<u>Multiple Profiles?</u><br />
The actual full working database is ''places.sqlite'' although other files may be useful. In your case there will be multiple copies of this database, one in each profile.
* Why the multiple profiles ?
** Do you normally deliberately run and use multiple profiles ?
** Are these all within the same OS user account ?
<u>Standard procedures </u>
If bookmarks have stopped working unexpectedly the database file '''places.sqlite'' may have been corrupted. Finding the profile and deleting, or better still renaming the database will force creation of a new file. You may lose an bookmarks created in the last day that Firefox was open. See
*[[Can't add, change or save bookmarks - How to fix#w_create-a-new-bookmarks-file]]'''_create-a-new-bookmarks-file'''
* To find the profile easily <br> Use '''Firefox Button → Help → Troubleshooting Information [open folder](or similar options)''' <br />See [[Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data#w_how-do-i-find-my-profile]]'''_how-do-i-find-my-profile'''
* Also note [[Recover lost or missing Bookmarks]]
I presume that you are talking about the one computer and not upgrading the Windows Operating System, just uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox.
Ordinarily the bookmarks are not removed. Firefox attempts to retain the profile that includes bookmarks in case you decide to reinstall it again.
If you aggressively remove Firefox and all associated files that you will lose the bookmarks. You may be lucky and find that the bookmarks file has been tracked by Windows and possibly is restorable.
If you have any current bookmarks save them now as an HTML files by exporting them as HTML. This sort of backup has the advantage that it can be appended to current bookmarks.
*see [[Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks]]
It is important to note the ordinary backups overwrite and destroy any existing bookmarks when you import them.
*Do a full backup of bookmarks before you attempt any restore. <br />See [[Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer]]
The bookmarks themselves are stored within the Firefox profile and the file is called places.sqlite , that is the file you want. (There are also backup bookmarks within a backup folder inside the profile,they may also be useful files.)
*You can find the profile from<br />Firefox Button -> Help-> Troubleshooting Information -> [Open folder] <br />See [[Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data#w_how-do-i-find-my-profile]]_how-do-i-find-my-profile
*This explains the Windows feature http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Previous-versions-of-files-frequently-asked-questions <br /> Previous versions are available from right click options. Just take care with overwriting files, always back them up first