Open Bug 1812713 Opened 3 years ago Updated 4 months ago

Bookmarks Menu item should open last viewed bookmark folder

Categories

(Firefox for Android :: Bookmarks, enhancement)

Product:
Firefox for Android
Component:
Bookmarks
Platform:
All
Android
Type:
enhancement

Tracking

()

People

(Reporter: boek, Unassigned)

References

Details

From github: https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/10606.

Why/User Benefit/User Problem

As a user, I would like to maintain context when viewing bookmarks in Fenix, especially if I am a switcher where this is a common feature.

What/Requirements

  1. When I open the bookmarks menu item, I am taken to the last bookmark folder I had viewed
  2. Fixing https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/fenix/issues/10462 so that users do not have to descend back to the root of bookmarks when exiting bookmarks

Acceptance Criteria (how do I know when I’m done?)

If I was last looking at my desktop bookmarks toolbar in Fenix and closed the page and reopen Bookmarks, I am taken back to that folder.

┆Issue is synchronized with this Jira Task

Change performed by the Move to Bugzilla add-on.

Severity: -- → N/A

This also used to be an issue on ios but was fixed a few years ago (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1309018)

Have been using Firefox Mobile since it became available. FF is my main driver on desktop too. Sync between the two is a wonderful & critical feature.

At some point many months ago, FF Mobile stopped remembering the last used folder for more than 15 or 20 minutes. It keeps reverting to the base Bookmarks folder.

I have over a decade worth of bookmarks synced, more or less carefully arranged in folders. Because FF Mobile also does not allow folding nested folders, I have to scroll thru a ridiculously long list of bookmarks and folders to get to the Mobile Bookmarks section. FF UX is so excellent in so many other ways, this is quite a surprising bug / lack of feature to exist for so long.

I am a developer, but largely web oriented backend/frontend. In the old days of XUL I could hack in there and have an alright chance of finding/fixing something. Since it appears FF Mobile is largely Kotlin, this is probably too heavy a lift for me to participate in currently.

However, I would like to stay on top of this issue (so writing this commend to get CCed if/when there is any action). If there is anything I can do [as someone w/out Kotlin skills], any pointers/links as to how to further this fix would be appreciated.

All the best, and thank you to the many volunteers working on FF/Mozilla projects to keep the web open.

Best Regards,
Morgan
😌🙏

According to the comment from bug 1859176

I noticed that switching happens when browsing the bookmarks.
So the last open folder in bookmarks (where you can always use X to exit) is set to be used for new bookmark.
This may be the reason why it defaults to ROOT folder.

You should use the "X" button to quit bookmark UI (this will stay on the last visited folder) , not by clicking back button / swiping gesture (this will update the last visited folder to the upper folder every time you click).

See Also: → 1859176

I basically never navigate via browsing bookmarks w/ FF Mobile.

I am typically opening many tabs whilst in line, eating food, etc., and scanning the Pixel/Google news feed. Am trying to bookmark these tabs as I open them, so that it's easier to consume on the large screen if/when desired. Thus I am never encountering an X, just a checkmark (to OK the placement of the bookmark I just added, then clicked "Edit" to ensure it was going to the correct folder).

That's how I noticed that they often weren't showing up in the "Mobile News" bookmark folder I created (and assumed FF would stick to as default). So I started clicking "Edit" every time I add a bookmark, to ensure I know if it's going to root "Bookmarks" or to "Mobile News".

Within a relatively short timespan, the folder works and sticks at my last used bookmark folder. But at some point reverts back to "Bookmarks". Definitely without my having navigated anywhere else (in the Bookmarks section).

In going thru the Settings last night, noticed the 'open last tab' vs. default 'open blank tab after 4 hours'.

Thinking this might just be the right amount of time over which my last used folder disappeared, I switched that to 'open last tab'.

Will keep track over the coming day(s) and report results back here.

(In reply to jackyzy823 from comment #3)

According to the comment from bug 1859176

I noticed that switching happens when browsing the bookmarks.
So the last open folder in bookmarks (where you can always use X to exit) is set to be used for new bookmark.
This may be the reason why it defaults to ROOT folder.

You should use the "X" button to quit bookmark UI (this will stay on the last visited folder) , not by clicking back button / swiping gesture (this will update the last visited folder to the upper folder every time you click).

When browsing bookmarks via the bookmark manager on Firefox Android, this does not work. Maybe this only works when saving a bookmark. Note when browsing bookmarks, Firefox ios remembers the last bookmark folder (this problem only happens on Firefox Android).

I am still having this issue. The setting I changed did not fix it.

