I had to re-install Brave, now a bookmark folder has lost its contents

I had to re-install Brave, now a bookmark folder has lost its contents

Hi. The same happened to me but it was not because I re-installed Brave but because I had to remove cookies. I asked for help but now I cannot find my question.

Yes I had to do that also very not good situation I had dozens of bookmarks there impossible to remember all of them.
Brave is no longer my default or preferred browser.

First off, reinstalling is never suggested. If you havenā€™t found it already, please try to read my FAQ that Brave pinned at -Retired- PSA: User FAQ - Support & Answers

Now, you mention bookmark folder losing itā€™s contents. If you reinstalled, that means it erased everything you had. The only way youā€™d have your information is if it was synced with another device or you at least had created a Sync chain and saved the code JUST IN CASE things happened. Without syncing, there would be no backup for your bookmarks. You might have been able to do a system restore to a point prior where your bookmarks might have been saved.

Your question still remains, though no response. Itā€™s at Youtube personal library

I had been away from Brave Community a while and so not been checking on things. Iā€™m guessing overall yours just got overlooked by people. Plus, if Iā€™m going to be blunt, the way you phrased things is very confusing. Anyway, Iā€™ll try to go respond over there a bit.

Indeed it is recommended syncing the bookmarks via sync chain. Keep the passphrase securely.
I never have a problem with this.

1 Like

@wayan

You said, ā€˜a bookmarks folderā€™ . . . not ā€˜the bookmarks folderā€™.

If one or more Bookmarks sub-folders suddenly are missing, that is usually because something has corrupted the Bookmarks [JSON] file.

Or, an imported (example filename:) bookmarks_5_20_22.html file has been corrupted. (If you exported your Bookmarks on May 20, 2022, then the resulting HTML file will likely have that filename.)

The ā€˜corruptionā€™ may be just a single character - missing from a particular place that affects the structure of all, or most of, the bookmarks listed in the file after the occurence of the missing character. (PS. I recently went thru that experience; ā€˜Where? Are the rest of them?!ā€™ I wondered. I spent hours finding the single character that was missing from where it was needed, in the file.)

I often recommend that users routinely back up their Bookmarks manually, using the Export function in the Bookmarks Manager.

I also recommend routine backups of the BraveSoftware folder:

Linux OS:

  • /home/$USER/.config/BraveSoftware/

Mac OS:

  • $HOME/Library/Application\ Support/BraveSoftware/

Windows OS:

  • %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\

I would also make a compressed version of the BraveSoftware folder, and be sure that is copied to some external, attached drive. Recommend WinZip or 7-Zip.

In general, I have found GoodSync to be a good backup application.

ā€“

From what I find among Brave Community membersā€™ reports, the odds are, that you are likely to recover / restore Bookmarks IF you have backed up your Bookmarks.

On the other hand, Username - Password (ā€œU-and-Pā€) combinations are tricky. Because the Passwords are encrypted, and their encryption depends upon a keychain or keyring aboard your Operating System. A new installation or re-installation may upset the important key / digital certificate within the keychain / keyring, that is associated with encrypted items within your BraveSoftware folder.

If you lose the keychain or keyring of that U-and-P association, the odds weigh against your figuring out what those passwords, were. (That is why I recommend a Password Manager such as 1Password, or others, as a Password backup plan.)

ā€“

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.