Are you using Firefox Sync or the iCloud Bookmarks extension?

If the latter, good luck getting help for issues which may be caused by that extension. I have never used it, but I have used Firefox Sync and helped users fix problems very similar to what you describe with what became massive duplication of their bookmarks. But it sounds like your duplication is happening far faster than what I would expect with Firefox Sync.

Question is - are you using a "mobile" Firefox on that iCloud Account? i.e., "mobile" meaning Firefox for iOS or Firefox for Android

If so, that might be a cause for what you described. It happens with Firefox Sync, too. I suspect with the manner that the Sync server handles "mobile" bookmarks vs the desktop version of Firefox. And that very well could cause issues with 3rd party "bookmarks sync" applications, too.

Overall, the treatment you did for all the Firefox installations should have fixed that duplication; pretty much what I recommend for support questions with Firefox Sync, with great success for those users who complete the painful process toweard resolution.

sunshinedi said

When in safe mode, the bookmarks do not duplicate. But outside of safe mode they duplicate exponentially.
I don't know what else to try.

Hello sunshinedi,

Not only do you have that iCloud Bookmarks extensions installed, but also "Bookmarks Dupes" ......

Would you please disable them one by one and see if maybe one of them turns out to be the culprit (if not both ... )  ?

I was super excited for the iCloud suggestion. Bookmarks Dup I only downloaded one last night and only one the one computer.

This morning I disabled the iCloud bookmarks backup for Firefox. And lo and behold it stopped duplicating on the two computers I did it on.

However, on one of the computers I turned on Firefox Sync again, and it started duplicating immediately. Is not still not duplicating on the other computer that has it off.

I will go through all the steps I tried before with iCloud now disabled, but was wondering if you knew of anything else. At this point I ready do download Chrome, but i so prefer Firefox. :(

So I ended up restoring the bookmarks again in safe mode, verified the integrity of the database, and then created a new Firefox Sync login using one of my other email accounts. My bookmarks are now not duplicating.

I surmise from this that my old Firefox Sync account is somehow damaged, as when I logged in on only one computer it immediately started duplicating.

So for now the problem is not happening. I don't plan on turning iCloud Sync again for Firefox as I don't have any other email account should this new Firefox Sync account start corrupting - but this also means that I do not have access to my bookmarks on my phone or my login in information which is really a pain.

So although it's not happening, this problem is not fixed; it more of a kludge or a tweak to get it working.

I would like to try to solve the problem using my old sync account so that I have access on my phone as well. So if someone has a suggestion as to how I could proceed I would appreciate it.

Using both Sync and iCloud Bookmarks is known to cause issues like that. "We" saw the same problem with Xmarks, but not to the degree as "we" have seen with iCloud Bookmarks.

A shame that you didn't mention that in your inital posting or directly answer my question when I asked - Are you using Firefox Sync or the iCloud Bookmarks extension? Sorry I didn't think to ask about using both together

IMO your bookmarks were getting corrupted possibly by using both Sync and iCloud Bookmarks either simultaneously or when switching beyond the two. That seems to be the most frequently mentioned causes that I have picked up in this forum.

But the 2nd most frequent cause I have figured out from users posting in this forum is that there is a problem with corruption that I have been tracking from the time that Firefox for iOS went into the beta testing phase a few years. The Sync process was modified for both the Firefox for Android & for iOS right about the same time, and that is when we started seeing support question threads about the desktop / laptop version of Firefox having the "duplicate bookmarks corruption" issue. I have weighed in on a few threads that mentioned a couple hundred sets of duplicates mentioned, when users didn't discover the duplicate for many weeks. I figure that when Firefox was opened & closed repeatedly throughout the day and that was when the duplicates were being created, and as long as Firefox remained open the duplicates were not being generated; that "figuring" was due to comments from a few users who mentioned during the course of troubleshooting that they would use Firefox for a short time and then close it, only to open Firefox again a few minutes later -- rather than minimize Firefox to use another application. Firefox connects to the Sync server when Firefox is launched, and when Firefox remains open it will "contact" the Sync server periodically throughout the "session" to send user data toi the Sync server. That IMO doesn't recreate the actions done on 'launch' or the initial connection that Firefox makes; different than when Firefox remains open even if not being actively used during a session when it is kept open.

That said you didn't directly answer my question - are you using a "mobile" Firefox on that iCloud Account?

At the end of your 2nd answer / posting today you kinda slipped that in when you mentioned a "phone" and having an "old Sync account". More than likely that is the "key" to this duplication of bookmarks issue! As I stated yesterday ...

As far as your comment - I would like to try to solve the problem using my old sync account so that I have access on my phone as well.

The "key" to fixing the corruption on the Sync server, all you need to do is to log on to your account on the web, here - https://accounts.firefox.com/settings? - and Change ... your Password. That will clear all your data which is sitting on the Sync server. But keep in mind that connecting a "phone" (either Firefox for Android or Firefox for iOS) make start the duplication of bookmarks all over again, IMO there is something wrong with the Sync server which is causing the problem on the desktop / laptop version of Firefox.

As far as switching to Chrome, you'll be welcomed back when you return to using Firefox.

Thank you for all the information.

Sorry I didn't mention in my first email about using iCloud Sync. It didn't occur to me that this could have been a problem because no where I find in my searches on this issue did it even mentioned iCloud or that iCloud sync could be the problem. So I never even considered it. But from the get go I did turn off Firefox sync on all three computers and my phone. And then was testing strictly on two of my computers to try to solve the problem.

What I didn't understand until after this last response was that using them BOTH (Firefox Sync and iCloud Sync for Firefox Bookmarks) was causing the problem.

So, this morning I logged into my new Firefox Sync account on my iPhone with iCloud Sync for Firefox Bookmarks still disabled, and I am not having duplication problems.

I agree with your assessment that iCloud Sync for Firefox Bookmarks is the culprit when used in conjunction with Firefox Sync.

I am so relieved to have this fixed and have my bookmarks synced on all of my devices. Thank you so much for taking your time to walk this through with me.

You're welcome!

I have Firefox on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, and I need to be able to sync all of them. Tens of thousands of bookmarks and folders getting duplicated is a real pain. I initially thought xmarks was causing the problem as I was using only xmarks. After it was withdrawn I switched to Firefox sync, not iCloud, and initially it seemed stable but has recurred with a vengeance. I think there is something wrong with the way the bookmarks are stored as some of the folders I have deleted or reorganized years ago appear in their old locations. I am not sure if switching to a new account will ultimately solve the problem. Initially yes, it will use this set as the base and all will be well, but at some point the problem will recur.

@ Soyanoya :

Would you please start your own thread and post a new question ?

Not only is this thread really old and about to be archived - when you start your own thread, people will be able to see your system details. Also you're more likely to get an answer than in this old thread that has been marked as solved.

Use this link to post a question :

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/desktop/other

(scroll down some)

I will. Thanks.