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Does resetting Sync password clear data if I'm still logged in?

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  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by FredMcD

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I recently had to wipe my laptop and didn't have a chance to back stuff up off it. Thankfully, all my tabs and passwords are synced with Firefox Sync, but alas, I don't remember my password. So I pulled an old laptop I hadn't touched in a couple years, it was still logged in to Firefox Sync -- I could see all my tabs and passwords there. But the password for Firefox Sync itself? Out of date, turns out it's wrong (must've changed it at some point and not updated.)

So now I'm forced to, eventually, reset my password. What to do? Well, it says it will clear all my data (passwords, tabs, etc.) At the same time, since I'm *already logged in* and can view all the data, I'm hoping it would just stay here locally when it gets wiped server-side, and then I could re-sync my tabs and passwords in. Does this work this way?

tl;dr if I'm already logged into Firefox Sync, and reset the password, will I still lose everything?

Thanks.

I recently had to wipe my laptop and didn't have a chance to back stuff up off it. Thankfully, all my tabs and passwords are synced with Firefox Sync, but alas, I don't remember my password. So I pulled an old laptop I hadn't touched in a couple years, it was still logged in to Firefox Sync -- I could see all my tabs and passwords there. But the password for Firefox Sync itself? Out of date, turns out it's wrong (must've changed it at some point and not updated.) So now I'm forced to, eventually, reset my password. What to do? Well, it says it will clear all my data (passwords, tabs, etc.) At the same time, since I'm *already logged in* and can view all the data, I'm hoping it would just stay here locally when it gets wiped server-side, and then I could re-sync my tabs and passwords in. Does this work this way? tl;dr if I'm already logged into Firefox Sync, and reset the password, will I still lose everything? Thanks.

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Resetting the sync password, or changing its e-mail will remove all data from the servers. The username and password are used to create the encryption.

This is a security feature. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/ive-lost-my-firefox-sync-account-information

  • I've lost my Firefox Sync account information - What to do
  • I’ve forgotten, or don't have access to, my Firefox Account email address

Note: Only the data on the servers is cleared. The profile data is not changed or removed.