How to Back up Chrome Bookmarks

Easily back up and restore your bookmarks to and from anywhere

What to Know

  • Backup: Select Customize and Control (three vertical dots) > Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager.
  • Next, select More (three dots) > Export bookmarks. Choose a location > Save.
  • Restore: In Bookmark Manager, select More (three dots) > Import bookmarks. Find and open your backup HTML file.

This article explains how to back up and restore your Chrome bookmarks using simple HTML files you can store on a USB drive, networked storage, or the cloud with ease.

How to Back up Chrome Bookmarks

If you're not using a Google account or want a copy of your bookmarks on your hard drive, network, or USB drive, here's how to back them up.

If you're logged in to a Google account, your bookmarks are automatically saved in the cloud. To restore your bookmarks, log in to the same Google account on a different device, then open Chrome.

  1. Locate and select three vertical dot icon in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window.

    The More menu in Safari
  2.  Under the resulting drop-down menu, find Bookmarks.

  3.  Select Bookmark Manager.

    You can also open the Bookmark Manager using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+O.

    The Bookmarks and Bookmark Manager options in Chrome
  4. Select the three dot icon to the right of the blue bar across the bookmarks tab, then select Export bookmarks.

    The Export Bookmarks command in Chrome's Bookmarks Manager
  5. Chrome opens a new window that allows you to browse to the location where you want to store your backup. Select a location on your computer, name the backup file, then select Save.

    If you have a USB drive inserted in your computer or you're connected to a networked storage device, you can place your bookmarks in there. You can also store bookmarks in a folder that syncs to a cloud storage provider, like Dropbox.

    Backup Chrome Bookmarks to HTML
  6. Your backup is now safely in the location where you stored it. You can import that backup into another Chrome install or another browser when you're ready.

As an added bonus, other browsers like Mozilla Firefox can import your Chrome HTML files, so it's easier than ever to share and move your bookmark library. We show you how.

How to Restore Your Chrome Bookmarks

If you need to restore bookmarks from a lost Chrome install, the process is also straightforward. Here's how to do it:

  1. Go to the bookmarks tab using the instructions above, or press Ctrl+Shift+O on the keyboard. Chrome opens the tab instantly.

    The Bookmarks and Bookmark Manager options in Chrome
  2. Select the three dots in the upper-right corner, then select Import bookmarks.

    The Import Bookmarks command in Chrome
  3. Chrome opens a file browser window. Locate your backup HTML file, select it, then choose Open to import your bookmarks.

  4. Chrome begins incorporating your backed up bookmarks. As long as your backup was from Chrome, your bookmarks should be categorized where they belong.

    Bookmarks from other browsers may end up in the Other bookmarks section. You can move bookmarks around as you like after you import them.

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