Why won't My bookmarks open?

Why Won't Firefox Import Bookmarks?

• Answer:

  Manually adding bookmarks to Firefox can be time consuming, especially if you have numerous entries to add from another browser or computer. To help with this, Firefox has the ability to automatically import multiple bookmarks at once, and although this feature usually works well, the importation may sometimes fail due to problems with the bookmark file. Usually you can correct these problems with a few minutes of work. Other times Firefox only appears to have failed at the import, when in fact the bookmarks are available in an unusual location. Incompatible Files Not all files storing bookmarks are compatible with Firefox. Firefox only imports bookmarks from HTML files. You can find the type of file you have for importing by right-clicking it and selecting "Properties." The file type is listed next to "type of file." If you're attempting to import a bookmark backup that Firefox created, the import will not work because that file is a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. To use this file type, you must click the "Import and Backup" option in the Firefox bookmark library and highlight "Restore," then click "Choose File." Corrupt Data Sometimes imports fail if the bookmark file is damaged. If the file is corrupt, Firefox may import some or none of the bookmarks from it. You won't necessarily receive an error message if this is the case, so you may want to try importing the file to another browser to see if the import works or fails. The only way to correct this problem is to recreate the bookmark file with whatever browser you used originally. Profiles The bookmarks you use, whether you import them or create them manually, are unique to your Firefox profile. Usually you only have a single profile, but if someone has created new profiles or if Firefox has generated a new profile, a bookmark import may appear to fail if you import them to one profile and then open Firefox with another. To check this, click the "Start" button and type "firefox.exe -p" into the search box. Press "Enter." A list of Firefox profiles appears. If you see more than one, click on a profile and click "Start Firefox." You can look for the imported bookmarks in that profile. You can repeat this process and work through all of the profiles to find your bookmarks. If you want to set the profile with your bookmarks as the default, click that profile and select "Don't ask at startup," then click "Start Firefox." Bookmarks Location If you import your bookmarks and find that you can't find them anywhere, they may have imported to a location you're not used to. If you click the bookmark icon near the top right corner of your window and click "Show All Bookmarks," you can view all bookmarks in the bookmark library. You'll see your bookmarks and bookmark folders in the left navigation pane. Imported bookmarks appear in a folder named for the browser they came from, like "From Internet Explorer" or "From Opera." You can reorganize the bookmarks by dragging and dropping them to other locations. Any bookmarks in the "Bookmarks Toolbar" section will appear at the top of your Firefox window if your bookmarks bar is enabled.