How to Hide Bookmarks Bar in Chrome

The bookmarks bar in Chrome can be hidden with a single keyboard shortcut. If you accidentally hid it and want it back, the same shortcut toggles it on again.

Hide or show with a keyboard shortcut

The fastest method:

• Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Shift+B
• macOS: Cmd+Shift+B

This toggles the bookmarks bar on and off instantly. No menus, no settings pages. If the bar is visible, the shortcut hides it. If it is hidden, the shortcut shows it.

This is the fix for the most common version of this problem: you pressed a key combination by accident and the bookmarks bar disappeared.

Hide or show from the menu

If you prefer using the menu:

1. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome.
2. Hover over Bookmarks and Lists.
3. Click Show bookmarks bar to toggle it on or off.

A checkmark next to the option means the bar is currently visible.

The "Show on New Tab Page only" option

Chrome offers a middle ground between always visible and completely hidden. You can set the bookmarks bar to appear only on the New Tab Page.

1. Go to chrome://settings/appearance.
2. Find Show bookmarks bar.
3. Set it to Only on New Tab Page.

With this setting, the bookmarks bar appears when you open a new tab but disappears when you navigate to any website. This gives you quick access to your bookmarks without the bar taking up space while you are browsing.

The three options are:

• Always - the bar is visible on every page
• Only on New Tab Page - visible on new tabs, hidden on all other pages
• Never - completely hidden everywhere

Unhide the bookmarks bar

If your bookmarks bar disappeared and you want it back, use any of these methods:

1. Keyboard shortcut: Press Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+B (macOS).
2. Menu: Three-dot menu, then Bookmarks and Lists, then click Show bookmarks bar.
3. Settings: Go to chrome://settings/appearance and set Show bookmarks bar to Always.

All three methods do the same thing. The keyboard shortcut is the quickest.

Your bookmarks are still there

Hiding the bookmarks bar does not delete your bookmarks. It only hides the bar from view. All your bookmarks remain accessible through the Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Option+B) and through the menu under Bookmarks and Lists.

If your bookmarks bar is visible but appears empty, the issue is not the bar itself. Your bookmarks may be in a different folder. Look for an All Bookmarks button on the right side of the bookmarks bar, which shows bookmarks stored in the "Other Bookmarks" folder. You can also open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Option+B) to see where your bookmarks are actually stored.

Bookmarks bar on mobile

Chrome on Android and iOS does not have a bookmarks bar. Bookmarks on mobile are accessed through the menu or the bookmarks page. The Ctrl+Shift+B shortcut and the settings described above only apply to Chrome on desktop.