With my HD bearing failing, I need to QUICKLY locate Bookmarks Folder
first of all --- this is unique to Windows 10 --- win 10 --- w10 win8 and win 7 answers will not help
My C: Hard Drive bearing is failing. It's sounding loud.
I need to boot up and QUICKLY locate, and then QUICKLY copy the Bookmarks Folder and files to a flash drive for my new computer, all before the bearing seizes.
I can see the hidden folders but am denied access to them.
I need to know exactly which folder name has the Bookmarks and it's exact location in the directory, and how to get access to this folder.
I can practice doing all this on my new Win 10 computer.
...and it has to be for Windows 10 where other access issues have arisen.
All Replies (8)
Firefox stores the bookmarks in the places.sqlite file in the Firefox profile folder.
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Backing_up_and_restoring_bookmarks_-_Firefox
You can use this button to go to the current Firefox profile folder:
- Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Show Folder (Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder)
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
- C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>\
"AppData" (XP: Application Data; Mac: ~/Library; Linux: ~/.mozilla) is a hidden folder.
See also:
botched editing
Modified by mike7sd
These are four pieces of information I need to solve my problem:
1 - the FILE NAME that contains my Bookmarks (Windows 10). 2 - the FOLDER NAME that contains the file (Windows 10). 3 - WHERE in the directory tree that folder is (Windows 10). 4 - I need to GAIN ACCESS to that folder in Windows 10. (not XP, not 8.1, not 7)
So far all the answers I've seen are for earlier versions of windows.
Modified by mike7sd
The folder structure in Windows Vista and later is the same (C:\Users\<user>\) and the files in the profile folder are the same for all supported operating systems.
Only Windows XP uses a different location (C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\).
The actual profile folder on the hard drive has random name, but you can find the folder in the location I posted above. You first need to locate personal data of the Windows user account under C:\Users\<user>\
- C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
"AppData" is a hidden folder, so make sure that you can see hidden files and folders.
Firefox stores the bookmarks in a SQLite database file named places.sqlite and keeps backups of the bookmarks in the bookmarkbackups folder.
- bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
- bookmark backups: JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
- SQLite files like cookies.sqlite (cookies) and formhistory.sqlite (saved form data)
- logins.json and key3.db (decryption key) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
- permissions.sqlite and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for Permissions and Site Preferences
- cert8.db for stored intermediate certificates (Certificate Manager)
- sessionstore.js for open tabs and pinned tabs and tab groups
- persdict.dat for words you added to the spelling checker dictionary
This is for Windows 10 - Attempting to follow all the above advice, I have located and can see C:\Users\mike\Application Data. But then my progress halts, because I'm denied access to Application Data folder, BECAUSE it's Windows 10. This is a Windows 10 access problem.
Application Data is not the same AppData.
Bingo! This almost completely solves it!
AppData vs. Application Data was the key. My Biological Spell corrector interfered. I found the Profiles folder with this file in it: 8qmibp63.default ----- Does that look right? ...random filename with "default" as the extension? (I'm new to extensions longer than three characters.)
The big solution to my problem then will be: (1) fire up my old computer with the bad HD bearing, (2) Zoom to Folder Options to unhide things. (3) Zoom to The Profiles Folder. (4) Copy the file to flash drive and turn off old computer. (5) Replace corresponding file in my new computer with the flashdrive file. (6) Done. :) Does that look right?
The reason I have ask all this is because I may only have a small amount of time to grab the file before the bearing completely fails.
Modified by mike7sd
Best is to start with the latest(s) compressed .jsonlz4 backups in the bookmarkbackups folder because those are relatively small compared to places.sqlite (places.sqlite is a multiple of 10 MB chunks).
You can copy files like these to your current Firefox profile folder.
- bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
- bookmark backups: JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
- SQLite files like cookies.sqlite (cookies) and formhistory.sqlite (saved form data)
- logins.json and key3.db (decryption key) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
- permissions.sqlite and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for Permissions and Site Preferences
- cert8.db for stored intermediate certificates (Certificate Manager)
- sessionstore.js for open tabs and pinned tabs and tab groups
- persdict.dat for words you added to the spelling checker dictionary