Recover previously open windows/tabs from FireFox profile backup
I'm having a similar problem to other posts I've seen here at support.mozilla.org, but not exactly the same, and none of the solutions are working for me.
I was using my Firefox ("FF") for Mac v77.0.1 with many tabs across 3 windows (as I've done for years). I Quit FF, shutdown Mac, and when I restarted Mac and FF, the windows and tabs did not reopen (as opposed to always reopening just fine, for years and years).
I looked under the History menu, and the missing windows and tabs did NOT list in the Recently Closed Tabs or Recently Closed Windows, BUT it DID list tabs and windows that I HAD recently closed.
I went ahead and selected Restore All Tabs and Restore All Windows, hoping that maybe it'd somehow open my last opened windows/tabs, but not only did that not happen, but it didn't even open the actually recently closed tabs/windows it had listed. Then, the History drop down menu just greyed out the Recently Closed Tabs and Recently Closed Windows options under History.
NOTE: It might be best to next skip down to MY Reply to this post (solution??), and then up to my Update/Edit (down below), before continuing right here to read my efforts to solve this!
Luckily, I had just backed up my Mac right before shutdown, so I grabbed the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file from most recent backup, Scrounged it at https://www.jeffersonscher.com/ffu/scrounger.html, which produced an HTML that lists all the windows/tabs that I had open (including the Back-Forward History) before Quitting FF & Shutting Down Mac.
Then I followed these instructions I've seen many places: 1. quit FF 2. rename sessionstore.jsonlzr in my FF Profile to sessionstoreOLD.jsonlzr 3. copy sessionstore.jsonlzr (and next recovery.jsonlz, and next previous.jsonlzr) from my Mac backup 4. paste sessionstore.jsonlzr into the FF Profile on Mac (or paste recovery.jsonlzr or previous.jsonlzr, renaming them sessionstore.jsonlzr once pasted there) 5. open FF
Once I did those steps 1-5, it did NOT open any of my windows/tabs from previous session.
I even tried renaming my whole FF Profile from 2d7si5hi.default to 2d7si5hiOLD.default, and then copying the FF profile backup and pasting into Mac next to the old FF Profile. Once reopening FF, still no previous windows/tabs.
I even tried Trashing FF Profile 2d7si5hiOLD.default, before pasting in FF Profile from backup. Once reopening FF, still no previous windows/tabs.
I then did all the above with even older backups (from about 2 weeks ago). In THIS case, ONLY ONE of the 3 windows opens with lots of tabs (but not the other 2 windows of tabs).
I then updated my FF to v78.7.0esr, and went through ALLLLLL the above steps again, and the results were the same (unsuccessful).
I then tried creating a new FF profile, copying ALL contents from most recent FF profile backup and pasting into the new FF profile (per jscher2000's instructions - but without having done the Refresh FF - at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1136981) .... again, none of the previous windows/tabs showed up.
SO - anyone know how to get my FF to show all the windows/tabs that ARE present in my sessionstore.jsonlzr backups? Am I missing some step(s)??
By the way, in both FF v77.0.1 and v78.7.0esr, this glitchiness is also happening:
- FF Preferences won't open
- Help > Troubleshooting Information won't open (except for SOMEtimes if I already have a new Window open)
Thanks much!!
UPDATE/EDIT!: Whoa. Weird. I just happened to accidentally toggle to my Mac Dashboard (which I rarely use), and underplayed beneath the Dashboard Widgets were THE THREE MISSING FF WINDOWS OF TABS - which I could toggle between there at the Dashboard. I toggled back from Dashboard to Desktop, closed the FF that was open and NOT showing the windows/tabs, then toggled back to Dashboard, and the FF windows/tabs were no longer there. THEN, I reopened FF, again no windows/tabs, but then a toggle back to Dashboard - and boom, there they are! Say what?? OKAY - so FF is accessing/seeing the windows/tabs, just not displaying them within FF, but, instead, as standalone items behind Widgets on the Dashboard. Does this give anybody any insight on what's going on and how to fix it (way above my head!)?
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??!!SOLVED??!!
Ooooookkaaaay. Sooo, that was an interesting 6 hours of research and trial/error, that ended confusingly and mysteriously successful (I'll describe below). I mean .... I'll take it!
Pursuant to my original post (and then update/edit) above, I Quit FireFox ("FF"), connected an external monitor, started FF - and BOOM, all the desired previous session windows/tabs missing from the saga were successfully reopened in FF (not in the Dashboard).
BUT, in addition to those desired previous session windows/tabs, were lots of tabs that I had purposely closed in previous sessions, AND a bunch of about:support and about:profiles tabs (which I had been opening and closing throughout this exploratory saga).
I ?suppose? I don't need any guidance now, unless it's to help me prevent this from happening again?
I hope that posting all this might help someone else get through this quickly, if they happen to find themselves in this same unique weird scenario!
Anyone got any thoughts on all this??
Update/Edit on Feb. 27, 2021: I just went through this whole saga all over again, where I closed FF and other apps, relaunched FF, and my 3 Windows of previously open Tabs were not displayed. Just one new Window with one Tab :-/
I totally forgot this "solution" that I had posted here 3.5 weeks ago, but then I luckily happened upon my Answer here during my 3-hour solution-seeking saga today.
When I saw this Answer of mine here and remembered this mysterious "solution" I had stumbled into 3.5 weeks ago (Quitting FF, connecting external monitor and relaunching FF), I thought, "well, let's try again and see if it works <fingers crossed>!!" ............Sure enough - it worked!
Even though this most recent and "successful" launching of FF woulda/SHOULDA accessed/used my sessionstore.jsonlz4, previous.jsonlz4, recovery.baklz4 and recovery.jsonlz4 files that were all Modified AFTER FF launched errantly without displaying any previously opened tabs, it still somehow/somewhere found and displayed my 3 Windows of open Tabs.
Go figure!
I sure hope: a) someone can get this info to Firefox developers so they can fix whatever is causing this :-) b) this doesn't happen to me again c) if it does happen to me again, I'll remember to try this "solution" right away!
P.S. I see some confusing typos in my original post, but I can't find how to Edit it. I Edited it once before (back on Feb. 4), and I am able to Edit my Feb. 4 Answer right now (there's an "Edit this post" button at its 3 vertical dots) for that - but I don't see any Edit button at the original post's 3 vertical dots, or elsewhere. Anybody know how I get to edit my original post?
Until I do edit my original post, note that: I'm not sure what I meant (3.5 weeks after I wrote it) by, "underplayed beneath", but I think that either "underneath" or "behind" should be there, instead.
Does attaching the monitor allow the missing Firefox windows to display on your regular screen or on the external screen, or are they identical? If they are not identical, I don't know how easy it might be for Firefox to get confused about where windows should be displayed. (I run Windows, so we tend to have different issues...)
Hi jscher2000, thanks for your reply!
When I attach the external monitor, I run it as an extension, not a mirror of my main display. The returned display of the missing FF windows are on that external monitor, not on my regular screen.
To be clear, here was the sequence: 1. my computer was running FF with the previous displayed windows/tabs WITHOUT an external monitor connected. 2. I Quit FF, Shut Down computer. 3. I Started computer (W/OUT the external monitor attached), Ran FF which at this time did NOT display the previously displayed windows/tabs. 4. Then, I Quit FF, attached external monitor (as extension, not mirror), Ran FF, and boom - there it was back to displaying the previously displayed windows/tabs.
- - - - - -
P.S.: Anyone know how I can Edit my original post of this thread (I want to clear up a typo)?
Hmm, I don't know why the windows positions are getting reassigned to the second display. Hopefully a Mac person has an idea about that.