Can't get rid of old bookmark list for current list to save for backup
My computer was infected with malware and crashed in November. I lost everything but was able to get my bookmarks back with a jump drive. I then went in and removed a lot of bookmarks and folders, and have added a lot of other folders and bookmarks over time. I do mean a lot. I am now trying to make a current back up, but every time I try to export it to html format it reverts back to the original list that was edited to the current list, which I can see, and even though it does light up when I select all, it again reverts back to the original list for export, and will not show the list as is now. Am curious why the original list is even here, as it should of disappeared when the computer crashed, so how can it still be here is another question, but this is not my main question of course. How do I get rid of the original list and get it to export the current list for back up? PLEASE! Once bitten twice shy. Running XP Professional on a Sony Vaio 2002. I have tried to make a copy in a word doc but cannot get it to "copy" to paste to put it into that format. Thank you in advance, Trisha
All Replies (4)
Are you saying that the file you export contains the old bookmarks, or the old bookmarks reappear in Firefox when you try to export? Neither is good, of course.
Firefox makes backups of your bookmarks in a compact data format (.json) on a regular basis. You can backup these files and use them to restore your bookmarks to other computers. However, unlike the export format, they are not easily human readable and I don't think other browsers import them.
To access the backups:
Help > Troubleshooting Information > "Show Folder" button
This will open your currently active Firefox settings folder (your "profile" folder) and you should immediately see a folder named BookmarkBackups that contains numerous dated files.
Related article:
You may get rid of the problem by creating a new profile:
Profile Manager - Create, remove or switch Firefox profiles
and then move the data to the new profile:
Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles
Let us know if it helped.
Since that is a json file I cannot tell what it is. I really need a to export to html. Any clues?
I'm still unclear what is happening when you export.
This article has the steps to export bookmarks to an HTML file: Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks.
Are you saying that the file you export contains the old bookmarks that you removed, or the old bookmarks reappear in Firefox when you try to export??
The JSON format consists of text, but isn't meant to be easily read. Its real purpose is to be restored back to Firefox is you lose your bookmarks. So it is a convenient backup format.
I can understand that you aren't sure what it contains. If you'd like to see how it restores, you can copy the .json file to a convenient location (e.g., thumb drive or documents folder) and restore it into a new Firefox profile.
This doesn't replace your existing Firefox settings, but would be an independent settings folder that exists alongside it. You can create and switch between profiles for testing, to isolate different users, or other purposes. Just don't delete any profiles without backing up the ones you really care about, just in case something were to go wrong during the process.
Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):
firefox.exe -P
Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.
When creating a new profile, I recommend using the default location suggested, and to avoid data loss, not re-using any existing folder.
Once you get the new profile with its default bookmarks, you can restore your last .json backup to see what it includes. This is where the "convenient location" comes in: when using the steps in the following article, you will use "Choose File" to locate that .json file. Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer.