Transfer Bookmarks to a New Computer (Free)

Want a free way to transfer bookmarks to new computer hardware without signing into anything? Take the bookmarks file from your old browser, turn it into a bookmarks.html file, and import that on the new machine. This free tool does the middle step for you: drop in the Bookmarks file from Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera or Vivaldi (or any bookmarks.html export, or a Firefox JSON backup), and it gives you one clean file that every desktop browser can import. You can drop several files at once to merge profiles or browsers into a single import.

Everything runs in the browser tab. No account, no sync, no upload.

How to transfer bookmarks to a new computer

You transfer bookmarks to a new computer in one of two ways: let an account sync them, or carry a file across yourself. Sync is automatic but needs you to sign in on both machines. A file transfer takes about two minutes and works with no account at all, between any operating systems.

The file route has three parts:

1. Get the bookmarks out of the old computer. Either export bookmarks.html from the browser’s bookmark manager, or copy the browser’s own Bookmarks profile file.
2. Move the file. USB stick, external drive, email to yourself, a cloud folder like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or iCloud Drive, or a network share. The file is small; even a library with tens of thousands of bookmarks is usually only a few megabytes.
3. Import it on the new computer. Every desktop browser can import a bookmarks.html file. None of them import another browser’s raw Bookmarks JSON file, which is why this tool converts it.

If the old computer still runs and you only use one browser profile, exporting HTML from the old browser is enough. The tool earns its place when you can only get at the raw profile file (for example the old PC won’t boot), when you have several profiles or browsers to merge, or when you want duplicates removed before they land on the new machine.

Every way to transfer Chrome bookmarks to new computer setups, compared

There are five practical ways to transfer Chrome bookmarks to new computer setups, and the right one depends on whether you want to sign in and whether the old machine still works. This table compares them honestly, including where this free tool is not the best choice.

Chrome sync

Chrome sync is the easiest option if you already use a Google account. Sign in to Chrome on the old computer, make sure sync is on and bookmarks are included, then sign in with the same account on the new computer and your bookmarks appear there, along with passwords, extensions and settings if you have those turned on. Google’s help page on turning sync on and off in Chrome lists exactly what syncs.

Where sync falls short: it requires an account, it syncs deletions as well as additions (delete a folder on one device and it disappears everywhere), and it merges bookmarks from every device into one pile, which is a common cause of duplicates.

Export and import bookmarks.html

Exporting is the classic method and needs no account. In Chrome, open the Bookmark Manager (Ctrl+Shift+O on Windows and Linux, Cmd+Option+B on Mac), click the three-dot menu at the top right, and choose Export bookmarks. You get a file named something like bookmarks_9_26_26.html. On the new computer you import that file (steps below).

It fails in two situations: the old computer won’t start, so you can’t open the browser to export; or you have several profiles and end up with several exports to import one by one.

Copy the Bookmarks profile file

You can copy the Bookmarks file itself into the same folder on the new computer. With the browser fully closed on the new machine, put the file in the new profile folder, replacing the one there, and start the browser. You get an exact copy of the old bookmark tree, bookmarks bar included.

The catch is that it replaces whatever bookmarks the new profile already has, and if sync is on, sync then merges the copied file with the account’s bookmarks. It also only works between Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, Arc), and only one file at a time.

This tool

This tool sits between the export and the file copy. It reads the raw profile file (so the old browser never has to open), converts it into bookmarks.html (so importing adds bookmarks instead of replacing them), and accepts as many files as you like, each becoming its own folder. Optional de-duplication uses the same normalized URL matching as our duplicate bookmark finder: it ignores http versus https, www., trailing slashes, #fragments and tracking tags such as utm_source.

What it can’t do: it doesn’t move passwords, extensions, history or open tabs, and it can’t sync anything afterwards. It also can’t recover bookmarks that were deleted before you copied the file; for that, start with the Chrome bookmarks recovery tool and Bookmarks.bak.

Whole-system migration

Windows backup and restore tools and Apple’s Migration Assistant move your whole user account, and browser profiles usually come with it. That’s the right choice when you’re moving everything anyway. It’s a heavy tool if you only want your bookmarks, and it doesn’t help when the old machine won’t boot.

Chrome bookmarks file location on Windows, Mac and Linux

The Chrome bookmarks file location is the browser’s profile folder, and the file is named Bookmarks with no extension. The default profile is in a folder called Default; any extra profiles you created sit next to it as Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on. The tool’s Step 1 box shows the right path for your system with a copy button.

A few details that trip people up:

• The folders are hidden. On Windows, AppData is hidden; paste the path into File Explorer’s address bar and it opens anyway. On a Mac, ~/Library is hidden; in Finder press Shift+Cmd+G, paste the path, and press Return. On Linux, press Ctrl+H in most file managers to show dot folders.
• Not sure which profile? Type chrome://version in Chrome’s address bar (or edge://version, brave://version, opera://about, vivaldi://about). The Profile Path line is the exact folder for the profile you’re in.
• Snap and Flatpak installs on Linux keep their profiles under ~/snap/ or ~/.var/app/ instead of ~/.config.
• Windows shows a “Bookmarks” file with no type. That’s the one. Bookmarks.bak beside it is the browser’s single previous copy, and it’s worth copying too.

