How to Recover Deleted Favorites in Microsoft Edge

The first thing to know is that Microsoft Edge no longer has a one-click way to undo deleted favorites. The built-in Restore deleted favorites button was removed starting with Edge version 128.0.2739.42, so if you are on a current version you will not find it. Recovery is still possible, but it now means working through sync, a local backup file, or Windows' own version history. Work these paths in order, from most reliable to last resort.

First: do not relaunch or sync over the gap

Edge keeps only a single local backup of your favorites, and sync can push a deletion to every device. Before anything else:

• Avoid closing and reopening Edge more than necessary, since a relaunch can overwrite the local backup.
• If you have other devices signed into the same account, close Edge on them so they do not sync the deletion across.

Recover from another synced device

If you were signed in with a Microsoft account and syncing favorites, a copy may still be intact on another device.

1. On a device that still has the favorites, open Edge but do not let it sync yet if you can avoid it.
2. Export them as a safeguard: open the favorites window with Ctrl+Shift+O, click the three-dot menu, and choose Export favorites to save an HTML file.
3. On the affected device, you can then re-import that HTML file, covered below.

Toggling sync off and on under Settings > Profiles > Sync can also force a fresh download, but only do this once a known-good copy is safely exported.

Recover from the Bookmarks.bak file

Edge, like other Chromium browsers, keeps a one-generation backup named Bookmarks.bak beside the live Bookmarks file. Both are plain JSON.

1. Close Edge completely.
2. Open File Explorer and paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\ into the address bar, then press Enter.
3. If you use multiple Edge profiles, open the matching Profile 1, Profile 2, and so on instead of Default.
4. Make a copy of Bookmarks.bak somewhere safe.
5. Rename the current Bookmarks file to Bookmarks.old, then rename Bookmarks.bak to Bookmarks.
6. Reopen Edge.

Because Bookmarks.bak is overwritten the first time Edge saves a change after it starts, this only works if you have not relaunched Edge and kept using it since the favorites disappeared.

Recover with Windows Previous Versions

If File History or System Protection was enabled, Windows may hold an older copy of the favorites file.

1. Close Edge.
2. In File Explorer, go to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\.
3. Right-click the Bookmarks file and choose Properties, then the Previous Versions tab.
4. Pick a version dated before the deletion and choose Restore.

If the tab is empty, no system-level backup was being kept, and this path is unavailable.

Restore from an HTML export

If you exported favorites earlier, recovery is straightforward:

1. Open the favorites window with Ctrl+Shift+O.
2. Click the three-dot menu and choose Import favorites.
3. Select Favorites or bookmarks HTML file, choose your file, and import.

This adds the saved favorites back. It may create duplicates if some current favorites overlap, which you can tidy afterward.

A note on the browser involved

TrueBookmark is a Chrome extension, so it does not back up Edge favorites. The honest takeaway for Edge is to lean on the tools above and to keep your own habit going: now that the built-in restore button is gone, an occasional HTML export of your favorites is the simplest insurance against the next accidental deletion. If you also use Chrome, our guide to restoring bookmarks in Chrome covers the equivalent steps there.