Export bookmarks from Chrome using the built-in menu

Chrome has a bookmark export feature built into the browser menu. Open Chrome on the computer where your bookmarks are saved, click the three-line menu icon in the top right corner, then hover over "Bookmarks" to open the submenu. Select "Bookmark manager" to open the full list of your saved bookmarks.

In the Bookmark manager window, click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. A dropdown menu will appear with several options. Click "Export bookmarks" and Chrome will save your bookmarks as an HTML file to your Downloads folder. The file will be named "bookmarks_[date].html" so you can identify when it was created.

This HTML file contains all your bookmarks, folders, and the order they appear in. The file is small — usually less than a few hundred kilobytes — so it transfers quickly by email, cloud storage, or USB drive.

Key Takeaways

  • Chrome's export feature saves all your bookmarks as a single HTML file that you can move to any other computer.
  • The export menu is found under the three-line menu icon, then Bookmarks, then Bookmark manager, then the three-dot menu.
  • You can import the HTML file into Chrome on another computer using the same Bookmark manager menu.
  • The exported file preserves your folder structure and bookmark order exactly as they appear in the original browser.
  • You can also import bookmarks from other browsers like Firefox or Edge using the same import process.

Transfer the exported file to your other computer

Once you have the HTML file, you need to move it to the computer where you want to restore your bookmarks. The easiest methods are email, cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive, or a USB flash drive. straightforward attach the file to an email, upload it to a cloud folder, or copy it to a USB drive, then read or copy it to the second computer.

Save the file somewhere you will remember — your Downloads folder or Desktop works fine. You do not need to move it to a specific location; Chrome will find it when you import.

Import bookmarks into Chrome on the second computer

On the computer where you want to restore your bookmarks, open Chrome and click the three-line menu icon. Hover over "Bookmarks" and select "Bookmark manager" again. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of the Bookmark manager window.

This time, select "Import bookmarks" instead of export. A file browser window will open. Navigate to the HTML file you transferred and select it. Chrome will read the file and add all your bookmarks to the browser. The process takes a few seconds, and you will see a confirmation message when it is complete.

Your bookmarks will appear in the Bookmark manager with the same folder structure and names as they had on the original computer. If you had a folder called "Work Sites," it will appear with that exact name and contain all the bookmarks that were inside it.

Avoid duplicate bookmarks when importing

If you import bookmarks into a Chrome profile that already has some bookmarks, Chrome will add the imported bookmarks alongside the existing ones. This means you may end up with duplicate bookmarks if the same sites appear in both the exported file and the browser already.

To prevent duplicates, you have two options. First, you can import into a fresh Chrome profile that has no bookmarks yet — create a new user profile in Chrome settings, sign in with a Google account, and import there. Second, you can manually delete duplicate bookmarks after importing by opening the Bookmark manager, finding the duplicate entries, and deleting the ones you do not need.

If you are moving to a brand-new computer with a fresh Chrome installation, you will not have this problem — the import will be the only source of bookmarks.

Use Google account sync instead of manual export

If both computers have Chrome installed and you use a Google account, you can sync bookmarks automatically instead of exporting and importing manually. Sign in to Chrome with the same Google account on both computers, and Chrome will sync your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings between them.

To set up sync, click your profile icon in the top right corner of Chrome, then click "Turn on sync." Choose what you want to sync — make sure "Bookmarks" is checked — and Chrome will begin syncing to your account. On the second computer, sign in with the same Google account and enable sync there as well. Your bookmarks will appear within a few minutes.

Sync is convenient if you use both computers regularly, because any new bookmarks you add on one computer will automatically appear on the other. However, if you only need to transfer bookmarks once, the export-and-import method is faster and does not require signing in to a Google account.

What to do if the import does not work

If Chrome does not recognize the HTML file or the import fails, first check that the file name ends in ".html" and that you downloaded the correct file from the original computer. Sometimes browsers save files with different extensions or names.

If the file is correct but import still fails, try opening the HTML file in a text editor like Notepad to confirm it contains bookmark data. The file should start with lines that say "" or similar. If the file is corrupted or empty, export the bookmarks again from the original computer.

As a last resort, you can manually recreate important bookmarks on the second computer by typing the URLs into the address bar and using Chrome's "Add bookmark" feature, though this is time-consuming for large collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export bookmarks from Chrome on a Mac and import them on a Windows computer?

Yes. The HTML export format works across all operating systems. Export from Chrome on Mac, transfer the file to your Windows computer, and import it using the same steps. The bookmarks will transfer with all their names and folder structure intact.

Will importing bookmarks replace my existing bookmarks?

No. Importing adds the bookmarks from the HTML file to whatever bookmarks are already in Chrome. If you want only the imported bookmarks, delete your existing ones first or import into a new Chrome profile.

What happens to my bookmark folders when I export?

Folders are preserved exactly as they are. If you have a folder structure like "Work > Clients > Active," that structure will appear the same way after import. Bookmarks stay in their original folders.

Can I export bookmarks from other browsers like Firefox?

Yes. Firefox, Edge, and other browsers also export bookmarks as HTML files. You can import these files into Chrome using the same "Import bookmarks" option in the Bookmark manager. Chrome will read the HTML file regardless of which browser created it.

Is the exported HTML file find?

The HTML file contains only bookmark URLs and folder names — no passwords or sensitive data. However, if your bookmarks include private or work-related sites, treat the file like you would any other file containing that information. Do not leave it on a shared computer or send it over unsecured networks.