marciokoko
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: safari bookmarks lost when synchronizing

I was editing my bookmarks folders in Safari (the latest version), and as i was moving a folder around, I was told I couldnt edit bookmarks at the moment because they were being synchronized.  Thats not a big deal, but then, the folder I was dragging from one place to the other, disappeared!  Its not in its original location, its not in the new location and its simply not anywhere.  I did a search for it but its gone!

 

What can I do?  I had a lot of bookmars in there.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.3), i4S

Posted on Feb 22, 2012 6:55 AM

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marciokoko

Q: safari bookmarks lost when synchronizing

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  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Feb 22, 2012 1:51 PM in response to marciokoko
    Level 10 (120,969 points)
    Apple Music
    Feb 22, 2012 1:51 PM in response to marciokoko

    Marc ...

     

     

    Are you using iCloud??

     

    If so, open System Preferences > iCloud

     

    Deselect the box next to Bookmarks then reselect it then restart your Mac.

     

     

    If you can retrieve your bookmarks, make sure and make a copy so you have a backup.

     

    From your Safari menu bar click File > Export Bookmarks

     

    Save the Safari.Bookmarks.html file to an external source. If need be you can re import the Bookmarks from the File menu.

  • by marciokoko,

    marciokoko marciokoko Feb 22, 2012 1:57 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 22, 2012 1:57 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    Yes im using iCloud.  But whats the point in doing that?

     

    I like the bookmark syncing feature, its very useful.  Im just not fond of bookmark folders being erased on a whim.

     

    Plus, deactivating Bookmark Sync wont bring back my deleted bookmarks, will it?

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Feb 22, 2012 2:05 PM in response to marciokoko
    Level 10 (120,969 points)
    Apple Music
    Feb 22, 2012 2:05 PM in response to marciokoko

    Yes, it will bring back your Bookmarks. That's why I suggested you do this.

     

    Folders aren't being erased on a whim. You moved a folder while iCloud was syncing. That's why it disappeared and it may not reappear.

     

    If you want to try and get it back deselect the box then reselect it then restart your Mac.

     

    This is Apple's suggestion as noted here >  iCloud: Troubleshooting iCloud Bookmarks < see Troubleshooting Bookmarks on OS X Lion.

     

     

     

     

    edited by:  cs

  • by Treffin,

    Treffin Treffin Apr 29, 2013 6:48 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 29, 2013 6:48 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    I tried this without success.  I noticed that once the folder disappeared (the one I was dragging over to place within another folder while rearranging bookmarks), it also disappeared on my iOS devices as well.  This happened very quickly before I could even get any of them shut down or disconnected from the network.

     

    It seems that this would most certainly be classified as a BUG in Safari and/or it's interaction with iCloud.  If I move a folder and the synchronization process is running to synchronize a previous "edit" or "move", then the folder being moved should revert back to it's original location instead of simply disappearing.  Is this an issue with Safari, iCloud, the supporting framework, or Lion OS?

     

    Thankfully I have a TimeMachine backup from last Friday that I will be able to use for restoring the bookmarks.plist file.  But for future reference, is there a way -other than turning off iCloud sync for bookmarks- to extend the timeframe allowing for multiple bookmark edits prior to synchronization, or maybe force synchronization to wait until the bookmarks list is closed?

     

    Thanks,

    Treffin

  • by app-project,

    app-project app-project May 23, 2016 8:58 AM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 23, 2016 8:58 AM in response to Carolyn Samit

    I just lost an hour of work organizing bookmarks due to this bug.  If, as you suggest, it is working as designed, when you choose "edit bookmarks" it should offer to turn off iCloud.   Or create a chain of backup files.  The bookmarks .plist file is only a few kilobytes but it takes hours and hours of personal effort keep it organized and up to date.  The idea that bookmarks work involving 'iCloud" is at risk and not for professional use, is not being entirely communicated elsewhere.