Lost many of my Safari bookmarks.

I was trying to reorganize them by dragging /dropping a folder of saved links in the "All Bookmarks" view when I got an error message telling that they were syncing and I couldn't do that. When I went back two folders of links were missing. I found bookmarks.plist in my library/safari folder, but can't find it in Time Machine (Library folder is hidden and the normal tricks in Finder don't seem to work in TM).

Ideas? I have over a couple hundred links I've collected and really need to recover them.

Thanks

I don't know about Time Machine. My suggestion is for after you get your bookmarks back.

Download another browser. Export your bookmarks from Safari and import them into the other browser. It will function as a back up for you. Periodically do the export-import routine to keep the back up current. I know this will work with Firefox, not sure about Chrome, et. al.

Also you could use a sync app which also acts as a backup: Download Xmarks for Safari for Mac - Sync your Safari bookmarks across computers and to your iPhone. MacUpdate.com

But no one knows how to recover them?

Click on your Time Machine drive in Finder. Work your way to /Users/yourname/Library/Safari in the latest backup (not the one that says "Latest", the latest dated one).
Or the one just before you did this. Copy bookmarks.plist to your user folder on your boot drive. Put it in your current Library/Safari. Should be ok to go.

If you navigate to ~/library/safari and then open Time Machine, does that work? (note you need to launch TM from the dock)

Alternatively you can try Easyfind it's free and can earch your hard disk or TM backup, including hidden files.

If you find what you're after make sure you copy the file not move it.

Problem is that the library folder is hidden and the normal tricks that you would use in Finder to unhide it don't work in TM. That said, I typed bookmarks.plist in the search window and it was odd which ones TM would elect to show...eventually by moving around in time I was able to find one that was real close to the one I needed. Not as intuitive as I'd hoped but eventually worked.

Thanks

lrd said:

Problem is that the library folder is hidden and the normal tricks that you would use in Finder to unhide it don't work in TM.

Click to expand...

That's why I suggested what I did. Regardless, glad you got them recovered

Is your ~/Library folder visible in your user folder? If you want it to be, open a Terminal and type:
sudo chflags nohidden ~/Library/
Input your login password (you wont see any input but it's there). It should also show up on your Time Machine drive.
Here is mine, no problem finding things. This is my backup drive in Finder, Not Time Machine app.

cradom said:

Is your ~/Library folder visible in your user folder? If you want it to be, open a Terminal and type:
sudo chflags nohidden ~/Library/
Input your login password (you wont see any input but it's there). It should also show up on your Time Machine drive.
Here is mine, no problem finding things. This is my backup drive in Finder, Not Time Machine app.

Click to expand...

I did that, but it didn't unhide the ~/library in TM (until then I left it hidden because I knew I could get to it with the option key)

mrplow said:

That's why I suggested what I did. Regardless, glad you got them recovered

Click to expand...

Problem is your suggestion did not work for dates prior to unhiding the ~/library folder

The terminal command should have worked. Once the user library has been made visible, it will appear in all of your apps including Time Machine.

Then please tell that to my iMac because it fails to listen to me

OK, now I'm getting really cranky. I've "restored" my bookmarks.plist more than once and then when I go back the folder I'm looking for is gone again. What in the H&^%# is going on? I am getting so tired of the "it just works" crap...

What folder are you looking for? Where are you looking?

I love a good mystery!

Just a sub-folder in my Bookmark bar. I keep restoring the bookmarks.plist and it keeps reverting back so some version without it.

lrd said:

Problem is your suggestion did not work for dates prior to unhiding the ~/library folder

Click to expand...

I suggested using easyfind and launching TM from the dock......


As far as the folder reverting..... Do you have iCloud Safari syncing enabled?

It sounds like you are having the older plist being overwritten by the newer cloud version.

mrplow said:

It sounds like you are having the older plist being overwritten by the newer cloud version.

Click to expand...

I think you're right. How do I stop that?

Are you syncing Safari to iCloud?

If so, turn off Safri syncing in System Preferences iCloud. Restart your Mac.
Restore your file. Add a new bookmark to your sub folder, just to ensure there's new data there.

Now turn Safari syncing back on.

Now it's gotten goofier. Before when I went through Time Machine I found several versions of bookmarks.plist with different dates. Now I can only find one dated 11 April which does include the missing stuff.

Why is Time Machine now not showing me the older files?