Another thing, when I restart Firefox I see the toolbar for a split second and then it vanishes. Also starting in safe mode does not help

Did you verify via customization mode that "Bookmarks Toolbar Items" is positioned on the Bookmarks Toolbar?

If that isn't the case then click the Restore Defaults button.

There might be a problem with the places.sqlite database.

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite database (bookmarks and history) in the Firefox profile folder.

• use "Verify Integrity" on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page
  in case errors are reported close and restart Firefox and retry

See also:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locked_or_damaged_places.sqlite
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file

If "Verify Integrity" on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page cannot repair places.sqlite then remove all places.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.

• keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Unable_to_process_the_backup_file_-_Firefox

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 Directory:
  Windows: Show Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox

Right click on your toolbar and Bookmarks toolbar

or see these pages:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/bookmarks-toolbar-display-favorite-websites

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customize-firefox-controls-buttons-and-toolbars

or try to refresh firefox:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings

cor-el said

Did you verify via customization mode that "Bookmarks Toolbar Items" is positioned on the Bookmarks Toolbar? If that isn't the case then click the Restore Defaults button.

---

There might be a problem with the places.sqlite database.

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite database (bookmarks and history) in the Firefox profile folder.

• use "Verify Integrity" on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page
  in case errors are reported close and restart Firefox and retry

See also:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Locked_or_damaged_places.sqlite
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file

If "Verify Integrity" on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page cannot repair places.sqlite then remove all places.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.

• keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Unable_to_process_the_backup_file_-_Firefox

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 Directory:
  Windows: Show Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox

As I mentioned, I followed older posts and have tried this already

While I appreciate the suggestions , none of them worked, and most of them were tried already.

I did a full restart of Firefox , it installed an update, and my bookmark toolbar is back, I hope it stays

I have come across this issue several times now, and tried many of the solutions others have posted - full re-installation, refreshing, disabling and re-enabling the Bookmarks Toolbar, etc.

I just had the same issue appear again, where Firefox would load up with no Bookmarks Toolbar showing, yet the selections were all in place indicating that it should be visible.

The super-simple fix I found, in my last case, was simply to create a new window (ctrl+n). And there, in the new windows, was my well-packed Bookmarks Toolbar.

The issue was caused because I had the option set to "Restore previous session", and the last window I closed had a script in it that prevented the toolbars appearing, as it was a pop-up from some website. Creating the new window and closing that last fixed the issue straight away.

Hopefully this quick fix may help some others out of this ridiculously recurring conundrum.