How to Recover Bookmarks in Chrome on Any Device

Have you accidentally deleted or lost a favorite link and wondered, "How do I restore bookmarks in Chrome?" Losing your Chrome bookmarks can feel like a mini-disaster, especially when they hold links to valuable resources, favorite recipes, or essential work documents. But don't fret! Whether on Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, getting them back is simpler than you think.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll provide step-by-step instructions for different devices. By the end of this post, you'll know exactly how to recover bookmarks in Chrome and prevent future losses. Let's get started!

Why You Need to Get Chrome Bookmarks Back?

They can save time, make browsing efficient, and keep track of important sites. Imagine remembering and typing out the URL for every site you visit regularly. It's not only inconvenient but also impractical. With bookmarks, you can organize your online interests efficiently.

Common Causes of Bookmark Loss

Google Chrome bookmarks can disappear for various reasons. Understanding them can help you avoid them in the future.

• 🗑️ It's easy to accidentally delete bookmarks, especially if you're managing a large collection.
• 🔃 Syncing across multiple devices doesn't always work seamlessly. Sometimes, this leads to inconsistencies in bookmark availability across different platforms.
• 🙍 If bookmarks were not synchronized or saved to an account, signing out of Chrome could result in their disappearance.
• ⚙️ Updates to Chrome or your device's operating system can sometimes cause bookmarks to vanish.
• 📥 Reinstalling Google Chrome without proper backup can lead to the loss of bookmarks.
• ↩️ A system restores or a Chrome profile corruption may be the culprit.

Different reasons have different recovery methods. Next, let's explore them one by one.

General Ways to Get Chrome Bookmarks Back

Because Chrome is cross-platform, some methods for "How do I recover bookmarks in Chrome?" that apply to all devices. For this reason, we put it in the first part for your convenience. Let's explore them one by one.

1. Check the Bookmark Manager

The first and easiest method is to check the Chrome Bookmark Manager. Here, you can search for your missing bookmarks. They might just be misplaced rather than deleted. To access it, you can do:

• ▫️ For Windows: Press "Ctrl + Shift + O"
• ▫️ For macOS: Press "Command + Shift + B"
• ▫️ For Android: At the top right, tap More > Bookmarks.
• ▫️ For iPhone and iPad: Tap the three-dot menu icon at the bottom-right corner of the Google Chrome browser and select "Bookmarks."

2. Use Chrome's Undo Option

If you accidentally delete something while managing Chrome bookmarks, you can immediately click "Undo." It's that simple!

3. Utilize Chrome Sync

If you have synced your favorite sites, this is a reliable method. Here's how to retrieve deleted bookmarks in Chrome:

For Windows and Mac:

1. Open Chrome.
2. Click the "three vertical dots" icon on the left and right sides of the toolbar and select "Settings."

3. Check your current account and click "Turn on sync."

4. Click "Yes, I'm in" in the newly opened dialog box.

For Android and iOS:

Tap the "three-dot" menu > Settings > Sync and Google Services > Manage Sync > Bookmarks.

4. From Google Server

If the sync fails and you are sure that your bookmarks are included on the Google server, you can use the following method to retrieve them:

1. Open takeout.google.com and log in with your account.

2. Select only "Chrome" in the list and click "All Chrome data included."
3. Select only "Bookmarks" and click "OK."
4. Scroll down and click "Next."

5. Select the transfer method, Frequency, File type & size and click "Create export."
6. Once created, unzip the file you obtained.
7. Open Chrome and type "chrome://settings/importData"

8. Choose "Bookmarks HTML file" in the dialog box and click "Choose Files."

If these general solutions don't work, don't worry—you can also explore system-specific options.

How to Restore Bookmarks on Chrome in Windows 11/10/8/7

If you're using a Windows PC, there are several methods to recover your deleted or lost Chrome bookmarks. They are:

1. Check the Recycle Bin

1. Open the "Recycle Bin."
2. Search for a file named "Bookmarks."

3. Right-click it and select "Restore."

2. Restore from Backup

1. Press "Windows + R" simultaneously.

2. Enter "AppData" in the dialog box that appears and click "OK."
3. Navigate to "Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default."

4. Find "Bookmarks" and "Bookmarks.bak." (Bookmarks is the file that currently records your favorite links, and .bak is the backup file.)
5. Rename the "Bookmarks" file and change "Bookmarks.bak" to "Bookmarks."
6. Restart Chrome to see if your bookmarks have been restored.

3. From Previous Versions

To restore lost bookmarks in Chrome, please follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.

2. In the top menu, switch to "View" and select "Hidden items."
3. Go to "C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\."
4. Find the Default folder, right-click, and select "Restore previous versions."

5. Select a recent copy in the folder version.
6. Click "Open" and find the "Bookmarks" file.
7. Select it and click "Restore."

4. Use a Data Recovery Tool

If the above methods don't work, you might need to use a professional tool like iBeesoft Data Recovery. It can scan your disk for lost items.

Here is a guide to recover deleted Chrome bookmarks in Windows 11/10/8/7:

1. Download and install iBeesoft Data Recovery.

2. Select your system partition after launching and click "Scan."
3. After the scan, navigate to the storage location of Chrome bookmarks in the left panel (C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default).
4. Find and select the "Bookmarks" file.

5. Click "Recover" to save it to the above folder.
6. Finally, open Chrome again to view the lost bookmarks.

How to Recover Chrome Bookmarks on Mac

For Mac users, there are still multiple methods for completing the recovery. Let's review them.

