The description field has only been removed from the user interface in the Bookmarks Manager (Library). For now this description field is still present in the places.sqlite database and you can export the bookmarks to an HTML file of a JSON backup to have a backup copy that includes the descriptions.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/export-firefox-bookmarks-to-backup-or-transfer
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them

See also:

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/62.0/releasenotes/

Thank you so much. I used the bookmark description field for reference info. I was afraid I had lost years of reference info. Guess I gotta use a different tool for that.

AxelrodRocks said

Guess I gotta use a different tool for that.

I've only tested one so far...

Migrate Bookmarks to Zotero

Zotero is an open source bibliographic/research tool for collecting references. Zotero knows how to read a Firefox HTML bookmarks file (Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks) and will preserve the descriptions. You can keep your storage purely local, or you can optionally sync with the Zotero cloud.

This is a one-way trip: you can send new references to Zotero from within Firefox using a Zotero add-on, but you won't be able to read/edit bookmark descriptions from within Firefox.

If you want to try it:

The Zotero research tool is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux from https://www.zotero.org/

When you import a bookmarks.html file, it creates entries for each page but it flattens the folder structure, so it comes out like this:

• bookmarks.html, with top-level Bookmarks Menu items
  • Bookmarks Toolbar folder
  • Folder1
  • Folder2
  • Other Bookmarks folder

When you click a bookmark, Zotero displays the Title, URL, and "Abstract" which contains the imported Description. (Screenshot #1) Double-clicking the item will launch the page in the default browser.

Zotero also has an optional Firefox Connector webextension, which allow saving new pages to a Zotero collection (either under the bookmarks structure, or other folders the user created in Zotero). (Screenshot #2)

(I didn't look at cloud sync.)

Using a second program is less convenient than using Firefox features or a fully self-contained Firefox extension. However, it might suit your needs.

Install the previous version of Firefox or the Extended Support Release https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/ I did this and now have my descriptions back :-) Remember to set it not to update automatically.

graphicfunn said

Install the previous version of Firefox or the Extended Support Release https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/organizations/all/ I did this and now have my descriptions back :-) Remember to set it not to update automatically.

If you use the Extended Support Release of Firefox 60, it will get security update for the next 10-12 months without feature changes. You should accept updates for ESR. But then when that time is up, well, we don't know what Firefox will look like in September 2019.

Is anyone working on a plug-in that would open up the description field? Who wants to install yet another program (Zotero), ugh.

This extension might be able to import the descriptions from an HTML backup (i.e. not a JSON backup).

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/bookmark-notes/

See also:

• https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/bookbackreader.html

"The description field has ONLY been removed from the user interface in the Bookmarks Manager (Library)."

Exactly. And that's the problem. I make extensive use of my Bookmarks, the HTML export and the notes.

What was the point of removing this simple and useful feature, and why should I now have to resort to some complex external program as a workaround?

I always thought Mozilla was our side.

The underlying service that was used for the descriptions is synchronous (i.e. runs on the main Firefox processor thread). All synchronous services have been deprecated and will be removed, so it is no longer possible to access the descriptions. The descriptions haven't been removed from the places.sqlite database (there is no fixed timeline for this), so it is still possible to export them to an HTML backup.

cor-el said

The underlying service that was used for the descriptions is synchronous (i.e. runs on the main Firefox processor thread). All synchronous services have been deprecated and will be removed, so it is no longer possible to access the descriptions...

So, why can't they write-up another 'Processor Thread' for the Bookmarks if they're taking it out of the 'Main' Thread?

~Pj

Have switched over to the ESR releases; currently on 60.3.0esr (64-bit, Windows), but EXTREMELY unhappy that this remedy is terminal, and that I only have 10 months.

Please Mozilla, please find another solution to the lost information in the More section of Bookmarks.

The only option is to use an extension that implements its own version of the descriptions. This specific description field is removed and it won't come back.

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/bookmark-notes/