How to Show Favorites Bar in Edge (Step-by-Step)

The Edge favorites bar is the strip of saved links that sits just below the address bar — the same concept as Chrome’s bookmarks bar. By default, Edge shows it only on the new tab page and hides it everywhere else, which is why many people don’t realize their favorites are still there. This guide covers every method for showing the bar, setting it to always visible, and adding favorites to it.

The Fastest Method: Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl+Shift+B to toggle the favorites bar on and off. This works on Windows. If the bar is hidden, pressing the shortcut shows it. If it’s visible, pressing it hides it.

This is the same shortcut Chrome uses for its bookmarks bar. If you use both browsers, the shortcut is consistent.

Method 2: Settings > Appearance

For a persistent setting (rather than a toggle), use Edge Settings:

1. Click the three-dot menu (the ellipsis icon at the top-right corner of Edge).
2. Click Settings.
3. In the left sidebar, click Appearance.
4. Scroll down to the Toolbar section.
5. Find Favorites bar.
6. Click the dropdown and choose one of three options:
   • Always — the bar is visible on every page
   • Never — the bar is hidden everywhere
   • Only on new tabs — the bar shows on the new tab page only (this is the default)

The most common change people make here is switching from “Only on new tabs” to “Always.”

Method 3: Right-Click the Toolbar

1. Right-click on an empty area of the Edge toolbar (the bar with the address field and browser icons).
2. In the context menu, click Show favorites bar.
3. Choose Always, Never, or Only on new tabs.

This is the same three-option dropdown, just accessible via right-click rather than the full Settings page.

Why the Favorites Bar Disappears on Regular Pages

The Edge default is “Only on new tabs.” This means the bar appears when you open a new tab — so you may have seen it there — but vanishes the moment you navigate to any website. This surprises users who expect the bar to be permanently visible.

Changing the setting to Always is a one-time fix. After that, the bar stays visible on every page.

Adding Favorites to the Bar

Showing the bar is only useful if your favorites are on it. When you save a favorite:

1. Navigate to the page you want to save.
2. Click the star icon at the right end of the address bar, or press Ctrl+D.
3. In the dialog that appears, change Folder to Favorites bar.
4. Click Done.

The favorite appears on the bar immediately.

Moving existing favorites to the bar

If you have favorites saved but not on the bar (they’re in a folder like “Other favorites”):

1. Click the Favorites icon (star with lines) in the toolbar, or press Ctrl+Shift+O.
2. In the Favorites panel, find the favorite you want to move.
3. Right-click it and choose Edit.
4. Change the folder to Favorites bar and click Save.

Alternatively, drag the item directly from the Favorites panel onto the bar.

Managing a Crowded Favorites Bar

If your bar overflows, Edge shows a >> button at the right end to access the extras. A few ways to fit more in:

• Shorten the names. Right-click a favorite > Edit, and shorten the name to 1-3 words or clear it entirely to show just the favicon.
• Use folders. Right-click on the bar and choose Add folder. Group related favorites inside it — the folder appears as a dropdown.
• Keep the bar for daily-use sites only. Anything you open less than weekly belongs in a folder, not the bar.

Organizing Favorites in the Favorites Manager

Edge has a full Favorites Manager similar to Chrome’s Bookmark Manager:

• Press Ctrl+Shift+O or go to the three-dot menu > Favorites.
• In the Favorites panel, click the three-dot icon and choose Open Favorites page for the full-page view.
• You can search, sort, create folders, and bulk-edit from this view.

Syncing Favorites Across Edge Devices

Edge favorites sync across your Windows and macOS devices when you’re signed into a Microsoft account with sync enabled. To check sync status:

1. Go to Settings > Profiles > Sync.
2. Make sure Favorites is toggled on.

Note that the favorites bar visibility setting (Always/Never/Only on new tabs) is a local device preference and does not sync. The actual favorites (the URLs) sync; you’ll need to set the bar visibility on each device individually.

Switching from Edge to Chrome: Importing Your Favorites

If you’re considering moving to Chrome, your Edge favorites don’t have to stay behind. The process is straightforward.

