If you use Sync then best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.

You can check for problems with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.

• use "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page

In case errors are reported with "Verify Integrity" close and restart Firefox and retry.

If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.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

If you use Sync then best is to reconnect one device at the time and wait for the initial Sync to finish before connecting another device once you have fixed the bookmarks.

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional

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/Folder:
  Windows: Show Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Profiles

perhaps I should phrase this differently. Is FFx capable of syncing bookmarks from OSX Sierra Mac to an Android on aOS 8/Oreo? I've restored my Mac bookmarks, but each time I try to sync with the android phone, destruction occurs on both ends. Verify Integrity reports no errors. I tossed places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite. No change. When I try to sync again, chaos ensues. I did have this working at one time, but I just had to reinstall the Android OS and that killed it. Is there a way to export bookmarks from the Mac to the Android?

metropical said

perhaps I should phrase this differently. Is FFx capable of syncing bookmarks from OSX Sierra Mac to an Android on aOS 8/Oreo? I've restored my Mac bookmarks, but each time I try to sync with the android phone, destruction occurs on both ends. ....

Yes, those devices should work properly with Sync. Sounds like corrupt data on the Sync server that keeps sending the corruption back to the devices.

My suggestion is to disconnect all devices from Sync, then run the Verify Integrity process (again) on each laptop / desktop device. Then before you connect back to Sync change the Password for your Firefox Account; that will clear your corrupt data from the Sync server. Once that is done slowly connect your laptop / desktop devices to Sync; the initial Sync might take awhile so don't rush it.

Once Sync on those devices are working properly connect the Android device to Sync. See it that permanently solves your corruption issue.

metropical said

Is there a way to export bookmarks from the Mac to the Android?

Export / Import of bookmarks appends any existing bookmarks which will result in duplicates of almost all bookmarks. And that type of "corruption" will find its way into Sync and just make the situation worse.

nope. same again. Tried this a few times. Bookmarks get obliterated each time on both devices, MBA and Android phone. Any other ideas?

with sync turnoff on the desktop and disconnected on the android.

> Task: checkIntegrity + The places.sqlite database is sane + The favicons.sqlite database is sane > Task: invalidateCaches + The caches have been invalidated > Task: checkCoherence + The database is coherent > Task: expire + Database cleaned up > Task: originFrecencyStats + Recalculated origin frecency stats > Task: vacuum + Initial database size is 5120KiB + The database has been vacuumed + Final database size is 5120KiB > Task: stats + Places.sqlite size is 5120KiB + Favicons.sqlite size is 6880KiB + pragma_user_version is 53 + pragma_page_size is 32768 + pragma_cache_size is -2048 + pragma_journal_mode is wal + pragma_synchronous is 1 + History can store a maximum of 86232 unique pages + Table moz_origins has 3249 records + Table moz_places has 3366 records + Table moz_historyvisits has 54 records + Table moz_inputhistory has 0 records + Table moz_bookmarks has 4832 records + Table moz_bookmarks_deleted has 0 records + Table moz_keywords has 0 records + Table sqlite_sequence has 0 records + Table moz_anno_attributes has 1 records + Table moz_annos has 18 records + Table moz_items_annos has 0 records + Table moz_meta has 5 records + Table sqlite_stat1 has 15 records + Index sqlite_autoindex_moz_origins_1 + Index sqlite_autoindex_moz_inputhistory_1 + Index sqlite_autoindex_moz_bookmarks_deleted_1 + Index sqlite_autoindex_moz_keywords_1 + Index sqlite_autoindex_moz_anno_attributes_1 + Index moz_places_url_hashindex + Index moz_places_hostindex + Index moz_places_visitcount + Index moz_places_frecencyindex + Index moz_places_lastvisitdateindex + Index moz_places_guid_uniqueindex + Index moz_places_originidindex + Index moz_historyvisits_placedateindex + Index moz_historyvisits_fromindex + Index moz_historyvisits_dateindex + Index moz_bookmarks_itemindex + Index moz_bookmarks_parentindex + Index moz_bookmarks_itemlastmodifiedindex + Index moz_bookmarks_dateaddedindex + Index moz_bookmarks_guid_uniqueindex + Index moz_keywords_placepostdata_uniqueindex + Index moz_annos_placeattributeindex + Index moz_items_annos_itemattributeindex > Task: _refreshUI

I have the same problem when syncing Android phone. Bookmarks from desktops get messed up. I use Xiaomi phone and Win10, Ubuntu desktops.

Restoring from previous dates and syncing without phone works, though.

Yea, I can clean up my desktop bookmarks NP. But I do miss them on the Android as I used to have.

Changing the password for your Firefox Account would have cleared corrupt data from the Sync server; then when connecting your Mac to Sync with the new password the Android device would get a fresh load of "clean" data thru Sync.

the-edmeister said

Changing the password for your Firefox Account would have cleared corrupt data from the Sync server; then when connecting your Mac to Sync with the new password the Android device would get a fresh load of "clean" data thru Sync.

so you said, but it does not.

