Restore deleted Firefox bookmarks without losing newer links

If you deleted a Firefox bookmark folder but added links afterward, first save the bookmarks you have now in two formats: a JSON backup and an HTML export. Firefox’s Restore command replaces the current bookmark collection with the backup’s collection. Import Bookmarks from HTML adds bookmarks to the current collection instead. Mozilla’s restore guide and HTML import guide describe the two commands.

A dated backup can recover the deleted folder, but it represents an earlier point in time. If a link was added after that backup, restoring it alone will leave that link out. Saving the current collection first gives you a way to bring the newer link back.

Save the current bookmarks first

Open Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks to reach Firefox’s Library. Select All Bookmarks, then use Import and Backup > Backup to save a JSON backup of the current collection. In the same menu, choose Export Bookmarks to HTML and save an HTML copy. Mozilla describes JSON backup as a format for restoring Firefox bookmarks and HTML export as a format for transferring or importing them. Keep both files somewhere you can identify after the restore. Mozilla’s restore guide and export guide give these Library steps.

The two current copies serve different purposes. The JSON file can return your bookmarks to the state captured before the operation if you restore the wrong backup. The HTML file gives you a way to add current bookmarks after restoring an older set, or to inspect links you want to add individually. Keep your own exports private if they contain URLs you would not want to share.

What replacing and adding look like

The example files contain two small, synthetic research collections. The current collection had a New research folder with CSS reference and the ECMAScript specification. An older backup had a Recovered research folder with the same CSS reference and Firefox help. In this example, the older folder had been lost, while the ECMAScript link was added later.

Restoring the older JSON backup produced two bookmarks: CSS reference and Firefox help in Recovered research. New research and its ECMAScript link were gone. The count was still two, so a bookmark count alone would have hidden the change. You can compare the current JSON before restoration with the JSON after restoration to see the different folders and URLs.

Importing the current HTML export after that restore brought back New research and the ECMAScript link. The resulting JSON contained four bookmark entries across the two folders, but only three unique URLs. CSS reference appeared twice, once in each folder.

Restore a backup that contains the missing folder

In the Library’s Import and Backup menu, choose Restore and select a dated backup, or choose a backup file you saved yourself. Mozilla says Firefox keeps 15 automatic backups and that restoring one replaces the existing bookmark collection. Select a backup you have reason to believe contains the missing folder or link, rather than choosing by date alone. Mozilla’s restore guide explains the Restore choices.

Once the restore finishes, inspect the folders and actual URLs in the Library. In the trial, CSS reference appeared in both time periods, but Firefox help identified the older set and the ECMAScript specification identified the newer one. Checking those URLs reveals which set you have even when the total count has not changed.

If you want all bookmarks from the saved current collection added back, use Import and Backup > Import Bookmarks from HTML and select the HTML file you exported before restoring. Mozilla says this import adds bookmarks and can create duplicates. Afterward, check for common URLs before removing any entry; two bookmarks with the same label or URL may sit in different folders. Mozilla’s HTML import guide provides the import steps.

Recover one folder without replacing everything

A full restore may be more work than the missing folder warrants. If you can inspect an older HTML export, open it as a list of bookmarks, find the missing URLs, and add only the ones you need to your current collection. In the example, the older HTML export identifies Firefox help as the missing link. Adding that single URL to the current collection would keep the newer ECMAScript link without importing another CSS reference entry.

If the only useful older backup is a Firefox JSON backup, use a separate recovery profile to turn it into an HTML list. Type about:profiles in Firefox’s address bar, choose Create a New Profile, and give it a recognizable name such as Bookmark recovery. The profile entry has a Launch profile in new browser button. Mozilla notes that a newly created profile becomes the startup default. Note your usual profile and use its Set as default profile button afterward. Leave the recovery profile signed out of Sync. These profile controls are described in Mozilla’s Profile Manager guide.

In the recovery window, restore the older JSON and export the recovered bookmarks to HTML. Open that export, find the missing folder, and copy only the URLs you need into bookmarks in your usual profile. For the example, adding Firefox help to the current collection preserves ECMAScript and the existing CSS reference. A JSON file opened as text lets you inspect data, while an HTML export presents clickable links. The public sample files can be inspected without restoring them. A readable comparison of the trial results is also available. Use a throwaway profile if you want to practice the operations themselves.

If the result is still wrong

A newer link disappeared after restore

Check the HTML export you saved before the restore and import it, or use it to find and add just that link. Importing the whole file may also bring back URLs already present in the older backup.

The wrong backup was restored

The current JSON backup you saved first can restore the bookmark state captured immediately before this operation. The saved file returns your bookmark collection to that state; it does not restore unrelated profile data. With that copy secured, you can inspect another dated backup for the missing folder.

The toolbar looks empty

Check the bookmark collection in the Library before performing another restore. The toolbar’s appearance alone does not identify which folders and URLs are in the collection.

The HTML file opened in a tab

That lets you read its links; it does not import them. To add its entries to Firefox, use Import Bookmarks from HTML in the Library.

Firefox Sync changes bookmarks continuously and is not a substitute for a saved backup. If no backup contains the deleted links, restoring a different snapshot cannot supply them. Keep the current JSON and HTML copies until you have verified the recovered folder and every newer link you meant to retain. Mozilla’s restore guide explains the backup and Sync distinction.

The example files were exported, restored and imported using Firefox 141.0’s native bookmark system in an isolated profile on October 7, 2026. Library and Profile Manager steps follow the Mozilla pages linked above; their dialogs and other Firefox releases were not tested.