Look, I know you’re probably here because you’re switching computers, trying a new browser, or just paranoid about losing all those bookmarks you’ve been collecting for years. Whatever the reason, I’m going to show you exactly how to export bookmarks Chrome in the simplest way possible—no tech jargon, no confusion, just straight-up instructions that actually work.
Here’s the deal: exporting Chrome bookmarks takes about 2 minutes if you know what you’re doing. The problem is that Google buries this feature in menus within menus, so most people never find it. But once you know the path, it’s ridiculously easy.
So let’s walk through this step-by-step. I’ll show you how to export your bookmarks, where they get saved, how to import them somewhere else, and cover all the scenarios you might run into. By the end of this, you’ll be a bookmark export expert.
Why You’d Want to Export Chrome Bookmarks
Before we jump into the how, let’s quickly talk about the why. There are actually several good reasons to export your Chrome bookmarks:
You’re switching to a new computer. Got a shiny new laptop? You’ll want all your bookmarks on it without manually recreating hundreds of them.
You’re trying a different browser. Maybe you’re giving Firefox, Edge, or Safari a test drive. Exporting lets you take your bookmarks with you.
You want a backup. Computers crash. Accounts get hacked. Having a backup of your bookmarks on an external drive is just smart.
You’re sharing bookmarks with someone. Maybe you’re collaborating on a project and need to share a collection of relevant websites.
You’re organizing your digital life. Sometimes you just want to clean up, reorganize, and start fresh—but you don’t want to lose everything in the process.
You need to access bookmarks on a computer without your Google account. Maybe it’s a work computer where you can’t sign into your personal Google account.
Whatever your reason, exporting is the solution. Let’s do this.
The Quick Version: Export Chrome Bookmarks in 5 Steps
If you just want the fast instructions without all the explanation, here you go:
- Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner
- Hover over “Bookmarks and lists” (or just “Bookmarks” in older versions)
- Click “Bookmark manager” from the slide-out menu
- Click the three-dot menu again (this time in the Bookmark Manager)
- Click “Export bookmarks” and choose where to save the file
Done. Your bookmarks are now saved as an HTML file on your computer.
But if you want more details, troubleshooting tips, and information about what to do next, keep reading.
The Detailed Step-by-Step Guide
Alright, let’s break this down with more detail so you understand exactly what’s happening at each stage.
Step 1: Open Google Chrome
This might sound obvious, but make sure you have Google Chrome actually open and running. You can’t export bookmarks from a closed browser.
If you don’t already have Chrome open, launch it now. You should see your normal browsing window with the address bar at the top.
Step 2: Access the Chrome Menu
Look at the top-right corner of your Chrome window. You’ll see three vertical dots (⋮). This is Chrome’s main menu—sometimes called the “Customize and Control” menu, but most people just call it the three-dot menu.
Click on those three dots. A dropdown menu will appear with various options.
Step 3: Navigate to Bookmarks
In the dropdown menu that appears, you need to find the bookmarks section. Depending on your Chrome version, this might say:
- “Bookmarks and lists” (newer versions)
- “Bookmarks” (older versions)
Hover your mouse over this option. Don’t click it yet—just hover. This will open a second slide-out menu to the side.
Step 4: Open the Bookmark Manager
In that slide-out menu, you’ll see several options including:
- Bookmark this tab
- Bookmark all tabs
- Bookmark manager ← This is what you want
Click on “Bookmark manager.”
This will open a new tab in Chrome that shows all your bookmarks organized in folders. The URL will be chrome://bookmarks/.
Pro tip: You can also get here faster by using keyboard shortcuts:
- Windows/Linux: Press Ctrl + Shift + O
- Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + O
Or just type chrome://bookmarks/ directly into your address bar and hit Enter.
Step 5: Access the Bookmark Manager Menu
Now you’re in the Bookmark Manager. Look toward the top-right of this page, just to the right of the “Search bookmarks” bar. You’ll see another three-dot menu (⋮).
Yes, Chrome loves three-dot menus. This is a different three-dot menu than the one you clicked before—this one is specifically for the Bookmark Manager.
Click on this three-dot menu.
Step 6: Export Your Bookmarks
In the dropdown menu that appears, you’ll see several options:
- Import bookmarks
- Export bookmarks ← Click this one
- Sort by name
Click “Export bookmarks.”
Step 7: Choose Where to Save the File
A file browser window will pop up (File Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac). This is where you choose where to save your bookmarks file.
