Fix "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional" error message

Do you see this error when Waterfox starts?

The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Waterfox’s files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem.

Waterfox displays this error when it cannot access places.sqlite, which stores bookmarks and browsing history, or favicons.sqlite, which stores site icons.

If Waterfox does not display this error, use the relevant bookmark recovery or troubleshooting instructions instead.

Restart Waterfox

Another program may be using a database file, or a file may have been left locked after an unexpected shutdown. Close Waterfox completely, wait a few seconds, then reopen it.

Restart the computer

If restarting Waterfox does not help, restart the computer to release files held by other processes.

Update security software

Security software may incorrectly lock or quarantine a database file. Update its definitions before changing Waterfox files. In Windows Security:

1. Open Virus & threat protection.
2. Find Virus & threat protection updates or Protection updates.
3. Click Check for updates.
4. Reopen Waterfox after the update finishes.

Create new Places databases

If the previous steps do not solve the problem, Waterfox can create new Places and site-icon databases.

Part 1: Open the profile folder

1. Open the Waterfox menu, select Help, then select More Troubleshooting Information.
2. Under Application Basics, find Profile Folder or Profile Directory.
3. Select Open Folder on Windows, Show in Finder on macOS, or Open Directory on Linux.

If Waterfox cannot open the profile folder, close Waterfox and locate the profile directory with the operating system’s file manager.

Leave the profile folder open and continue to Part 2.

Part 2: Replace the databases

1. If possible, create a manual bookmark backup before continuing.
2. Close Waterfox and wait until it has completely quit.
3. In the profile folder, find favicons.sqlite and places.sqlite.
4. Delete both files, or keep copies by renaming them with .old at the end.
5. Delete these files if they exist:
   • favicons.sqlite-shm
   • favicons.sqlite-wal
   • places.sqlite-shm
   • places.sqlite-wal
6. Reopen Waterfox.

Waterfox creates new favicons.sqlite and places.sqlite files. Browsing history from the old database is lost. Waterfox attempts to restore bookmarks from the latest backup in the profile’s bookmarkbackups folder.

The error still appears

Create a new profile with Profile management, set it as the profile Waterfox opens, and confirm that the error no longer appears.

If the new profile works, copy only the data you need from the old profile. Do not copy the old places.sqlite, favicons.sqlite, or related -shm and -wal files, because they may recreate the problem. Restore bookmarks from a bookmark backup instead.

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