Problems Locating the Tab Stash Bookmark Folder

Problem

This may apply to you if:

• All your stashes have disappeared, or have been replaced with a different set of stashes/tabs than what you were expecting.
• Tab Stash displays the warning: You have multiple "Tab Stash" bookmark folders, and Tab Stash isn't sure which one to use.

Explanation

Tab Stash stores all of your saved tabs as standard Firefox bookmarks, in a special bookmark folder named "Tab Stash". This folder is known as the "stash root", and is created automatically in "Other Bookmarks" the first time you use Tab Stash.

Tab Stash searches for the stash root by looking for the folder named "Tab Stash" which is closest to the top level of your bookmarks. If more than one "Tab Stash" folder is found at the same level, the oldest folder is chosen, and the warning described above will appear.

For example, the following folder layout will trigger the warning:

• 📂 All Bookmarks
  • 📂 Bookmarks Menu
    • 📂 Tab Stash
  • 📂 Other Bookmarks
    • 📂 Tab Stash

But the following structure is okay, since the archived "Tab Stash" folder lives one level deeper than the one in the menu (which is chosen as the stash root):

• 📂 All Bookmarks
  • 📂 Bookmarks Menu
    • 📂 Tab Stash    <-- stash root
  • 📂 Other Bookmarks
    • 📂 Archive
      • 📂 Tab Stash

If you suddenly see the warning without having made any changes to your "Tab Stash" folder, it is possible that a sync conflict has occurred in your Firefox bookmarks. Firefox may resolve sync conflicts by creating duplicate folders and bookmarks, and resetting their creation times. For example, after a sync conflict, you may have a folder structure that looks like this:

• 📂 All Bookmarks
  • 📂 Other Bookmarks
    • 📂 Tab Stash
      • ...
    • 📂 Tab Stash
      • ...

If a sync conflict or backup/restore is done which involves the "Tab Stash" folder, it could happen that duplicate "Tab Stash" folders are created, and you will need to resolve the conflict manually.

Solution

1. Open the Firefox bookmark manager. The bookmark manager can be found in the Firefox Menu > Library > Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks.
2. Find and review each folder named "Tab Stash" and delete, rename, or merge it so that only a single folder named "Tab Stash" remains. Alternatively, you can move the other "Tab Stash" folders so that they are all nested more deeply than the folder you want to use as your stash root.
3. If the Tab Stash UI does not clear the warning on its own or still doesn't show the correct set of tabs, restart your browser.

NOTE: When you are moving bookmarks and folders into the "Tab Stash" folder, make sure to create a folder structure like this, or some of your items may not appear correctly in the Tab Stash UI:

• 📁 Tab Stash
  • 📁 Stash 1
    • 🔖 Tab/Bookmark 1
    • 🔖 Tab/Bookmark 2
    • ...
  • 📁 Stash 2
    • 🔖 Tab/Bookmark A
    • 🔖 Tab/Bookmark B
    • ...

Tab Stash will ignore bookmarks placed directly under the stash root. Tab Stash versions 1.x and 2.x will also ignore any folders which are nested inside the stash folders.