How to transfer Chrome bookmarks without signing in

To transfer Chrome bookmarks without signing in, you move a file instead of an account. This is the full workflow with this free tool, start to finish.

On the old computer:

1. Close Chrome completely (on Windows check the system tray; on a Mac use Chrome, Quit Chrome). The file can be read while Chrome runs, but closing it guarantees the latest changes are written.
2. Open the profile folder from the table above and copy Bookmarks (and Bookmarks.bak) to a USB stick or cloud folder. Rename them if you’re copying several profiles, for example Bookmarks-work and Bookmarks-personal, so you can tell them apart.

On the new computer:

1. Open this page and drop the file(s) into Step 2.
2. Rename each folder if you like. Leave “Remove duplicates across files” on unless you want exact copies of everything.
3. If you only dropped one file, decide whether it should import as-is (its bookmarks bar becomes your bookmarks bar in a fresh browser) or inside its own folder.
4. Click Download bookmarks.html.
5. Import it into the new browser using the steps below.

No step asks for a Google account. The same workflow works if you’d rather not sync at all for privacy reasons, if you’re setting up a work computer that blocks personal sign-in, or if you’re moving from a browser you’ve stopped using.

How to import bookmarks to Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari

You import bookmarks to Chrome by choosing ⋮ (More) → Bookmarks and lists → Import bookmarks and settings, selecting Bookmarks HTML File, and picking the downloaded file. These are the menu paths as of September 2026.

Google documents the Chrome steps on its import bookmarks help page, Microsoft covers Edge in import your favorites and passwords in Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla explains the Firefox Library route in import bookmarks from an HTML file.

What happens to the bookmarks bar

A bookmarks.html file can mark one folder as the toolbar folder. When you drop a single file and leave “keep in its own folder” off, the old bookmarks bar stays marked, so a fresh Chrome puts it straight on the bar. When you merge several files, each file’s bar becomes an ordinary folder inside that file’s top-level folder, because a browser can only have one bookmarks bar. After importing, drag whichever folder you want onto the bar in the Bookmark Manager.

How to copy Chrome bookmarks to new computer profiles that already have bookmarks

To copy Chrome bookmarks to new computer profiles that already have some bookmarks, import rather than replace. An HTML import is additive: it never deletes what’s there. Copying the raw Bookmarks file over the new one is destructive: whatever the new profile had is gone (Chrome keeps one Bookmarks.bak, but the browser replaces it again as it runs).

A clean way to end up with one tidy library:

1. On the new computer, export its current bookmarks as a safety copy.
2. Drop that export and the old computer’s Bookmarks file into this tool, with the new computer’s file first.
3. Leave duplicate removal on. Pages the new computer already has are kept once, in their current place; the old computer’s extras are added in their own folder.
4. Either import the result into the existing profile (you’ll still have the originals, plus the merged folders), or, if you want a truly single copy, delete the existing bookmarks in the Bookmark Manager first and then import the merged file.

The second option is the only way to avoid duplicates entirely inside the browser. It is also the step where mistakes happen, so keep the safety export until you’ve checked the result.

How to import bookmarks from Edge to Chrome

To import bookmarks from Edge to Chrome, export Edge’s favorites as HTML and import that file into Chrome, or drop Edge’s Bookmarks profile file into this tool. Both give the same result.

From inside Edge: open the Favorites page (Ctrl+Shift+O in Edge), click More options (…), choose Export favorites, and save the HTML file. In Chrome, use Import bookmarks and settings and pick that file.

Without opening Edge: copy Bookmarks from %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft Edge/Default (Mac) and drop it here. This is the route to use when Edge won’t start, when the old computer is gone, or when you want to merge Edge and Chrome libraries in one pass.

Going the other way is even simpler: Edge’s Import browser data screen can pull favorites directly from Chrome installed on the same computer.

Importing favorites from Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer favorites are individual .url shortcut files stored in C:\Users\<your name>\Favorites. On Windows, Edge’s Import browser data screen lists Internet Explorer 11 as a source, so the simplest route is IE → Edge → export HTML → import anywhere. If the old IE computer is dead, copy the whole Favorites folder from its drive; the shortcuts open in any browser, but for a bulk import you’ll want to go through Edge on a Windows machine.

How to transfer bookmarks from an old computer that won’t boot

You can still transfer bookmarks from a computer that won’t boot, because the Bookmarks file is just a file on its drive. Get the drive readable on another computer, copy the file, and drop it into this tool.

1. Take the drive out. Most desktop drives and many laptop SSDs come out with a screwdriver. Put it in a USB enclosure or adapter that matches its connector (SATA or M.2 NVMe).
2. Connect it to a working computer.
3. Browse to the profile folder on that drive. On a Windows drive the full path is X:\Users\<name>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default, where X: is the letter the drive gets. On a Mac drive it’s /Users/<name>/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default.
4. Copy Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak. If Windows says you need permission to open the old user’s folder, accept the prompt to take access.
5. Drop both into the tool. If the live file is damaged, Bookmarks.bak often still has a complete set. If they’re both fine, dropping both with de-duplication on gives you the union of the two.

