Going nuts trying to sync Google Chrome bookmarks to 2nd computer


orlando1974

Well-known member
Local time
4:10 AM
Posts
49
OS
Windows 10 Pro
Last month, I tried to sync my Google Chrome bookmarks from my main PC (desktop) to my 2nd PC (laptop). I watched YouTube videos and when I "synced" it went the wrong way. It overwrote my main PC bookmarks to the old ones on the laptop. I wasn't happy about it but I learned at least to export my bookmarks as an HTML file before attempting this.

Today, I wanted to try this again, and once more, despite following the tutorials I found, it's just not syncing, at least in the right direction.
To make matters worse, I can't even seem to import my exported bookmarks html file. Whenever I click done, I see no change to my bookmarks.

Could really use some help.
Right now, both machines are ON. Both have Sync turned on. Both are showing the bookmarks bar.
If I remove a bookmark from the bar, I see it instantly dissappear on the other.
Great - sync seems to work.
HOWEVER, this is still the old bookmarks - not my latest version which I safely have exported as an HTML file.

Problem is, I can't seem to re-import the bookmarks I took the time to export. Just doesn't populate!

I'm a bit surprised that I'm struggling with something that seems so simple.
 
Windows Build/Version
23H2 Build 22631.3374

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel i7-9700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 760
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Don't use Chrome [like Chromium better] but I Export Favorites and Logins from one browser then Import on another, don't try to Sync them. I also same the files to a USB Thumb drive for when needing access on a different computer.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe M.2
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 4TB Seagate HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
You can just copy the file, there are also extensions and apps to help with that.
Code:
%LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks
Note that the browser can move favorites to other folder like mobile bookmarks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
    Motherboard
    ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 3.15 (07/24)
    Memory
    2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @4800 CL40 (07/24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @60FPS (08/24)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
    Keyboard
    HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NextDNS
    Other Info
    Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
    Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
    Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
    2nd Monitor: AOC G2460VQ6 @75Hz (02/19)
Ohhhhhh it looks like the bookmarks file IS being successfully imported... but it's adding it to an auto-created folder called "Imported". So it's not overriding the bookmarks setup on my main PC, but adding them to another folder. I guess I just need to manually go re-organize things. I wish it didn't behave this way when importing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel i7-9700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 760
    Screen Resolution
    4K
You can just copy the file, there are also extensions and apps to help with that.
Code:
%LocalAppData%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks
Note that the browser can move favorites to other folder like mobile bookmarks.
Thanks. I was able to at least restore my bookmarks on main PC, but for some reason the laptop is just not populating any of the bookmarks it should be syncing with. Sync is ON for both, and I made sure that Bookmarks is included. I understand that I could just manually import the HTML export I made to the laptop, but as I regularly change my bookmarks, I would like the sync to work!

UPDATE: OK, looks like a bunch of different syncs happened behind the scenes. Looks like it's not as fast a process as I thought.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel i7-9700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 760
    Screen Resolution
    4K
Sync is ON for both, and I made sure that Bookmarks is included.
I made the error of relying on sync and cloud too much and lost months of work.
Nothing beats a manual backup (copy/paste). Backup is a secondary copy, not sync.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (07/24)
    Motherboard
    ASROCK B650M-HDV/M.2 3.15 (07/24)
    Memory
    2x32GB Kingston FURY DDR5 5600 MHz CL36 @4800 CL40 (07/24)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASROCK Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8G @60FPS (08/24)
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus (05/24)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Philips 24M1N3200ZS/00 (05/24)
    Screen Resolution
    1920×1080@165Hz via DP1.4
    Hard Drives
    Kingston KC3000 NVMe 2TB (05/24)
    ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 Pro 512GB (07/19)
    PSU
    Seasonic Core GM 550 Gold (04/24)
    Case
    Fractal Design Define 7 Mini with 3x Noctua NF-P14s/12@555rpm (04/24)
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S with Noctua NF-P12 (04/24)
    Keyboard
    HP Pavilion Wired Keyboard 300 (07/24) + Rabalux 76017 Parker (01/24)
    Mouse
    Logitech M330 Silent Plus (04/23)
    Internet Speed
    500/100 Mbps via RouterOS (05/21) & TCP Optimizer
    Browser
    Edge & Brave for YouTube & LibreWolf for FB
    Antivirus
    NextDNS
    Other Info
    Backup: Hasleo Backup Suite (PreOS)
    Headphones: Sennheiser RS170 (09/10)
    Phone: Samsung Galaxy Xcover 7 (02/24)
    Chair: Huzaro Force 4.4 Grey Mesh (05/24)
    Notifier: Xiaomi Mi Band 9 Milanese (10/24)
    2nd Monitor: AOC G2460VQ6 @75Hz (02/19)
I made the error of relying on sync and cloud too much and lost months of work.
Nothing beats a manual backup (copy/paste). Backup is a secondary copy, not sync.
Thanks, maybe I'll just do the manual import whenever it's time and leave off the sync feature.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    Intel i7-9700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS
    Memory
    64GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 760
    Screen Resolution
    4K

Latest Support Threads

Back
Top Bottom