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Firefox Refresh Wiped my saved passwords! Help!
I need help restoring my passwords. I saw a suggestion to refresh Firefox, and so I did, thinking it wasn't more than disabling the add-ons. I didn't realize it would eliminate my logins and passwords. Can someone help me find them? Otherwise I'm in some trouble.
Chosen solution
Sorry to hear about this problem, a Refresh should preserve your saved logins.
Normally, if a Refresh runs to completion, your old data is placed in a new folder on your Windows desktop named Old Firefox Data. Can you find that folder and check whether it has freshly updated files inside?
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Chosen Solution
Sorry to hear about this problem, a Refresh should preserve your saved logins.
Normally, if a Refresh runs to completion, your old data is placed in a new folder on your Windows desktop named Old Firefox Data. Can you find that folder and check whether it has freshly updated files inside?
The Refresh took things into safe mode also. I learned the way to get out of safe mode, and that seems to have done it. And now that I found the Old Firefox Data, I think I'm in much better shape. Thank you for your quick response too.
I wound up in safe mode also. I found the folder called Old Firefox Data. How do I extract the contents? How do I get out of Safe Mode?
Maggy611 said
I wound up in safe mode also. I found the folder called Old Firefox Data. How do I extract the contents? How do I get out of Safe Mode?
To get out of Firefox's Safe Mode, completely exit/quit Firefox, then start it up again without holding down the Shift key. If Firefox won't start up normally even then, perhaps there is some kind of file lock or corruption?
The Old Firefox Data folder should contain one or more individual profile folders with names like ab321q56.default-release (random part on the left, dot, readable part on the right).
What do you need to restore?
You can copy certain files with Firefox closed to the current profile folder to transfer or recover personal data. Note that best is to avoid copying a full profile folder.
- bookmarks and history: places.sqlite
- favicons: favicons.sqlite
- bookmark backups: compressed .jsonlz4 JSON backups in the bookmarkbackups folder
- cookies.sqlite for the Cookies
- formhistory.sqlite for saved autocomplete Form Data
- logins.json (encrypted logins;32+) and key4.db (decryption key;58+) for Passwords saved in the Password Manager
key3.db support ended in 73+; to use key3.db in 58-72, make sure to remove key4.db - cert9.db (58+) for (intermediate) certificates stored in the Certificate Manager
- persdict.dat for words added to the spell checker dictionary
- permissions.sqlite for Permissions and possibly content-prefs.sqlite for other website specific data (Site Preferences)
- sessionstore.jsonlz4 for open tabs and pinned tabs (see also the sessionstore-backups folder)
You can use the button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.
- Help -> Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder - https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data
I hate firefox! everytime I have refreshed it throws out all my passwords. Why?
eddmoore99 said
I hate firefox! everytime I have refreshed it throws out all my passwords. Why?
Why do things randomly go wrong? I don't know.
Was that the only data Firefox didn't migrate from your old profile to your new one -- bookmarks, history, open tabs, all came over fine?