You can check for problems with the places.sqlite database file in the Firefox profile folder.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks_history_and_toolbar_buttons_not_working_-_Firefox
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file

• Places Maintenance: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/places-maintenance/

How many bookmarks are in the JSON backup?

That count is the xxxx part in bookmarks-####-##-##_xxxx.json (current versions have an hash appended).

Bookmark Backups

Open a new tab or window. type about:support in the address box and press enter. Or Press the Alt or F10 key to bring up the tool bar. Then Help > Troubleshooting Information.

Under the page logo on the left side you will see Application Basics. Under this find Profile Folder. To it’s right press the button Show Folder. This will open your file browser to the current Firefox profile. Now Close Firefox.

Enter the bookmarkbackups folder. This is where Firefox makes backups of your bookmarks. Look for the file you want to restore (check the time / date). Right click on that file and select Copy. Now go back to the parent folder where you started. Right click in the folder and select Paste. Rename the file bookmarks.html by adding .old to it. The file you just pasted here, rename it to bookmarks.html. After you are done, restart Firefox.

So I entered the Bookmarks backup folder - all was fine until then - at which point I didnt have an old enough file in the folder. I already created a JSON backup file so I proceeded by using that file: when i went to the parent folder though, there was no bookmarks.html file to rename, and when I pasted the JSON backup file there and renamed it there was no change when i started firefox. Thanks for the help so far - your instructions were very clear, unfortunately they didnt solve the issue, any further help would be appreciated very much though :-|

Im not quite advanced enough to know how to check for problems in the places database. There were a few hundred bookmarks I believe, but i didnt understand how to read the file from your instructions.

my file does not have that name. I installed the addon recommended and visited the two other links but neither of them discussed the issue i am having.

Not sure if this is appropriate, but I have a similar problem. Yesterday I got an update from MS to my new Win 7 machine. Now all my bookmarks are gone except the three I have in the toolbar. I have tried following the instructions here but it's not working. First: I can find the bookmark backup files, but don't have any html files there. They are listed as "bookmark-dates-number-a series of letters and numbers, then ==.json." I'm confused as to what to do next.

Lynn

All the files in the backup folder should be json. Pick the file you want and follow the directions above.

The latest and / or largest file.

I tried all the suggestions several times and nothing worked. I don't know if it's me or FF. Since none of the new backups worked, I went to my damaged computer and copied the bookmark backup file to a thumb drive. Then I pasted it on my desktop. Went to "restore backups", then to choose file, then to desktop. Done. All bookmarks copied in half a second. Problem solved and I know what to do if it happens again. Trick is to remember it.

Lynn

Glad to help. Take a look at these;

These add-ons can be a great help by backing up and restoring Firefox

FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) {web link} FEBE allows you to quickly and easily backup your Firefox extensions, history, passwords, and more. In fact, it goes beyond just backing up -- It will actually rebuild your saved files individually into installable .xpi files. It will also make backup of files that you choose.

OPIE {web link} Import/Export extension preferences