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How to Export Chrome Bookmarks as an Importable HTML File

Chrome's built-in Bookmark Manager can export your saved bookmarks as an HTML file, and that saved file is what you later select when a destination browser offers an HTML bookmark import. The built-in export is the straightforward choice when you want a complete copy of the entire bookmark collection. If the task is narrower, a selective export option can also produce browser-import HTML: export bookmarks chrome can download only the folders or specific links you choose.

The quickest route to an importable bookmark file

For a full export, Chrome's own bookmark manager is the quickest supported route. It writes the complete bookmark collection to one HTML file, ready to be selected by another browser's import tool. The process does not filter by folder or individual link; that is the main limitation to keep in mind. Bemidji State University's IT documentation covers the Chrome bookmark export and import process in the same menu order.

Export all Chrome bookmarks with the built-in tool

  1. Open Chrome on your computer.
  2. Select the More menu at the top right, then choose Bookmarks and lists, then Bookmark Manager. You can also press Ctrl+Shift+O.
  3. In Bookmark Manager, select the More menu at the top right.
  4. Choose Export Bookmarks.
  5. In the save dialog, choose a location you can find later and give the file a clear name. Keep the .html extension.
  6. Save the file and confirm it appears in the chosen folder.

Chrome saves the entire collection as an HTML file. Keep that file as a backup or use it in the destination browser's import workflow.

When you need only selected bookmarks

Chrome's built-in export is a full collection export. There is no built-in filter in that menu to export only one folder or a few links. If you want a partial export, a selective export route can choose all bookmarks, a single folder, selected folders, or only specific links, then preview the result and download it in a clean format.

For any browser import workflow, choose browser import HTML as the output. A JSON export can be useful for backup or data work, but it is not the file format you select in this HTML import process. This distinction matters: HTML is for restoring or moving bookmarks through browser import tools; JSON is for data handling and backup.

Import the HTML file into Chrome

The export step saves the file. Importing is a separate action in the browser where the bookmarks should end up.

On a computer

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Select More, then Bookmarks and lists, then Import bookmarks and settings.
  3. Select Choose file. If a source dropdown is shown, choose Bookmarks HTML File.
  4. Browse to the exported HTML file, select it, then choose Open and Done.

On a Chromebook

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Select More, then Bookmarks and lists, then Bookmark Manager.
  3. At the top left, select Organize.
  4. Choose Import Bookmarks from HTML file.
  5. Select the saved HTML file.

Import the file into Edge or Firefox

Microsoft Edge

  1. Open Edge and select Settings and more, then Settings.
  2. Under Profiles, select Import browser data.
  3. Under Other import locations, find Import browser data now and select Import.
  4. In the Import from list, choose Favorites or bookmarks HTML file.
  5. Select Choose file, then browse to the saved HTML file and select Open.
  6. When the import finishes, select Done.

Microsoft Support's favorites and bookmarks import guide gives the same file import route and notes that imported favorites appear in a folder on the Favorites bar, often named Imported.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open Firefox.
  2. Open the menu and choose Bookmarks, then Manage bookmarks.
  3. In the Library window, use the Import and Backup menu.
  4. Choose the HTML bookmark import option and select the exported HTML file.

Firefox's labels and placement can differ from Chrome's, but the workflow is still a two-step process: save the HTML file in Chrome, then use Firefox's bookmark import controls to choose it. A knowledge base article from McMaster University covers the bookmark export and import controls across browsers.

Check where imported bookmarks appear

Do not assume the imported links will land in the same place in every browser. Chrome's guidance separates an empty bookmark collection from one that already has bookmarks. In Chrome on a Chromebook, if no bookmarks existed, imports can appear in the bookmarks bar; if bookmarks already existed, imports may be placed in a new folder named Imported. On a computer, existing bookmarks may be added to Other bookmarks.

Edge also places imported favorites in a folder on the Favorites bar, and that folder may be named Imported. Check the bookmark manager or favorites list after the import so you know whether the links were merged at the top level or kept in a separate folder.

If the browser does not accept the file

Start with a format and selection check.

  1. Confirm the file is the exported bookmark HTML file, not a JSON file or a browser profile file.
  2. Confirm the file still has an .html extension.
  3. Open the destination browser's bookmark import or favorites import controls. Do not use a password import, settings import, or general file-open option.
  4. If the browser still rejects the file, export the bookmarks again from Chrome and save the new file to a simple local location, then retry the import.

This avoids expanding into unrelated profile or sync troubleshooting. The most common issue is selecting the wrong file format or the wrong import route.

A full Chrome bookmark export creates an HTML file you can import later, and the built-in path is the right default for a complete collection. Save the file somewhere clear, import it through the destination browser's bookmark tools, and check where that browser places the imported items. If only part of the collection should move, use a selective HTML export rather than expecting Chrome's built-in export to filter by folder or link.