Changing password worked for me! Changed it with Lockwise on Android first, but neither old or new password worked on desktops then(!). Changed it with "forgot password" on desktops and it worked. Android sync took it's time - I think I might have interrupted some syncing on earlier fails - I assumed it would run in background. Don't know if that might have been a factor in the earlier fails? Oddly Firefox seemed to remember and fill in my new password on the desktop before I was logged in... worrying from security standpoint.

The report you posted shows you have about 5000 bookmarks, but not much history. I don't know how syncing a large amount of bookmarks to mobile works

+ Table moz_origins has 3249 records
+ Table moz_places has 3366 records
+ Table moz_historyvisits has 54 records
+ Table moz_inputhistory has 0 records 
+ Table moz_bookmarks has 4832 records

You can open about:sync-log via the location bar to see whether recent logs are available. You can upload a recent log if the log is too big to put in a reply.

• https://pastebin.com/

https://pastebin.com/65FMcbxF

that's the results of - about:sync-log. It does show a "log-in" error, but I dunno why. Perhaps one of you can offer up a way to fix this? I did have bookmarks synced previously. I decided to step back my Android phone to Oreo coz Pie was terrible. That forced me to unlock the bootloader and root the phone to step back. But everything else is working fine on it, so I don't think that's the issue.

History I dump every week or so. I seldom use it.

In the meantime, I'll try "forget" as NeonBlack did.

Hi, Dr, FF automatically creates backups of your bookmarks, just try this two steps...

Click the Bookmarks button (or > Bookmarks) and select Show All Bookmarks. At the top of the Library window, click on Import and Backup and select Restore

I give up. I tried "forgot" as NeonBlack suggested. When I signed back in, restored my desktop bookmarks from my own back up, not FFx, which is badly corrupter I guess. Sync'd without the Android. Left for a few hours. Signed in the Android and everything was completely messed up, on both the desktop and the Android, in five minutes.

Sync is badly broken. I deleted my acct and restored by bookmarks on the desktop, which is more important. I'll go without on the phone

someone must have another idea ..............?

tried again.

signed out on both the desktop and Android. Uninstalled on the Android.

Made a new pw for the desktop. Imported bookmarks from a back-up. Installed FFx on Android and signed in. Ran sync on both. Chaos on both in 10 mins where bookmarks are concerned. If bookmark sync is working for others, there must be something I'm doing wrong.

metropical said

... Chaos on both in 10 mins where bookmarks are concerned. ...

Sync isn't going to work that fast, especially when "mobile" Firefox is used along with a "desktop/laptop" versions of Firefox! Sometimes the initial Sync process can take many hours for the Sync server to properly arrange all the bookmarks on a "mobile" device and that cam affect the bookmarks organization process on a laptop / desktop version of Firefox, too. Plus Firefox on both "mobile" and on "desktop" need to be running for Sync to "do its thing" with regards to the organization process. Plus, that process can be affected by the overall load on the Sync server, which a shared server which typically used by other Firefox installations in the same locale / time zone. When "everyone" has Firefox open (and connected to Sync) at the same time Sync will work slower than if you would be connected when everyone else is sleeping.

OK, so I should try again and have both devices running, ie: both devices on or more than that? And leave them to find their way for a few hours?

I did it again. And have let them both sit for 8 hrs or so, FFx running, sync on both. The good news, the desktop seems to be intact. Bad news, Android is a mess where Bookmarks are concerned.

As cor-el posted:

+ Table moz_bookmarks has 4832 records

And he stated "I don't know how syncing a large amount of bookmarks to mobile works."

Perhaps that is too many bookmarks for Android to handle efficiently? Or perhaps the Sync server needs more time to arrange that many bookmarks on Android?

I don't have a smart phone so I have no user experience with Firefox for Android (or for iOS) or experience with Sync on any other 'mobile' device such as a tablet.

Just a 'SWAG' here, try leaving Firefox for Android running longer. And maybe closing and relaunching Firefox for Android periodically. On desktop devices Firefox will 'check' with Sync for changed data with each 'launch', I would guess that 'mobile' would do the same. Once you get beyond the initial synchronization on the 'mobile' device Sync won't need to do as much work organizing.

A "best practices tip" when using Sync: When you go to rearrange bookmarks on any type of device Disconnect that device from the Sync server. Then when you are done rearranging bookmarks close Firefox before you Connect back to the Sync server.

I have observed that the first few bookmarks that are moved do get sent to the Sync server immediately, but then Sync seems to switch to what I would call a "batch mode" when changes get saved and then sent in a "batch" to the Sync server. Then depending upon the frequency of changes being made, it seems the the "batch mode" may get trigger multiple times in one sitting. My "test case" was done a number of years ago when I was transitioning from an old PC to a new PC (with an older version of Sync on both) with two desktop PC's sitting side by side, so I don't know if Sync handles that situation more gracefully or not.