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Exporting bookmarks to HTML does not export all bookmarks.

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I'm trying to transfer all my old Firefox bookmarks from an older laptop to my new one. (Both run Windows 7; old one has Ultimate, new one has Pro, and both have the most recent update of Firefox.)

When I select Export to HTML in an attempt to create a backup, it produces an HTML file; however, not all bookmarks are present in the file! The first time, only the first folder appeared (though it did contain all five sub-folders). The second time, roughly half or three-quarters of bookmarks list was there, but the last two folders plus some loose bookmarks were absent.

How can I ensure that all my bookmarks are being exported when I try to export them to HMTL? (Saw another question from a user having the same problem, but they were exporting via JSON file; could the issues be linked?)

I'm trying to transfer all my old Firefox bookmarks from an older laptop to my new one. (Both run Windows 7; old one has Ultimate, new one has Pro, and both have the most recent update of Firefox.) When I select Export to HTML in an attempt to create a backup, it produces an HTML file; however, not all bookmarks are present in the file! The first time, only the first folder appeared (though it did contain all five sub-folders). The second time, roughly half or three-quarters of bookmarks list was there, but the last two folders plus some loose bookmarks were absent. How can I ensure that all my bookmarks are being exported when I try to export them to HMTL? (Saw another question from a user having the same problem, but they were exporting via JSON file; could the issues be linked?)

All Replies (2)

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HI phoenixargent, Thank you for your question. I understand that when you move your bookmarks html back up to another pc that the 5 folder deep bookmarks do not appear correctly, and some are missing.

I was not able to reproduce this with two folders deep, so this may be a specific use case. I was not able to reproduce this with a 5 deep test folder either. It appeared correctly in the bookmarks menu. Is this happening in the bookmarks toolbar? In unsorted bookmarks? Does it happen consistently with the same folder?

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Several versions ago, a bug was discovered where the export or backup was empty; Firefox was choking at some point in the process and generating only an empty file. That was fixed. However, it's certainly possible there is a different bug that causes Firefox halt the export (or backup) part of the way through. However, identifying what might be causing that is difficult because your results are inconsistent between different runs of the feature.

Could you try exporting in Firefox's Safe Mode? That's a standard diagnostic tool to deactivate extensions and some advanced features of Firefox. More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

Not all add-ons are disabled: Flash and other plugins still run

After Firefox shuts down, a small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset).

Any difference?