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

Stupid Firefox removed all my passwords after doing a factory reset- how to do i get it back?

  • 6 majibu
  • 1 ana tatizo hili
  • 11 views
  • Last reply by Dropa

more options

I had to do a factory reset and cannot retrieve passwords from firefox/ How can i retrieve them?

I had to do a factory reset and cannot retrieve passwords from firefox/ How can i retrieve them?

All Replies (7)

more options

Unfortunately, a Factory Reset wipes clean everything and there nothing more that can be done here. If this is "Factory Computer Reset" - when you first bought the computer, it wipes clean everything to factory settings. This isn't a Firefox issue that caused this. And sync will not work if this was the main computer with the saved data as well.

more options

Thank you for responding. However, i did not give permission for my log in details to be saved on the system in the first place , it seems like firefox and google saved my details- so why all of a sudden it cannot be retrieved?

Modified by zannado

more options

Hi

Thank you for your question about the Firefox Sync service.

It appears from your question, that you are using Firefox Sync as a back up service. This is not what Sync is designed to do. The Firefox Sync service takes a copy of the data you wish to include and transfers it to a second device (typically a mobile device such as a tablet or a telephone) running a copy of Firefox. The storage in between all attached devices is both temporary and fragile and is not stable enough to be (and is not designed as) a reliable backup service.

If you have a copy of your Firefox profile for desktop Firefox, you may be able to recover your bookmarks and other data. Please have a read of this article.

If you have a copy of your data on a mobile version of Firefox, please follow these instructions to connect it to Firefox Sync to copy your data.

more options

Hi Paul,

Thank you for responding. I am rather confused as i do not know how sync is for phones- as i have not sync or trying to sync any devices to firefox.. Am i reading you correctlly? Does it appear someone has remotely saved my log in's on their phone hence why it is shown on firefox?.

I have never requested for firefox to save my log in's in the first place, so i was surprised it was there. As i said, i had to do a factory reset and have downloaded firefox again, it did not save any loggins other than one.

I am not interested in retrieving my bookmarks- only my passwords

Modified by zannado

more options

Can you address what i have written please.. I am so distressed at the moment...

Firefox has stored my passwords without my permission, yet acts like i am asking them to move mountains to retrieve them

Yes, i could have written them down somewhere, i understand but i did not want them to fall into the wrong hands or mistakenly dispose of them is why i kept them where they were. But given that firefox has allowed google to store them, i should have the right to get them back

Modified by zannado

more options

Firefox doesn't by default save logins/password - the user must enable both of these features to AutoFill/AutoSave login/password. So not sure why you keep saying it "stores passwords without my permission". So if the original computer had all those logins/password and was wipe clean to "Computer Factory Install" then everything is gone and no there is no way to undelete/restore or find them now. And if the sync wasn't set or not done before then anything not sync current or if it was done no longer exits. Google doesn't store firefox logins-not sure why are saying or just grabbing at straws here.

more options

You are INCORRECT.. When using Firefox i am always curious when it asked to log my password deletes because i KNOW they are linked with Google and i ALWAYS reject the requests. Hence why i said previously that i was shocked there were stored.

I only found out about a month ago by accident when i clicked on passwords and saw some of them on there.To think all those years they had been storing my passwords is a huge security breach of data and NOW i want those logins- all of a sudden ," Firefox doesnt store them".

I personally think you are lying and just simply do not wish to provide me with my log because you monitor EVERYTHING i do and know that those passwords LEGITIMATELY belongs to me.

If you did not store them in the first place, i would not feel the need to approach you to retrieve them.

Modified by zannado