How to Move Your Chrome Bookmarks to a New Computer

The fastest way to transfer Chrome bookmarks

The simplest method is to sign into your Google Account on the new computer. When you open Chrome and log in with the same Google Account you used on your old computer, your bookmarks sync automatically within a few minutes. You do not need to export, read, or manually move anything — Chrome handles it in the background.

If you do not want to sign into your Google Account, or if you need the bookmarks right away before sync completes, you can export your bookmarks as a file on your old computer and import that file on the new one. This takes about five minutes total and works even if you never use a Google Account with Chrome.

Key Takeaways

Signing into your Google Account on the new computer automatically syncs all your bookmarks within minutes, with no manual steps required.
If you prefer not to use a Google Account, export your bookmarks as an HTML file from your old computer and import it on the new one.
The export file is saved to your Downloads folder by default and can be backed up or shared between multiple computers.
Imported bookmarks appear in a new folder called "Imported" unless you choose to merge them with existing bookmarks.

Sign in with your Google Account for automatic sync

Open Chrome on your new computer and click the profile icon in the top right corner. Select "Sign in to Chrome" and enter the email address and password for the Google Account you used on your old computer. Chrome will ask permission to sync your data — make sure "Bookmarks" is checked in the list of items to sync.

Wait two to five minutes for the sync to complete. Your bookmarks will appear in the bookmark bar and the bookmark menu exactly as they were on your old computer. If you have multiple Google Accounts, you can sign into the one that has your bookmarks, or you can add a second profile to Chrome and sign into a different account there.

Export bookmarks from your old computer

Open Chrome on your old computer and click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right. Go to Bookmarks, then select "Bookmark manager." In the Bookmark manager window, click the menu icon again (three dots) and choose "Export bookmarks." Chrome will save a file called "bookmarks.html" to your Downloads folder.

This file contains all your bookmarks, folders, and the order they appear in. You can copy it to a USB drive, email it to yourself, or save it to cloud storage like Google Drive or OneDrive. The file is small — usually less than 1 MB — so it transfers quickly.

Import bookmarks on your new computer

Open Chrome on your new computer and click the menu icon in the top right. Go to Bookmarks, then select "Bookmark manager." Click the menu icon again and choose "Import bookmarks." A file browser window will open. Navigate to the bookmarks.html file you exported and select it.

Chrome will import all the bookmarks into a new folder called "Imported" in your bookmark menu. If you want to merge them with bookmarks you already have in Chrome, you can drag the bookmarks from the "Imported" folder into your other folders, or delete the "Imported" folder if you do not need the old bookmarks anymore.

What happens to bookmarks in different browsers

If you used a different browser on your old computer — Firefox, Safari, Edge, or another one — Chrome can import bookmarks directly from that browser. Open the Chrome menu, go to Bookmarks, and select "Import bookmarks and settings." Choose the browser you want to import from and click "Import." Chrome will pull in all the bookmarks without needing an HTML file.

This works only if the other browser is installed on the same computer where you are running Chrome. If the other browser is on your old computer and you want to move bookmarks to your new computer, export them as an HTML file from that browser first, then import the file into Chrome on the new computer.

Troubleshooting bookmarks that do not appear

If you signed into your Google Account but bookmarks are not showing up, wait another five minutes and then refresh the page by pressing Ctrl+R (Windows) or Command+R (Mac). If they still do not appear, sign out of your Google Account and sign back in. Go to the Chrome menu, click "Settings," select "You and Google," and click "Sign out."

If you imported an HTML file and the bookmarks are not where you expected them, check the "Imported" folder in your bookmark menu. You may also have bookmarks in the "Other bookmarks" folder if Chrome could not determine where they belonged. If the import file was corrupted or incomplete, try exporting the bookmarks again from your old computer and importing them a second time.

Keeping bookmarks in sync across multiple devices

Once you sign into your Google Account in Chrome, your bookmarks stay synchronized across every device where you sign in — your phone, tablet, laptop, and work computer. Any bookmark you add on one device appears on all the others within a few minutes. You can turn off sync for bookmarks in Settings if you want to keep different bookmarks on different devices.

If you use Chrome on multiple computers and want to keep them separate, create a different user profile in Chrome for each computer. Each profile has its own bookmarks, history, and settings, and they do not sync with each other even if they are signed into the same Google Account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I lose my old bookmarks when I import new ones?

No. Imported bookmarks go into a separate "Imported" folder, so your existing bookmarks stay where they are. You can then move, copy, or delete the imported bookmarks as you choose. If you want to merge them with existing folders, drag them manually or delete the "Imported" folder if you do not need them.

Can I export bookmarks from Chrome on my phone?

Chrome on phones and tablets does not have an export option. If you need to move bookmarks from mobile Chrome, sign into your Google Account on your new computer and they will sync automatically. Alternatively, you can export from Chrome on a desktop or laptop computer instead.

What if I forgot which Google Account has my bookmarks?

Try signing in with your most commonly used Google Account first. If the bookmarks do not appear after five minutes, sign out and try a different account. You can also check your old computer — open Chrome there and look at the profile icon to see which account is currently signed in.

Is the bookmarks.html file safe to share?

Yes. The HTML file contains only bookmark names and URLs, not passwords or personal information. You can email it, store it in cloud storage, or share it with other people. However, if your bookmarks include private or sensitive URLs, keep the file in a find location.

Can I import bookmarks from a file that is not named bookmarks.html?

Yes. Chrome will import any HTML file that contains bookmarks, regardless of the filename. Some browsers export with different names like "bookmarks_backup.html" or "chrome_bookmarks.html" — Chrome will read them all the same way.

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