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Need help restoring a backup folder from legacy edge

Anonymous
2024-11-19T00:33:20+00:00

Hello,First of all, I didn't really know which topic to put this in, this is on restoring a backup file of edge.I had an account on a website that I unfortunately lost access to after a major edge update. The update removed the cookies and I did not have the password saved so I just made a new account thinking I really couldn't do anything to get it back. This was on June 22nd, 2020. Fast forward to now and I found a folder in my old drive named "MicrosoftEdgeBackups". This folder was in my user folder and contained a folder named "backups" and in that was a folder named "MicrosoftEdgeBackup20200622". It showed that the folder and all the files were last modified on the morning of June 22nd 2020, the time I had access to my account very soon before the update. This included 5 files in it, Folders: DatastoreBackup, FavoriteIcons, Protected - It is a violation of Windows Policy to modify, and files: MicrosoftEdgeCookiesBackup.dat, and MicrosoftEdgeSettingsBackup.txt. The only file I found important was "MicrosoftEdgeCookiesBackup.dat" as the date modified on the backup was before the update, hence before losing my account. I was wondering if there was a way I could import that file into my current Microsoft Edge browser and regain access to my old account on a website. The file had around 600,000 characters in it and contained gibberish coding language inside of it. (Partial Example: ¡ÝŽ*Rôj†yªgô) Ï@þR{¢\ã¡2k¡‹´^Ö²) If someone could help me potentially import this backup file or cookie file and regain access to my account I will be very happy.Thanks,If you have any questions I will get back

Microsoft Edge | Favorites, history, and downloads | Windows 11

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-11-29T01:28:46+00:00

    Hello, Anonymous_462,

    Starting with Microsoft Edge 79, the browser transitioned to a Chromium-based architecture, and the backup file format changed from .dat to JSON and SQLite. Microsoft Edge 79 was released in November 2019. While the Microsoft website does offer some older versions of Edge for download, these are primarily the Chromium-based versions. Versions prior to Edge 79 are not available for download on the official site.

    Additionally, versions of Edge before 79 cannot be installed on Windows 11, as Windows 11 only supports Chromium-based Edge versions, starting from Edge 79.

    If you need to download an even older version, you might have to look on third-party software archive sites. However, these older versions will only work on earlier versions of Windows 10, as the latest Windows 10 and Windows 11 do not support them. Be cautious about the safety and legality of these sites. Using outdated browsers also poses security risks, so it's best to stick with the latest versions for safety and compatibility.

    Yuhao L

    Microsoft Community Technical Support

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-11-27T19:57:44+00:00

    Hello again,

    Sorry for a late response but I have another question for you as you are my biggest help in this challenge. Would it be possible for me to somehow download and open up the legacy version of Edge on my current pc and import the cookie file? Theoretically this should be easier but I do not know. If you could answer this question I would appreciate it.

    Thanks,

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-11-21T13:46:28+00:00

    Hello, Anonymous_462

    This is a rather specialized operation, and simple methods might be hard to find. You might need to search online for tools specifically designed for browser data backup and recovery, or seek help from professional IT personnel or data recovery experts. In general, the process may involve some technical challenges.

    Yuhao L

    Microsoft Community Technical Support

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-11-21T00:50:04+00:00

    Hello,

    Thanks for responding to my question. I was wondering where this cookie file would go after I manage to convert it to JSON format. For example, my main Edge folder is located in F:\Users(my username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default and I was wondering where the converted to JSON file MicrosoftEdgeCookiesBackup.JSON would go. If there is any easier ways you know of to do this process please let me know as I am trying to do this the most simplistic way as I don't have much knowledge on computers.

    Thanks

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-11-20T06:26:38+00:00

    Hello, Anonymous_462

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    The data inside MicrosoftEdgeCookiesBackup.dat is encoded and compressed, so it may look like gibberish. This file is a backup from the legacy version of Edge, and directly importing it into the new version of Edge might be challenging. You might need to search online for third-party data recovery tools or cookie management tools to parse and import this file. Alternatively, you can use a programming language (like Python) to write a script to parse this .dat file, convert it to JSON or SQLite format, and then import it into the current Edge browser.

    For script writing, you might want to discuss it on specialized programming forums like StackOverflow.

    Yuhao L

    Microsoft Community Technical Support

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