Can you describe in more detail what you have the backup folder? For example, do you see a folder named bookmarkbackups that contains dated files? These can be restored to a new installation of Firefox (replacing whatever is currently there with the set from the backup).

If you don't have that folder, do you have places.sqlite?

The answer is yes you can drag and drop, but I am not too clear what you have done, so I will attempt to briefly answer likely possibilities.

If you will bear with me I will try to explain some of my understandings about Firefox and its bookmarks. Although you see them in the library or sidebar they are stored in a database, along with other info in a file called places.sqlite . That resides in something called the profile. Firefox also does some clever tricks to back those up and restore them as necessary, so has a backups folder. Additionally it allows the bookmarks to be exported or imported as two types of file .html (try to avoid) or .json

So one question is what sort of files have you managed to keep ?

Now talking about the Firefox Bookmarks Library
you may note that has by default a folder or directory called 'bookmarks toolbar'

Anything in the bookmarks toolbar within the library will appear on the toolbar you see. (space permitting, and sometimes as nested folders)

You can drag and drop to your hearts content within the library, including to the folder for the toolbar.

(It allows a lot more, for instance
- dragging onto a desktop to make a shortcut
- to or from another open library or browser window
- dragging and dropping to become a tab, or as a toolbar item)

If you exported your bookmarks as a standard .json file before working on your computer, then you should have them stored somewhere as a .json file. If you open the library it gives you the option under import and export to browse for and import files.

It is rather more complicated if you stored the raw data files/folders from a profile.

See also

• Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer
• profiles

The backup file is on my hard drive, in a folder called Favorites, within My Documents. It consists of URLs of all my bookmarked sites.

I tried opening My Library in Firefox, but those bookmarks weren't there--only a few that seem to have been preloaded in Firefox.

The "Favorites" folder is IE's Favorites, not Firefox's bookmarks. The easiest way to convert those to Firefox bookmarks is to copy them into the current IE Favorites folder, then let Firefox import them from there.

But if you want your actual Firefox bookmarks, you need to find your backup of your old Firefox profile folder.