How to Import Bookmarks from Chrome to Chrome

Moving bookmarks from one Chrome to another comes up when you get a new computer, set up a second device, or need to copy bookmarks between a work and personal Chrome profile. There are three ways to do it, and the right one depends on whether both Chrome installations share the same Google account.

Method 1: Chrome Sync (same Google account)

If both Chrome installations are signed into the same Google account, Sync handles the transfer automatically.

1. On the source Chrome (the one with your bookmarks), go to chrome://settings/syncSetup.
2. Confirm that Sync is turned on and Bookmarks is toggled on.
3. On the destination Chrome (the one you want bookmarks on), sign into the same Google account.
4. Go to chrome://settings/syncSetup and turn on Sync with Bookmarks enabled.
5. Wait a few minutes. Chrome will download the bookmarks from Google's servers.

When this is the right choice: Setting up a new computer, reinstalling Chrome, or adding a second device. This is the simplest method and keeps bookmarks in sync going forward. Any bookmark you add on one device shows up on the other.

When this does not work: You want to copy bookmarks between different Google accounts (work vs. personal), or you do not want ongoing sync. Sync is all-or-nothing per account. You cannot sync bookmarks from one account to another.

Method 2: Export and import an HTML file

This is the most reliable method when Sync is not an option. It works across different accounts, different computers, and even different operating systems.

On the source Chrome:

1. Open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Option+B on Mac).
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Select Export bookmarks.
4. Save the HTML file. If you are moving to a different computer, transfer the file via USB drive, email, cloud storage, or any file-sharing method.

On the destination Chrome:

If the destination Chrome already has bookmarks, back them up first. Importing adds bookmarks on top of what is already there, and Chrome does not check for duplicates.

1. Open Bookmark Manager.
2. Click the three-dot menu.
3. Select Import bookmarks.
4. Choose the HTML file you saved.

Chrome creates an Imported folder on the bookmarks bar containing the imported bookmarks. If the destination Chrome's bookmarks bar was empty, bar bookmarks go directly onto the bar instead, with only the other bookmarks placed inside the Imported folder. Either way, your existing bookmarks on the destination Chrome are not affected.

For more detail on the import side, see How to Import Bookmarks Into Chrome. For the export side, see How to Export Bookmarks from Chrome.

When this is the right choice: Moving bookmarks between different Google accounts, copying from a work profile to a personal profile, or transferring to a computer that will not stay connected to the same account.

What to know: The HTML file is a snapshot. It captures bookmarks at the moment of export. Any bookmarks added after the export will not be included.

Method 3: Copy the Bookmarks file directly

This method skips the HTML format entirely and copies Chrome's internal bookmark file. It gives you an exact replica, including folder structure and metadata, without the extra folder nesting that the HTML method creates.

Close Chrome on both computers before doing this.

1. On the source computer, navigate to the Chrome profile folder:
   • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\
   • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/
   • Linux: ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/
2. Copy the file named Bookmarks (no file extension).
3. Transfer it to the same location on the destination computer.
4. If the destination already has a Bookmarks file, rename it to Bookmarks.old first. Then paste the new file.
5. Open Chrome on the destination computer and check your bookmarks.

When this is the right choice: You want an exact copy without any import folder wrapping. Also useful when you want to replace the destination bookmarks entirely rather than merge.

Caveats:

• This replaces all bookmarks on the destination. If the destination Chrome had its own bookmarks, they will be permanently overwritten unless you renamed the file to Bookmarks.old first. Always rename before pasting.
• The Default folder name assumes you are using Chrome's default profile. If you have multiple profiles, the folder might be named Profile 1, Profile 2, etc. Check chrome://version on each Chrome to see the profile path.
• If Sync is active on the destination, it may overwrite the pasted file when Chrome starts. Turn off Sync or sign out before pasting.

After the transfer: check for duplicates before reorganizing

If you used the HTML import method and the destination Chrome already had bookmarks, you likely have duplicates now. The same bookmark may exist both in its original location and inside the Imported folder. Chrome does not skip bookmarks that already exist.

Check for duplicates before you start reorganizing the Imported folder. Otherwise you may spend time arranging bookmarks you will end up deleting. The duplicate removal guide covers how to find and clean these up.

Keep your bookmarks protected across devices

After taking the time to transfer and organize bookmarks, the last thing you want is to repeat the process because something went wrong. TrueBookmark keeps automatic versioned backups of your bookmark library, so you always have a clean restore point regardless of which device or profile you are working with.