How to Export and Back Up Chrome Bookmarks to a File

Want a file you can keep or import later? Chrome’s built-in Bookmark Manager can export your bookmarks as an HTML file. This guide covers the standard steps, what to do with the file, and how to export a smaller selection or JSON instead. For those extra options, see how to export bookmarks chrome.

How to export Chrome bookmarks to a file

The quick answer: open Chrome’s Bookmark Manager, open its separate menu, and choose Export bookmarks. The file that Chrome saves is an HTML bookmark file that you can import into Chrome or another browser later.

Here is the standard desktop Chrome workflow:

Open Chrome on your computer.
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the browser window.
Go to Bookmarks and lists > Bookmark manager. If your version of Chrome shows Bookmarks instead of Bookmarks and lists, use that menu path.
In the Bookmark Manager tab that opens, click the three-dot menu near the top of the manager. This is not the same button as Chrome’s main menu.
Select Export bookmarks.
Choose a save location, give the file a clear name, and click Save.
Check that the saved HTML file appears in the location you selected.

On Windows or Linux, you can often open Bookmark Manager directly by pressing Ctrl+Shift+O. The menu route is still a good primary method because keyboard shortcuts and labels can vary slightly between Chrome versions.

For the filename, a dated name such as Chrome_Bookmarks_2026-07-09.html makes the backup easier to recognize later. If you use more than one Chrome profile, add the profile name too, such as Work_Chrome_Bookmarks_2026-07-09.html. Keep the .html extension so the file remains useful for browser imports.

HTML or JSON: which bookmark file should you choose?

Chrome’s built-in export saves bookmarks as HTML. That is the practical format when you want to restore bookmarks into Chrome or move them to another browser that supports bookmark HTML imports, such as Edge or Firefox.

JSON is different. It is a structured text format that is useful for data work, scripts, version control, or tools that can read JSON. JSON is not the usual file to select when you use Chrome’s standard bookmark HTML-import option. If your goal is simply to restore bookmarks in a browser, choose HTML. If you need machine-readable bookmark data for another workflow, JSON may be the better choice.

If you want either format from one tool, Export Bookmarks Chrome can export bookmarks as JSON for backup or data use, or as browser-import HTML that can be imported back into Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers that support bookmark HTML imports. The format you pick should match what you plan to do with the file.

Need only one folder or a few bookmarks?

Chrome’s built-in Bookmark Manager export is designed to export your bookmark collection rather than a single folder directly from the manager. There is no standard single-folder checkbox in the export dialog, and older temporary-profile workarounds are more cumbersome than most people need.

If you want a smaller file or do not want to include the rest of your bookmark collection, a selective export tool is a better fit. Export Bookmarks Chrome lets you choose exactly what to include:

All bookmarks
A single bookmark folder
Selected folders
Only specific links

You can also search across your bookmarks and preview what will be included before downloading the result. This is useful when you only need to share one project folder, move a small set of links to another browser, or avoid exporting an unwanted full collection.

This does not replace Chrome’s standard full export. Think of the built-in export as the default way to back up everything, and the extension as an optional route when you need finer control over the contents.

How to restore bookmarks from the HTML file

A backup file is only useful if you can bring it back. To restore bookmarks from a saved HTML file in Chrome:

Open Chrome and go to Bookmarks and lists > Bookmark manager.
In the Bookmark Manager, click the three-dot menu.
Choose Import bookmarks. If your version of Chrome shows Import bookmarks and settings under the main Bookmarks and lists menu instead, use that option.
Select the saved bookmark HTML file.
Complete the import and wait for Chrome to finish.
Review the imported bookmarks and folders.

Depending on Chrome’s behavior, imported items may appear in a separate Imported folder. Check that everything arrived before reorganizing or removing anything. If the file is important, a quick test import is worthwhile—especially before you rely on it for a device migration or recovery.

The same HTML file can often be imported into another browser that supports bookmark HTML imports, but each browser may handle imported folders slightly differently.

Keep your bookmark backup useful

An export is only a backup if you can find it and it survives whatever problem made you create it.

Save the file somewhere memorable, such as a dedicated backup folder, Documents, or a cloud folder.
Use a dated name so you can tell new exports from old ones.
If you are protecting against a failed computer drive, keep a copy on a separate drive or another trusted storage location. A file saved only on the same drive as your Chrome profile will not help if that drive fails.
Check that the file exists after saving and, when practical, test an import.

Be clear about what a bookmark export covers. It is not a complete Chrome profile backup. An exported bookmark file contains your bookmarks, folders, titles, and URLs, but it does not include saved passwords, browsing history, extensions, or other browser profile data.

Chrome Sync also works differently from a saved export. Sync can keep bookmarks available across signed-in Chrome devices, while an exported HTML file is a separate copy that you control and store yourself. Both can be useful, but they are not the same thing.

Final takeaway

Save a dated HTML export somewhere you can find it, ideally in a location that is not only on your computer’s main drive, and confirm the file is present after saving. When you need to restore or move bookmarks, import the HTML file and review the imported bookmarks before reorganizing anything.

If you need JSON for data use or want to export only selected folders and links, use a tool like Export Bookmarks Chrome as an optional route. For most everyday backup and browser-move tasks, Chrome’s built-in HTML export is the straightforward place to start.