To be clear, I don't browse bookmarks on the phone. I am opening tabs from a news feed, and bookmarking the interesting ones.

It saves the MRU (most recently used) bookmark for a few hours. But after something like 4 - 6 hours, tho sometimes sooner, it defaults back to the root Bookmarks folder.

Combined w/ the fact that the bookmark list is not collapsible on mobile, and I have decades of bookmarks...it makes it really awkward to find folders in the incredibly long list.

I wish I already had some Kotlin, and I'd get in there...

(In reply to morgan from comment #6)

I am still having this issue. The setting I changed did not fix it.

To be clear, I don't browse bookmarks on the phone. I am opening tabs from a news feed, and bookmarking the interesting ones.

It saves the MRU (most recently used) bookmark for a few hours. But after something like 4 - 6 hours, tho sometimes sooner, it defaults back to the root Bookmarks folder.

Combined w/ the fact that the bookmark list is not collapsible on mobile, and I have decades of bookmarks...it makes it really awkward to find folders in the incredibly long list.

I wish I already had some Kotlin, and I'd get in there...

p.s. Whilst you wait for this to bug to get fixed, there are free online services you can use if you are willing to do so. For example Zoho Notebooks :

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zoho.notebook

allows you to save links (as link cards) to a default folder. Then on your desktop browser you can access these links via :

https://notebook.zoho.com/app/index.html#/notebooks

I am using (14-Sept-2025) 144.0a1 (Build #2016114079), 35d78885fd6e51b8cc6063754904d9b4ef5eb24a and Firefox for android now seems to remember location. Does anybody know which item in https://phabricator.services.mozilla.com/ fixes the above?

To clarify it remembers location when you click on url in bookmark manager and then after page loads you swipe "back" to go back to bookmark manager

So before I always had to navigate to bookmark, and click 3 dots and then "Open in new tab". Only then would swiping back keep my position in the folder. How I can happily click bookmark and when I swipe back it remembers position (previously it didn't).

The change reduces number of clicks, since one doesn't need to "Open in new tab".

I think it might be due to commit :

https://phabricator.services.mozilla.com/D263462

but I am not sure.

Update : "To clarify it remembers location when you click on url in bookmark manager and then after page loads you swipe "back" to go back to bookmark manager" - just discovered that this only works if in Secret Settings you have not toggled on "Enable Homepage as New Tab".

If in Secret Settings "Enable Homepage as New Tab" is toggled on, then opening bookmarks manager, clicking link, then after bookmark loads swiping backwards will take you back to previously loaded website/Homepage rather than bookmarks manager

(In reply to morgan from comment #2)

Because FF Mobile also does not allow folding nested folders, I have to scroll thru a ridiculously long list of bookmarks and folders to get to the Mobile Bookmarks section. FF UX is so excellent in so many other ways, this is quite a surprising bug / lack of feature to exist for so long.

Bug 1902129
Add/edit bookmarks: Tree view (with expandable and collapsible subfolders

Please keep in mind that user preferences may vary. Therefore, I recommend giving users the option to choose how the browser should behave through the settings.
Example:

  • Open the root directory,
  • open the last folder.

For viewing bookmarks this issue was fixed (for users who want folder to be remembered, and this is also how it works in chrome on android and firefox on ios) in recent versions of firefox for android, but reverted to legacy behaviour on release 20 Nov 2025 :

Pressing back button on opened bookmark goes back to top level directory (in Nightly) rather than back to original directory containing bookmark (like in Beta)

Specifically :

#---------------------------------

OK (Opening bookmark and pressing back button takes you to correct folder) :
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/fenix/nightly/2025/11/2025-11-20-04-22-06-fenix-147.0a1-android-x86_64/
147.0a1 (Build #2016127318), f9073cd9ae04d048aadc031b59c2018a359eb09f
GV: 147.0a1-20251120042206
AS: 147.20251119050341
OS: Android 14

Commit can be found on :
https://hg-edge.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/log/b551b014da85ba2ef80516211c6f264da0fa038a

#---------------------------------

NOT OK (Opening bookmark and pressing back button takes you (briefly) to correct folder, before taking you to top folder) :
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/fenix/nightly/2025/11/2025-11-20-20-36-29-fenix-147.0a1-android-x86_64/
147.0a1 (Build #2016127422), a7ab407c4b2f588b662a5f6f0a01ec194ddf0e2a
GV: 147.0a1-20251120203629
AS: 147.20251120050331
OS: Android 14

Commit can be found on :
https://hg-edge.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/log/a7ab407c4b2f588b662a5f6f0a01ec194ddf0e2a

#---------------------------------

Having an option would be nice.

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