The file will be named “bookmarks_[date].html” by default. For example: “bookmarks_12_10_25.html”
You can:
- Keep the default name or change it to something more memorable
- Choose any location to save it (Desktop, Documents, USB drive, cloud storage folder, etc.)
My recommendation: Save it somewhere you won’t forget—like your Desktop or a “Backups” folder. If you’re transferring to a new computer, save it to a USB drive, external hard drive, or upload it to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.
Click “Save” when you’ve chosen your location.
Step 8: Verify the File Saved
Navigate to wherever you saved the file and make sure it’s actually there. The file should have a browser icon and be an HTML file.
That’s it! You’ve successfully exported your Chrome bookmarks.
What Actually Gets Saved?
When you export Chrome bookmarks, here’s what you’re getting:
An HTML file that contains all your bookmarks in a structured format. This file includes:
- All bookmark names
- All bookmark URLs
- Your folder structure (if you’ve organized bookmarks into folders)
- The hierarchy of your bookmarks (folders within folders)
What’s NOT included:
- Your browsing history
- Your saved passwords
- Your autofill information
- Your Chrome extensions
- Your Chrome settings
If you want to backup everything else too, you need to use Google Sync (which I’ll explain later).
The HTML format is universal—meaning any modern browser (Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera) can import this file. That’s why Chrome exports in HTML rather than some proprietary format.
How to Import Chrome Bookmarks (To a New Computer or Browser)
Okay, so you’ve exported your bookmarks. Now what? Let’s say you’re on a new computer or trying a different browser. Here’s how to import those bookmarks.
Importing to Chrome on Another Computer
- Open Chrome on your new computer
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right
- Go to Bookmarks and lists (or Bookmarks) → Bookmark manager
- Click the three-dot menu in the Bookmark Manager
- Click “Import bookmarks”
- Navigate to your saved bookmarks HTML file and select it
- Click “Open”
Your bookmarks will appear in a new folder called “Imported” in your bookmarks bar. You can then reorganize them however you like.
Importing to Firefox
- Open Firefox
- Click the Library icon (looks like books on a shelf)
- Click Bookmarks → Show All Bookmarks
- Click the “Import and Backup” button
- Select “Import Data from Another Browser” or “Import Bookmarks from HTML”
- Choose your Chrome HTML file
- Click Open
Importing to Microsoft Edge
- Open Edge
- Click the three-dot menu
- Go to Favorites → Manage favorites
- Click the three-dot menu in Favorites
- Click “Import favorites”
- Choose “Favorites or bookmarks HTML file”
- Select your Chrome bookmarks file
- Click Open
Importing to Safari (Mac)
- Open Safari
- Go to File → Import From → Bookmarks HTML File
- Navigate to your Chrome bookmarks file
- Click Import
The Google Sync Alternative: Do You Even Need to Export?
Here’s something important: if you’re signed into Chrome with your Google account, your bookmarks are automatically synced to the cloud.
This means:
- Your bookmarks are backed up to Google’s servers
- They automatically appear on any computer where you sign into Chrome
- They sync across all your devices (laptop, desktop, tablet)
- They update in real-time when you add or delete bookmarks
When Google Sync Is Enough
You don’t need to manually export bookmarks if:
- You’re moving to a new computer and will sign into Chrome there
- You use multiple computers and want bookmarks on all of them
- You’re not worried about Google having access to your bookmarks
- You have a stable internet connection
When You Still Need to Export
You should still export bookmarks if:
- You’re switching to a non-Chrome browser
- You’re using a computer where you can’t sign into your Google account (like a work computer)
- You want a local backup independent of Google
- You’re sharing bookmarks with someone else
- You’re worried about account security or want offline access
- Your account gets compromised or disabled
My advice? Use Google Sync for convenience, but still export your bookmarks occasionally as a backup. It takes 2 minutes and could save you hours of frustration if something goes wrong.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Let’s address some issues you might run into:
“I don’t see the Export option”
Solution: Make sure you’re looking in the Bookmark Manager’s three-dot menu, not Chrome’s main three-dot menu. They’re different menus in different locations.
“The export file is huge”
Solution: If you have thousands of bookmarks, the HTML file might be several megabytes. This is normal. The file is plain text, so even thousands of bookmarks don’t create an enormous file.
“My bookmarks imported but they’re all disorganized”
Solution: The import process should preserve your folder structure. If it didn’t, make sure you exported from the Bookmark Manager (not just a specific folder). You might need to manually reorganize, or try exporting again.
