How to Download Bookmarks from Chrome

Chrome lets you download all your bookmarks as a single HTML file. In Chrome's menus this is called "Export bookmarks," but it does the same thing: it saves a file to your computer containing every bookmark you have.

Download your bookmarks

1. Open Chrome.
2. Open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Option+B on macOS).
3. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Bookmark Manager.
4. Select Export bookmarks.
5. Choose where to save the file and give it a name (or keep the default). Click Save.

Chrome saves an HTML file to the location you chose. That file contains your entire bookmark library.

What the downloaded file contains

The HTML file includes:

• every bookmark URL
• the name of each bookmark
• your folder structure, preserved as nested lists
• the date each bookmark was added

You can open the file in any browser to browse the links as a clickable page. You can also open it in a text editor to see the raw structure.

For a detailed breakdown of the file format and what is included, see What Gets Exported When You Export Chrome Bookmarks.

What the file does not contain

The downloaded file is a snapshot of your bookmarks at the moment you saved it. It does not include:

• favicons (the small icons next to each bookmark)
• any bookmarks you add after the download
• browsing history, passwords, or extensions
• metadata from third-party bookmark managers

"Download" vs "export" vs "backup"

These three terms describe overlapping but different ideas:

• Download/export - a one-time action that saves a file. Chrome calls it "export," but if you are searching for "download bookmarks," this is what you want. They are the same feature.
• Backup - ongoing protection that you can restore from later. A single downloaded file works as a basic backup, but it only captures your bookmarks at one point in time. If you add or change bookmarks later, that file is already out of date.

If you are downloading your bookmarks to keep them safe, the backup guide covers the tradeoffs between one-time downloads and ongoing backup strategies.

What to do with the file

Common uses for the downloaded bookmark file:

• Transfer to another computer. Copy the file to a USB drive or cloud storage, then import it into Chrome on the other machine.
• Move to a different browser. Most browsers (Firefox, Edge, Safari) can import Chrome's HTML bookmark file.
• Keep as a safety copy. Store the file somewhere safe in case you need to restore your bookmarks later.
• Share with someone. Send the file to a coworker or family member so they can import your bookmarks into their browser.

For the full export walkthrough with more detail, see How to Export Bookmarks from Chrome.

Importing your downloaded file back into Chrome

If you ever need to load the bookmarks from your downloaded file back into Chrome:

1. Open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Option+B on macOS).
2. Click the three-dot menu.
3. Select Import bookmarks.
4. Choose your downloaded HTML file.

Chrome creates an Imported folder on the bookmarks bar containing the bookmarks from the file. If you already have bookmarks in Chrome, the import will create duplicates of any that overlap. Review the Imported folder and check for duplicates using the duplicate removal guide.

When a one-time download is not enough

Downloading your bookmarks once gives you a snapshot. But bookmarks change constantly. Every time you save a new bookmark, delete an old one, or reorganize a folder, your downloaded file falls further behind.

If your goal is ongoing protection rather than a one-time file save, TrueBookmark keeps versioned backups automatically. You do not need to remember to download your bookmarks, and you can restore to any previous version if something goes wrong.