There are YouTube videos?

To be honest, there are several steps, but if you take it step by step, you can do it in about 5 minutes.

Check inside "Old Firefox Data" folder that Refresh adds to your desktop for a folder with a semi-randomized name. If there's only one, that probably has your old settings and add-ons. If there's more than one, you'll want to work with the one that was updated most recently.

Once you have identified the profile folder you want to restore, here is my suggested "old profile resurrection procedure":

Overview

These are the steps described in more detail below:

1. Create a new Firefox profile
2. Remove everything from that new profile folder
3. Copy in everything from the old profile folder

Create a new Firefox profile (Windows)

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager by pasting the following into the Start menu search box, or the Start > Run dialog, and pressing Enter:

firefox.exe -P

Note: Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

Click the Create Profile button, assign a name like OldSettings, and skip the option to change the folder location. Then select that new profile in the dialog and start Firefox.

Open the New Profile folder in Windows Explorer

Firefox in the new profile should look like a factory fresh installation. Open the Troubleshooting Information page using either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
• Help menu > Troubleshooting Information
• type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table, click the "Show Folder" button. Firefox will launch your brand new profile folder in Windows Explorer.

Leaving that folder open, switch back to Firefox, and Exit using either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
• (menu bar) File > Exit

When Firefox closes, the profile folder should be front and center, or you can activate it using the Task bar.

Copy Old Data in Place of New

In that new profile folder you just popped open -- NOT the one on your desktop -- select all the contents (you can use Ctrl+a) and delete (you can press the Delete key on the keyboard).

Leaving that window open, open or switch over to your Old Firefox Data folder. Drill down into your old profile folder. At this level you should see a folder named bookmarkbackups among other things.

Select everything (Ctrl+a) and Copy (either right-click > Copy or Ctrl+c).

Switch to the empty new profile folder in other window and Paste (either right-click > Paste or Ctrl+v). This may take a minute since some of the files are large.

Start Firefox

Firefox should start up in that "new" profile with the resurrected old profile data. Success?

These can't get your data back, but will help in the future.

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

jscher2000 - There are Firefox profiles?

I appreciate your reply but I was hoping for a simpler way. I don't have a file on my desktop (the old version of Firefox) and I can't find it. The rest is a bit over my head.

Is there an easier way for someone who isn't tech savvy (at all)?

Thanks ...

In the world of Firefox, a profile is a semi-randomly-named folder that contains your settings files and accumulated data. This folder normally is located under

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

When you do a Firefox refresh, your current profile folder is moved to the Windows desktop inside a folder named Old Firefox Data.

If the Refresh is canceled part way through, the sometimes it is not moved, but then Firefox probably wouldn't be working at all...

Are you sure there's no Old Firefox Data folder? If your desktop is very, uh, cluttered, you could try using the Windows Start menu search box, just type or paste old firefox data and see whether Windows can find it.

(Note: AppData is a hidden folder, so if you want to look around in there, you need to change a setting in Windows to let you see hidden files and folders: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wi.../show-hidden-files)

Jscher2000 - There's no folder on my desktop called 'old firefox data.'

BUT I searched in the start menu and a folder did come up with that name - I clicked on it and it's called - jgev8lhm.default.

This is out of my league ... I was hoping for a very simple fix.

I appreciate your help. :-)

Open one file browser to that folder. Now open a second file browser. Copy this into the address bar (replace <user>) C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

Now move the jgev8lhm.default folder to the Profiles folder.

Once you are done, open the Profile Manager. Then try to access that profile.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles

blueave said

I was hoping for a very simple fix.

I think it's technically possible for someone to create a tool for that, but it's beyond my abilities.

Perhaps we should pivot to a different approach: what's missing from your "post-Refresh" profile that you need back?

I'm just going to leave it and get used to the changes. In the future I'll be much more careful about clicking on anything! Thanks for the suggestions. :-) Dee

These can't get your data back, but will help in the future.

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

Thank you for the back up info. I have a different way of saving passwords etc. I write them down!  :-)

Thanks again.