Step 1: Export from Edge

1. In Edge, click the three-dot menu > Favorites.
2. In the Favorites panel, click the three-dot icon (More options).
3. Choose Export favorites.
4. Save the HTML file to your computer.

Step 2: Import into Chrome

1. Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+O to open the Bookmark Manager.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the Bookmark Manager.
3. Choose Import bookmarks.
4. Select the HTML file you exported from Edge.

Chrome imports the favorites into an Imported from Microsoft Edge folder in Other bookmarks. From there, you can drag bookmarks to the bookmarks bar or rearrange them however you like.

Step 3: Set up the Chrome bookmarks bar

Chrome’s bookmarks bar defaults to “Only on New Tab Page” on fresh installations. Press Ctrl+Shift+B or go to Settings > Appearance > Show bookmarks bar > Always to make it permanently visible — the same change you made in Edge.

Working with your bookmarks after the import

After importing, you’ll have your full favorites collection in Chrome. If you’ve accumulated years of bookmarks, some are likely dead links — pages that have moved or disappeared. Bookmend checks your Chrome bookmarks for dead links without requiring any migration or new account for your bookmarks. It works directly with whatever Chrome has in its bookmarks folder, including bookmarks you just imported from Edge. Dead links are detected after two checks 48 hours apart (to avoid false positives from temporary outages), and one-click recovery pulls the closest Wayback Machine snapshot if a page is confirmed gone.

If switching to Chrome is not on your mind and you just want to show the Edge favorites bar, you’re done after the steps above. The import section is here for people the CTA mentions — it’s a genuinely useful workflow, but entirely optional if you’re staying in Edge.

Troubleshooting: Favorites Bar Not Showing

Setting appears correct but bar is still missing. Close Edge completely and reopen it. A fresh start sometimes resolves display state that hasn’t updated.

Bar shows on new tabs but not other pages. Your setting is “Only on new tabs.” Change it to Always as described in the Settings section above.

The Ctrl+Shift+B shortcut does nothing. Make sure the Edge window is in focus — click inside the browser first. If another application is intercepting that key combination system-wide (some screenshot tools or gaming overlays do this), resolve the conflict in that application’s shortcut settings.

Bar was visible and then disappeared after an Edge update. Occasionally, a browser update resets appearance preferences. Go to Settings > Appearance > Favorites bar and set it to Always again.

On a managed or work computer. Corporate IT policies can lock browser appearance settings. If you see “This setting is managed by your organization” next to the Favorites bar setting, your administrator has locked it and you can’t change it without IT assistance.

Organizing the Favorites Bar Once It’s Visible

Showing the bar is only useful if what’s on it is actually useful. A cluttered bar with two dozen favorites crammed into a single row defeats the point — you end up scanning instead of clicking.

A few habits that keep it usable:

• Keep the bar itself small. Five to ten of your most-used sites, not your entire favorites collection. Everything else belongs in folders accessible from the Favorites menu (Ctrl+Shift+O opens the full manager).
• Use folders on the bar sparingly. A folder icon on the bar that expands into a dropdown works well for a related group (e.g., a “Work” folder with five internal tools) but stacking multiple folders defeats the at-a-glance benefit of a bar in the first place.
• Rename long titles. Right-click any favorite on the bar and choose Edit to shorten its display name — a site’s default page title is often far longer than needed for a one-word bar label.
• Reorder by drag-and-drop. Favorites on the bar can be dragged left or right to reorder; put what you click most on the far left, closest to the address bar.

Edge Favorites Bar vs. the Full Favorites Manager

It’s worth being clear from the start about what the favorites bar actually is: a shortcut shelf for a small handful of your most-used sites, not a container for your whole collection. The complete favorites manager (accessible via the star icon in the toolbar, or Ctrl+Shift+O) holds everything — including favorites you’ve deliberately kept off the bar to avoid clutter — and supports full folder nesting and search by title. If you can’t find something and the bar looks sparse, check the manager before assuming a favorite is lost; it’s very likely just filed in a folder that isn’t pinned to the bar.