How to Recover Bookmarks After Reinstalling Chrome
Get your bookmarks back after a Chrome reinstall using sync, the local Bookmarks file, or a backup
Whether your bookmarks survive a Chrome reinstall comes down to one question: was Chrome Sync turned on before you uninstalled? If it was, signing back into the same Google account brings them back. If it was not, your best hope is the local Bookmarks file left behind on the old machine.
Work through these paths in order, from most reliable to last resort.
First: was Chrome Sync on before the reinstall?
If you were signed into Chrome and syncing bookmarks, your data is on Google's servers and the reinstall did not touch it. Skip to the sync recovery below.
If you were never signed in, or sync was paused, the only copy of your bookmarks was local. Whether it still exists depends on how the uninstall was done. Chrome's uninstaller asks whether to "Also delete your browsing data." If that box was left unchecked, your old profile folder usually survives and the local-file recovery below will work.
Recover with Chrome Sync
- Open the freshly installed Chrome.
- Click the profile icon in the top-right and sign in with the same Google account you used before.
- Go to
chrome://settings/syncSetup, turn Sync on, and confirm Bookmarks is enabled. - Wait a few minutes. Bookmarks download in the background and reappear on the bar and in Bookmark Manager.
If they do not return, open chrome://sync-internals and check the bookmark node count. A non-zero count means sync has
your data and just needs time.
Recover from the local Bookmarks file
Chrome stores bookmarks in a file simply named Bookmarks (no extension) inside your profile folder:
- Windows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\ - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/ - Linux:
~/.config/google-chrome/Default/
If that folder still exists from before the reinstall:
- Close Chrome completely so it does not overwrite the file.
- Copy the old
Bookmarksfile. - Paste it into the new profile's
Defaultfolder, replacing the empty one. - Reopen Chrome. Your bookmarks should be back.
Recover from Bookmarks.bak
In the same folder, Chrome keeps one previous version in Bookmarks.bak. If the main Bookmarks file is empty or
missing but Bookmarks.bak has a recent date, rename it to Bookmarks (again, with Chrome closed) to restore that
version. Our restore guide walks through this in detail.
If you have an HTML export
If you previously exported your bookmarks, recovery is simple: open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O), use the three-dot
menu, choose Import bookmarks, and select the HTML file. See
how to import bookmarks into Chrome for the full steps.
How to avoid this next time
A reinstall is only risky when your bookmarks live in exactly one place. Keep sync on, and keep an independent backup so
a single wiped profile is never the whole story. TrueBookmark backs up on install, lets you back up anytime in one
click, and saves a safety backup before risky changes, which means a future reinstall is a non-event: you restore an
earlier version instead of hunting for a .bak file that may already be gone.
Frequently asked questions
Does reinstalling Chrome delete your bookmarks?
It depends on how you uninstalled. If you left "Also delete your browsing data" unchecked, your local profile (including bookmarks) usually survives. If you checked it, or used a clean reinstall, the local bookmarks are gone and you must recover them from Chrome Sync or a backup.
How do I recover bookmarks if Chrome Sync was off?
Look for the local Bookmarks file in your old Chrome profile folder. With Chrome closed, copy that file into the new profile's Default folder, or open the old profile and export to HTML, then import it. If the old profile is gone, only a separate backup or export can recover them.
Where is the Chrome Bookmarks file located?
On Windows it is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks, on macOS it is ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks, and on Linux it is ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Bookmarks. A Bookmarks.bak file in the same folder holds the previous version.
Can I recover bookmarks without the old computer?
Only if the bookmarks exist somewhere else: Chrome Sync on your Google account, another signed-in device, or a backup or HTML export you saved earlier. Without one of those, bookmarks that lived only on a wiped machine cannot be recovered.
When TrueBookmark helps
Native Chrome steps are the fastest way to finish the task once. TrueBookmark is the better fit when you want Backup, Restore, Find, or Organize to stay reliable over time.
Related guides
Why Are My Bookmarks Not Showing in Chrome
Troubleshooting guide for bookmarks not showing in Chrome. Covers hidden bookmarks bar, wrong Chrome profile, sync issues, and genuinely missing bookmarks.
How to Recover Deleted Bookmarks in Chrome
How to recover deleted bookmarks in Chrome using Ctrl+Z, the Bookmarks.bak file, and Chrome Sync. Speed matters because the backup file is overwritten soon after Chrome restarts.
Bookmarks Disappeared in Chrome
Diagnose why Chrome bookmarks disappeared and recover them. Covers wrong profile, sync issues, accidental deletion, and update glitches with step-by-step fixes.
How to Restore Bookmarks in Chrome
Step-by-step guide to restoring Chrome bookmarks using Chrome Sync, the Bookmarks.bak file, and HTML import. Covers what to check first and what Chrome cannot recover.
This guide is for informational purposes only and is provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied. Browser steps may change between versions. Always back up your bookmarks before making changes. By following these instructions, you accept full responsibility for the outcome.