This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Restore prefs.js without sync

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by Brad

more options

While trying to troubleshoot a site login problem (ticketmaster.com), I made a backup of my prefs.js, and reset a few hundred preferences in about:config. After finding the pref that caused the problem (tracking), I shut down FF, copied the backup prefs.js in place and restarted. After FF synced, though, my prefs were reset to the previous session with all the reset values.

How do I restore a prefs.js and either *not* fetch the values stored in my online profile, or update my online profile with the values from the file? Is there a timestamp I can update, or some other value to set?

Thanks.

While trying to troubleshoot a site login problem (ticketmaster.com), I made a backup of my prefs.js, and reset a few hundred preferences in about:config. After finding the pref that caused the problem (tracking), I shut down FF, copied the backup prefs.js in place and restarted. After FF synced, though, my prefs were reset to the previous session with all the reset values. How do I restore a prefs.js and either *not* fetch the values stored in my online profile, or update my online profile with the values from the file? Is there a timestamp I can update, or some other value to set? Thanks.

Chosen solution

I ended up just diff'ing the backup prefs.js with the synced one in Vim and manually adjusting the config values. Seems to have worked well enough.

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (3)

more options

Change your Sync not to handle prefs. (That's a thing, i hope.) Or possibly delete them manually in the Sync account. Copy your prefs.js back. Set Sync to handle prefs again.

Or, can you completely wipe the server side, then let Sync push to the server?

Or... doesn't Sync have "sync out" and "sync in" (whatever they may actually be called) buttons? Or just a plain manual sync with no options?

Sorry, i won't touch that stuff so i have no clue, but maybe it will spark an idea for you.

more options

Prefs that have a corresponding services.sync.prefs.sync.<pref-name> pref that is set to true will be synced to other devices If you do not want to sync a pref that is currently included then set corresponding Boolean services.sync.prefs.sync pref to false.

more options

Chosen Solution

I ended up just diff'ing the backup prefs.js with the synced one in Vim and manually adjusting the config values. Seems to have worked well enough.