Organize and Clean Up

What it does

The Organize tab helps you clean up your bookmark library. It has two sections: Duplicates (find and remove duplicate bookmarks) and Empty Folders (find and remove folders with no bookmarks inside). Both sections create a safety backup before any deletion and support full undo.

How to open it

1. Click the TrueBookmark icon to open Quick Find.
2. Click the broom icon in the popup header, or click "Open Full Search" and then the Organize tab in the Manager.

A scan runs automatically when you open the Organize tab. You do not need to click anything to start.

Duplicates

TrueBookmark groups bookmarks that point to the same URL. Each group shows the bookmarks side by side so you can compare them and choose which ones to keep.

How duplicates are detected

Bookmarks are grouped by their canonical URL (a normalized version that strips tracking parameters, protocol differences, and trailing slashes). Within each group, TrueBookmark classifies the match:

Non-exact groups appear with an amber "Similar but needs review" badge to prompt careful review before deletion.

Diff highlighting

For non-exact groups, TrueBookmark highlights the parts of each title and URL that differ from the first bookmark in the group. The different text is highlighted in amber so you can quickly spot what changed (for example, "http" vs "https", or trailing parameters).

Selecting which bookmarks to keep

You can select bookmarks for deletion in two ways:

Manual selection

Check the box next to any bookmark to mark it for deletion. Checked bookmarks are shown with a red background, strikethrough title, and "Will delete" label. Unchecked bookmarks show "Will keep."

Auto-select strategies

Use the strategy buttons above the duplicate groups to automatically select bookmarks across all groups at once:

After applying a strategy, you can still manually adjust individual selections before confirming.

Deleting selected duplicates

1. Select bookmarks using checkboxes or a strategy. A sticky bar at the bottom shows the count: "X of Y duplicates selected for deletion."
2. The bar reassures: "A backup will be created, and each item can be restored from History."
3. Click "Delete X Duplicates" in the sticky bar.
4. A confirmation dialog appears listing up to 3 of the items being deleted (and "and X others" for the rest). It reminds you that a safety backup will be created.
5. Click Delete to confirm. A toast notification appears with an Undo button.

How to undo duplicate removal

• Immediate undo: Click "Undo" in the toast notification right after deletion.
• From History: Open the History tab and restore individual deleted bookmarks.
• From Backups: The safety backup created before deletion is available in the Backups tab with a "Safety" badge.

Empty Folders

Switch to the Empty Folders sub-tab to see folders that contain no bookmarks. Chrome's root-level folders (Bookmarks Bar, Other Bookmarks, Mobile Bookmarks) are always excluded from this list.

What the list shows

Each empty folder displays:

• Folder name
• Folder path showing where it lives in your bookmark tree
• "Has subfolders" badge if the folder contains subfolders (which may themselves be empty or contain bookmarks in deeper levels)
• Checkbox for selecting it for deletion

Selecting and deleting empty folders

1. Use the checkboxes to select folders, or click "Delete all" to select everything. Click "Keep all" to clear the selection.
2. A sticky bar at the bottom shows the count: "X of Y empty folders selected for deletion." It confirms: "A backup will be created, and each item can be restored from History."
3. Click "Delete X Folders" in the sticky bar.
4. A confirmation dialog lists up to 3 folder names. Click Delete to confirm.
5. A toast notification appears with an Undo button. The list updates to remove the deleted folders.

How to undo empty folder deletion

Same as duplicates: click Undo in the toast, restore from History, or use the safety backup.

Good to know

• Scan is automatic. Both duplicates and empty folders are scanned when you open the Organize tab. Click Refresh to re-scan if you made changes.
• Nothing is auto-deleted. TrueBookmark never removes bookmarks or folders without you explicitly reviewing and confirming.
• The "Has subfolders" badge on empty folders is informational. Deleting a folder marked "Has subfolders" will also delete the subfolders inside it. Make sure those subfolders are also empty or no longer needed.
• Exact duplicates vs similar. Exact duplicates (identical URLs) are usually safe to clean up with any strategy. "Similar but needs review" groups deserve a closer look because the URLs or titles differ slightly, meaning they might serve different purposes.
• Each group shows the canonical URL below the group header. This is the normalized URL used for matching. You can click the external link icon next to any bookmark to verify it opens the page you expect.

Related guides