The fastest way depends on which browser you use

The simplest method is to sign into your browser account on the new computer — most modern browsers sync bookmarks automatically once you log in. If you use Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari, your bookmarks are likely already stored in your account online, and signing in pulls them down to the new machine within minutes.

If you do not use browser sync, or if you want to move bookmarks between different browsers, you can export them as a file on the old computer and import that file on the new one. This takes about five minutes and works across any browser combination.

The method you choose depends on whether you want to keep your bookmarks synced across devices going forward, or just move them once and be done.

Key Takeaways

  • Signing into your browser account on the new computer automatically syncs your bookmarks if you use Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.
  • If you do not use browser sync, export your bookmarks as an HTML file on the old computer, then import that file into the new one.
  • Exporting bookmarks takes the same steps in most browsers: go to settings, find the bookmark manager, and select export or backup.
  • You can move bookmarks between different browsers — for example, from Chrome to Firefox — by exporting from one and importing into the other.

Using browser sync to move bookmarks automatically

If you already have a Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari account and you have been signed in on your old computer, your bookmarks are stored in that account. On the new computer, read the same browser, open it, and sign in with the same account credentials you used on the old machine.

Once you are signed in, the browser will read your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings within a few minutes. You do not need to do anything else — the sync happens in the background. If the bookmarks do not appear right away, close the browser completely and reopen it.

This method only works if you have been using browser sync on your old computer. If you have never signed into your browser account, your bookmarks exist only on that machine, and you will need to export them instead.

Exporting bookmarks from your old computer

In Chrome: Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner, go to Bookmarks, then select Bookmark Manager. In the Bookmark Manager, click the three-dot menu again and choose Export bookmarks. Choose where to save the file — your Desktop is easiest — and click Save. The file will be named bookmarks.html.

In Firefox: Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right, go to Bookmarks, then select Manage Bookmarks. In the Library window that opens, click the menu button again and choose Export Bookmarks. Save the file to your Desktop.

In Edge: Click the three-dot menu in the top right, go to Bookmarks, then select Bookmark Manager. Click the three-dot menu in the Bookmark Manager and choose Export bookmarks. Save the file to your Desktop.

In Safari: Click File in the menu bar at the top, then select Export Bookmarks. Choose where to save the file and click Save.

Importing bookmarks on your new computer

Once you have the bookmarks file from your old computer, transfer it to the new one. You can email it to yourself, put it on a USB drive, or use cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive. Once the file is on the new computer, open your browser and follow these steps.

In Chrome: Click the three-dot menu, go to Bookmarks, then select Bookmark Manager. Click the three-dot menu again and choose Import bookmarks. Find the bookmarks.html file you saved and click Open. Chrome will add all the bookmarks to a new folder called "Imported" at the bottom of your bookmark list.

In Firefox: Click the menu button, go to Bookmarks, then select Manage Bookmarks. Click the menu button again and choose Import Bookmarks from HTML. Find your bookmarks file and click Open.

In Edge: Click the three-dot menu, go to Bookmarks, then select Bookmark Manager. Click the three-dot menu and choose Import bookmarks. Find your file and click Open.

In Safari: Click File in the menu bar, then select Import From. Choose the bookmarks file and click Import.

Moving bookmarks between different browsers

You can move bookmarks from one browser to another using the same export-and-import method. Export the bookmarks as an HTML file from your current browser, then import that file into the new browser on either the same computer or a different one.

For example, if you want to switch from Chrome to Firefox, export your bookmarks from Chrome as described above, then import that same HTML file into Firefox using Firefox's import tool. The bookmarks will appear in Firefox with the same folder structure they had in Chrome.

This works in any direction — Chrome to Safari, Firefox to Edge, Safari to Chrome, or any other combination. The HTML format is a standard that all major browsers understand.

What to do if your bookmarks are in a folder structure

When you export bookmarks, the folder structure comes with them. If you organized your bookmarks into folders like "Work," "Shopping," and "News," those folders will be preserved when you import the file on the new computer.

In Chrome, imported bookmarks appear in a folder called "Imported" by default. You can move individual bookmarks or entire folders out of the "Imported" folder and into your main bookmark bar or other folders. Right-click any bookmark or folder and select Move to organize them where you want.

In Firefox, Edge, and Safari, imported bookmarks go into the same folder structure they had on the old computer, so you may not need to reorganize them at all.

Troubleshooting bookmarks that did not transfer

If you exported bookmarks but they do not appear after importing, make sure you are importing the correct file. Check your Desktop or Downloads folder for the bookmarks.html file and verify it is the one you exported from your old computer.

If the file is there but the import did not work, try opening the bookmarks.html file in a text editor like Notepad to confirm it contains bookmark data. If it is empty or contains only code, the export may have failed. Go back to your old computer and export the bookmarks again.

If you are moving between computers and the old one is no longer available, you can sometimes recover bookmarks from your browser's backup folder. This varies by browser and operating system, so contact the browser's support page for your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to keep the bookmarks file after I import it?

No. Once you have imported the bookmarks into your new browser, you can delete the bookmarks.html file. The bookmarks are now stored in your new browser and do not depend on the file anymore.

Will importing bookmarks overwrite the ones I already have on the new computer?

No. Importing adds bookmarks to what you already have — it does not replace them. If you have bookmarks on both computers, you will end up with all of them after importing.

Can I sync bookmarks between Chrome on one computer and Firefox on another?

Not automatically. Chrome syncs only within Chrome accounts, and Firefox syncs only within Firefox accounts. To move bookmarks between different browsers, export from one and import into the other using the HTML file method.

What if I forgot to export my bookmarks before getting a new computer?

If your old computer still works, you can export the bookmarks now and transfer the file to the new one. If the old computer is gone, check whether you were signed into your browser account — if so, sign in on the new computer and your bookmarks will sync down automatically.

Can I export bookmarks from my phone to my computer?

Most phones do not allow you to export bookmarks as files. Instead, sign into your browser account on both your phone and computer — the bookmarks will sync between them automatically through your account.