1. Use Backup of Chrome Bookmark

Chrome for Mac also automatically backs up your collection, so you can use the following method to get Chrome bookmarks back on Mac.

1. Open Finder on your Mac.

2. In the top menu bar, click "Go" and select "Go to Filder."

3. Enter the following path: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/

4. Within this folder, you should see the files named "Bookmarks" and "Bookmarks.bak," which contain your links.
5. Rename "Bookmarks" to "Bookmarks.old" and "Bookmarks.bak" to "Bookmarks."
6. Reopen your Chrome browser to check your bookmarks.

2. From Time Machine

This method requires that you have Time Machine backups set up in advance. If so, here's how to recover bookmarks in Chrome:

1. Open Finder and go to the folder "~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/."
2. Connect your Time Machine backup drive.
3. Enter Time Machine and return to a date before the bookmarks were lost.

4. Locate the "Bookmarks" file and click "Restore."

3. Try Recover Software

For macOS, "How can I get my bookmarks back on Google Chrome?" will be the last resort. For this, you can still use Mac data recovery software provided by iBeesoft to complete the process. The detailed steps are similar to those for Windows, except that you need to replace the storage location of Chrome bookmarks.

How to Retrieve Deleted Bookmarks in Chrome on Android

Losing bookmarks on your Android phone can be particularly frustrating. Here's how to find them.

1. From Bookmark Trash

Deleted Chrome bookmarks are stored in the Trash for 30 days before being permanently removed. You can get them back by following the steps below.

1. Open the Chrome app on your Android device.
2. Tap on the three-dot menu icon at the top-right corner.
3. Select "Bookmarks" and tap "Bookmark Manager."
4. Look for the "Trash" folder in the Bookmark Manager.
5. Inside the Trash folder, long-press on the deleted bookmark you want to restore.
6. Tap "Restore" to return the bookmark to the main list.

2. Use Google Account Backup

If you have enabled Google Account backup, you can find deleted bookmarks Chrome from a previous backup.

1. Go to Google Account settings > Manage your Google Account > Data & personalization > Scroll down to find "Download your data."
2. Check if Chrome bookmarks are included in your data backups and restore them if available.

3. Check Chrome History

Sometimes, the pages you've bookmarked are also in your browsing history. Open Chrome, go to "History," and look for the sites you want to re-bookmark. This isn't a full recovery but can help you rebuild your lost bookmarks list.

4. Use Chrome Bookmark Recovery Apps

If the above method does not help you recover deleted Chrome bookmarks on Android, you must resort to third-party programs. Here, you can try EaseUS MobiSaver for Android Free, and here is a guide on how to use it:

1. Download and install MobiSaver on a computer.
2. Connect your Android device to the PC.
3. Switch to the "Documents" tab to view the found files after the scan.

4. Select your Chrome bookmarks and click "Recover."
5. Transfer it to your Android phone and import it to Chrome.

How to Find Chrome Bookmarks on iPhone/iPad

iOS users, don't worry! While recovery methods are limited and come with conditions, some solutions are still available.

1. From Google Chrome History

Just like on Android, you can check your browsing history to find sites you have bookmarked. Open Chrome, go to "History," and look for the sites to re-bookmark.

2. Use iCloud Backup

While iCloud is not designed to back up Chrome bookmarks directly, it can indirectly facilitate the restoration of Chrome bookmarks on an iPhone or iPad under certain circumstances.

If you have an iCloud backup, you can restore your entire iOS device to a previous state, including your Chrome bookmarks. Go to "Settings > General > Reset," then choose "Erase All Content and Settings." Follow the prompts to restore Chrome bookmarks from an iCloud backup.

3. Try iTunes Backup

Restoring Chrome bookmarks from an iTunes backup is another effective method. Follow these steps:

1. Open iTunes and connect your Phone to a computer.
2. Select your iOS device and click on "Restore Backup."

3. Choose a backup before the lost bookmarks and click "Restore."

4. Use iOS Recovery Program

Suppose your Chrome bookmarks are permanently gone due to human error. In that case, you can also try a professional tool, iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery, to scan your device and extract the missing bookmarks. Here are the steps:

1. Download and install iBeesoft iPhone Data Recovery on your computer.

   Download for Windows Download for macOS
2. Connect the iPhone or iPad to a computer.

3. Launch it and select "Recover from iOS Device" mode, then click "Scan" to begin scanning.
4. Once the scan is complete, click the "Bookmark" tab on the left.
5. Search for your lost bookmarks in the list on the right.

6. Select the lost bookmarks and click "Recover" to save them to your computer.
7. Transfer the recovered bookmarks to your iOS device.
8. Import them into Chrome.

Tips to Prevent Future Losses

While knowing how to recover bookmarks in Chrome is useful, it's even better to avoid losing them in the first place. Here are some tips to keep your bookmarks safe.

• 🎏 Make it a habit to back up your bookmarks regularly. Using Chrome's built-in export feature, you can save your bookmarks as an HTML file. Store this file in a safe location for easy recovery.
• 📤 Enable bookmark syncing across all your devices. This will keep your bookmarks updated and ensure that you can recover them from another device if you lose them on one.
• 🗂️ Keep your bookmarks organized to avoid accidental deletion.

Following these tips you can minimize the risk of losing the Chrome bookmarks.

Conclusion

Losing bookmarks can be frustrating, but with the right knowledge, recovery is straightforward. Whether you're using Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, there's a method to help you restore your favorite links.

Remember, prevention is better than cure. Make regular backups, keep your browser updated, and use sync features to ensure you never lose your place again.

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