My Favorites List Is Missing! Can it be restored?

Your favorites list is a convenient way to keep your favorite websites and links organized. In fact, it is possible that you could become so dependent on it that you find you are totally helpless without it. So, what exactly do you do if you wake up and find your favorites list missing? The answer to that question depends largely upon which web browser and operating system you are using. For example, a lot of users began experiencing this problem when they upgraded to Internet Explorer 9. One explanation for the widespread occurrences is that the creators, at the time, were trying to find a way to increase the amount of screen space inside the browser window by causing the system to automatically hide the sitelist tool bars, leaving users unaware that they could have easily made it reappear with a couple of mouse clicks.

Another reason you might suddenly discover your favorites list missing could be because of the operating system you are using. In Internet Explorer, for example, the contents of your sitelist are actually stored in a folder on your hard drive. So, if for some reason you deleted this folder, your computer won’t be able to display your my favorites list. And, to complicate matters even more, Windows has a second favorites tool bar that is totally unrelated to web browsing. So let’s examine some of the things that can cause your favorites list to disappear and see if we can’t provide some solutions.

As stated earlier, a lot of users were shocked to find after they upgrade to IE 9, especially since it was clearly visible in the older version. But, the technicalities surrounding exactly what happened to it doesn’t really concern you. All you’re concerned about is getting it back. Fortunately, it’s a really simple process.

Just got to View > Toolbars > Sitelist bar. However, sometimes the Menu bar where you’ll find these tools has also been hidden from view.

But this little conundrum can be easily overcome by pressing the Alt key.

This a shortcut that toggles between view and hide the menu bar. But, if you want to avoid all of that and restore both the menu and sitelist bar at the same time, simply place the cursor on a blank space at the top of Internet Explorer and right-click. This action will reveal a list of possible toolbars you might want to display.

In Windows XP and Vista, Internet Explorers sitelists are stored in a folder on the hard drive. The folder is located in the same location on all computers (C:\Users\Users\Your User Name\Favorites).

To restore your sitelist, navigate to the folder and right-click on it and a menu will popup. Select Properties and click Location > Restore defaults. Afterwards, Internet Explorer should be able to display the sitelist.