“I can’t find the bookmarks file I saved”
Solution: Check your Downloads folder—that’s the default save location for many browsers. Also check your Desktop. Use your computer’s search function to look for files with “.html” extension created recently.
“The import created duplicate bookmarks”
Solution: Importing doesn’t automatically merge with existing bookmarks—it adds them. You might need to manually delete duplicates. Some browser extensions can help find and remove duplicate bookmarks.
“I exported but the file won’t open”
Solution: The bookmarks file is an HTML file. You can open it in any browser, but that will just show you a formatted list of bookmarks. To actually import them into a browser, use the browser’s import function (not just opening the file).
Advanced Tips and Tricks
Export Specific Bookmark Folders
Chrome’s export function exports ALL your bookmarks. But what if you only want to export one folder?
Unfortunately, Chrome doesn’t have a built-in way to export individual folders. Your options:
- Manually copy the bookmarks you want to a temporary folder, export everything, then remove the temporary folder
- Use a browser extension designed for selective bookmark export
- Edit the HTML file after exporting (if you know HTML)
Schedule Regular Exports
If you want to maintain regular backups, you can:
- Set a calendar reminder to export bookmarks monthly
- Use third-party backup software that can automatically backup Chrome data
- Rely on Google Sync for day-to-day and do manual exports quarterly as insurance
Where Chrome Stores Bookmarks on Your Computer
If you’re curious (or troubleshooting), Chrome stores your bookmarks locally at:
Windows: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks
Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks
Linux: ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Bookmarks
These are JSON files (not HTML). You can copy these as a backup, but the HTML export is more universal and easier to work with.
Clean Up Before Exporting
Before exporting, consider:
- Deleting dead links (bookmarks to sites that no longer exist)
- Removing duplicates
- Organizing bookmarks into logical folders
- Deleting bookmarks you no longer need
This makes the exported file cleaner and more useful.
Mobile Chrome: Exporting Bookmarks on Phone/Tablet
Here’s the bad news: you cannot directly export bookmarks from Chrome on Android or iOS.
The export feature only exists in the desktop version of Chrome.
Your Options for Mobile Bookmarks
Option 1: Use Google Sync If you’re signed into Chrome on your mobile device, your bookmarks sync to your Google account. Then access Chrome on a desktop computer and export from there.
Option 2: Access Desktop Chrome Request the desktop site version of Chrome on mobile (though this is cumbersome and doesn’t work well).
Option 3: Use Third-Party Apps Some apps claim to export mobile Chrome bookmarks, but use them with caution and read reviews carefully.
My recommendation: Use Google Sync. Sign into Chrome on both your mobile device and a computer, let the bookmarks sync, then export from the computer.
The Bottom Line: You Should Do This Right Now
Here’s why you should export your Chrome bookmarks today, even if you don’t think you need to:
It takes 2 minutes. Seriously, you can do it right now while reading this.
It’s free insurance. If something goes wrong—your account gets hacked, your computer crashes, Chrome has a glitch—you’ll be glad you have a backup.
You’ll eventually need it. Whether it’s a new computer, a browser switch, or sharing bookmarks with someone, you’ll use this skill eventually.
Peace of mind. Knowing your carefully curated collection of bookmarks is safely backed up feels good.
So here’s what I want you to do right now:
- Open Chrome
- Click three-dot menu → Bookmarks → Bookmark manager
- Click three-dot menu → Export bookmarks
- Save to your Desktop or a cloud storage folder
- Take 10 seconds to verify the file saved
There. You’re done. Your bookmarks are safe.
And if you’re really organized, set a reminder to do this again in 3-6 months. Think of it as bookmark insurance.
Quick Reference Guide
For future reference, here’s the quick path to export bookmarks Chrome:
The Fast Path: Chrome menu (⋮) → Bookmarks → Bookmark manager → Manager menu (⋮) → Export bookmarks → Save
Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Open Bookmark Manager: Ctrl+Shift+O (Win) or Cmd+Shift+O (Mac)
- Or type: chrome://bookmarks/ in address bar
File Details:
- Format: HTML
- Default name: bookmarks_[date].html
- Contains: All bookmarks and folder structure
- Compatible with: All major browsers
Remember: Export creates a backup/transfer file. It doesn’t delete your bookmarks from Chrome. Your bookmarks stay in Chrome—you’re just making a copy.
Now you know everything you need to know about exporting Chrome bookmarks. Go forth and backup those bookmarks. Your future self will thank you.