Two limits to know. A drive encrypted with BitLocker (Windows) or FileVault (Mac) can’t be read without its password or recovery key; for Microsoft accounts the BitLocker key is often saved at account.microsoft.com. And on a Mac with Apple silicon or a T2 chip, the internal SSD is soldered and encrypted, so you’d use the Mac’s own recovery options (such as sharing its disk to another Mac) rather than removing a drive. Apple documents this in its guide on transferring files between two Mac computers.

If the file itself is missing bookmarks you know you had, the Chrome bookmarks recovery tool explains what Bookmarks.bak can and can’t bring back.

Transferring bookmarks between Windows, Mac and Linux

Transferring bookmarks between Windows, Mac and Linux works with no extra steps, because neither bookmarks.html nor the Chromium Bookmarks JSON file depends on the operating system. A file copied from Chrome on Windows opens in this tool on a Mac, and the downloaded HTML imports into Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox on the new machine.

Windows to Mac: copy Bookmarks from %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default, move it by USB or cloud drive, drop it here on the Mac, and import. For Safari, use File → Import From → Bookmarks HTML File. If Safari is your destination and you also have Safari-specific data to bring back later, our Safari to Chrome bookmark converter handles the Favorites bar and Reading List mapping in both directions.

Mac to Windows: the same, in reverse. A USB stick formatted as exFAT is readable by both systems.

Linux: identical, with paths under ~/.config. If you use Chromium from a distribution package instead of Google Chrome, the folder is ~/.config/chromium/Default.

What a bookmark transfer does not include

A bookmarks transfer moves links, folder names and the dates they were added. It does not move anything else, and it helps to plan for the rest before you wipe the old computer.

One easy win: before you retire the old computer, press Ctrl+Shift+D (or Cmd+Shift+D on Mac) in Chrome to bookmark all open tabs into a folder.

Troubleshooting a bookmark transfer

When you transfer bookmarks to new computer setups, most problems come down to the wrong file, the wrong profile, or an import landing somewhere unexpected.

If the new library is full of links that no longer open, that’s link rot rather than a transfer problem. Our free bookmark rot check gives a quick picture of an export, and the bookmarks HTML viewer lets you search the downloaded file before you import it.

Other free ways to move bookmarks, and when they’re better

Other free ways to move bookmarks are sometimes a better fit than this tool:

• Chrome sync is better if you’re happy to sign in with a Google account on both computers and want passwords and extensions moved too.
• Edge’s built-in importer is better when Chrome and Edge are on the same Windows computer; it reads Chrome directly with no file.
• Firefox’s importer can read Chrome, Edge and Safari data on the same computer during setup, which is simpler than a file when both browsers are installed side by side.
• Apple Migration Assistant or a full Windows backup is better when you’re moving your entire user account, not just bookmarks.
• Copying the Bookmarks file is better when you want a byte-for-byte clone of one Chromium profile into a brand-new, empty profile.

This tool is the better choice when the old browser can’t open, when you won’t or can’t sign in, when you’re merging several profiles or browsers, or when you want duplicates stripped out before import. Our article on copying bookmarks from one computer to another walks through the manual routes in more detail.

Is there a free way to transfer bookmarks to new computer setups without software?

Yes: this page is a free way to move bookmarks without installing software or creating an account. The browser’s own export and import menus are free too; the tool adds reading raw profile files, merging several sources and removing duplicates, all inside the tab.

A bookmarks.html file is plain text in the old Netscape bookmark format, which is why every browser still understands it. You can open it in any browser to see the links as a list, keep it as a backup, or re-import it any time. Keeping a dated copy on a cloud drive after the move costs nothing and protects you the next time you change computers.

After the move: keeping the bookmarks you transferred useful

Right after you transfer bookmarks to new computer hardware is a good moment to check what you actually carried across. Years-old libraries usually include pages that have moved or vanished, plus duplicates from earlier syncs and imports.

It’s also a good moment to decide where those bookmarks should live. The merged bookmarks.html this tool produces is exactly the file Bookmend imports, so the same file that goes into your new browser can go into Bookmend too, with its folders intact (up to 20,000 bookmarks per import).

Bookmend is an AI-native bookmark manager for Chrome and the web: save it once, ask it anything. Your library lives in your Bookmend account, so it’s the same on the new computer, in the extension and in the web app, whichever machine you’re on next time. When you save a page, its AI writes a short summary and suggests tags and a collection, which you accept, edit or ignore; it never moves anything on its own. Ask your library answers plain-language questions from your saved pages, with numbered citations linking to the bookmarks. Link health checks saved links in the background (at most once a day per bookmark), flags the dead ones, and offers the Wayback Machine copy from when the page last worked. It runs in Chrome, Brave, Edge, Arc and Opera, with Firefox coming soon. The free plan covers saving, collections, tags, search and import/export; the AI features and link health are Premium, and free for new accounts during early access. See what Bookmend does and how it works.

Written by Nafiul Hasan, Founder, Bookmend. Last updatedSeptember 26, 2026.