Can I retrieve Sync settings from a lost device?
I was recently forced to format my PC due to a corrupted Windows install. I had Firefox Sync set up on this PC. I am now trying to figure out if there is any way to retrieve my Firefox settings on my new Windows install on this PC. I have the account details, logging in is not a problem, but the furthest I can get is a request for a recovery key and I can't find any way around this. Are there any solutions for me?
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If that PC is the only device that you had connected to that Sync account. you can't connect to the Sync server to retrieve your data without that Recovery Key. Sorry there's no way around that, the Recovery Key is used to encrypt Sync data as it is uploaded to and downloaded from the Sync server. Without the correct "key" your data can't be decrypted.
If you have another device currently in use on that Sync account, you can "Pair" the other device with the new Windows and Firefox installation to recover your data on that PC.
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/find-code-to-add-device-to-firefox-sync
BTW, the upcoming Firefox 29.0 version (scheduled for release on Tues 04-29) has a new version of Sync which has a different method of doing that encryption without using a Recovery Key, but that won't help with data that was encrypted and uploaded under the current Sync version.
The new Sync version used in Firefox 29 and later will still use a recovery key to encrypt data locally before uploading, but this recovery key is generated internally from the password of the Firefox account, so you no longer need to worry about it.
With the current (old) Firefox Sync version it is vital to have a backup of the Sync key because without it there is no way to access data on the Sync server.