How to Show Bookmarks Bar in Chrome

The bookmarks bar is the horizontal strip of links that sits just below the address bar. If it is not visible, your bookmarks are still there. The bar is just hidden. There are three ways to bring it back.

Method 1: Keyboard shortcut (fastest)

This is the quickest way and works on any page:

• Windows / Linux: Press Ctrl+Shift+B
• Mac: Press Cmd+Shift+B

The bookmarks bar will appear immediately below the address bar. Press the same shortcut again to hide it.

Method 2: Chrome menu

If you prefer the mouse:

1. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of Chrome.
2. Hover over Bookmarks and lists.
3. Click Show bookmarks bar.

A checkmark next to the option means the bar is currently visible. Clicking it toggles the bar on or off.

Method 3: Chrome settings

This method gives you an extra option that the shortcut and menu do not.

1. Open Chrome and go to chrome://settings/appearance.
2. Find the Show bookmarks bar setting.
3. Choose one of the three options:
   • Always - the bar is visible on every page
   • Never - the bar is hidden everywhere
   • New Tab page only - the bar appears on new tabs but hides when you navigate to a site

The "New Tab page only" option

This is the setting most people do not know about, and it solves a common complaint: the bookmarks bar takes up vertical space on every page, but hiding it completely means you cannot see your bookmarks at all.

With "New Tab page only," the bar appears every time you open a new tab. Once you navigate to a site, the bar disappears and you get the screen space back. It is a good middle ground if you use the bookmarks bar to launch sites but do not need it visible while browsing.

To set this, go to chrome://settings/appearance and select New Tab page only from the bookmarks bar dropdown.

The bar is showing but looks empty

If you turned the bookmarks bar on and it is blank, that usually means one of two things:

1. Your bookmarks are in folders, not on the bar itself. Open Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Option+B on Mac) and check the Bookmarks bar folder. If your bookmarks are in subfolders, they will appear as folder icons on the bar. Click them to see the contents.

2. You are in the wrong Chrome profile. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and confirm you are using the right account. Each Chrome profile has its own bookmarks.

The bar keeps disappearing

If the bookmarks bar turns off on its own, check these possibilities:

• Chrome updated and reset the setting. This is uncommon but does happen. Use Ctrl+Shift+B (or Cmd+Shift+B) to toggle it back.
• A Chrome policy is controlling it. On managed devices (work or school computers), IT administrators can force the bookmarks bar off. Go to chrome://policy to check if a BookmarkBarEnabled policy is set. If it is, you cannot override it.
• You have multiple profiles open. The bookmarks bar setting is per-profile. You may have it enabled in one profile but not another.

Quick reference

If your bookmarks bar is on but you cannot find a specific bookmark, the Bookmark Manager search can help you locate it across all folders, not just the bar.