How to Transfer Bookmarks Between Browsers and Apps (Without Losing Folders)
A practical guide to transferring bookmarks: what file formats exist, how to export, check and import them, and what usually gets lost on the way.
You want to transfer bookmarks from one browser or app to another and keep your folders, tags and order intact. The job is simple in principle: export a file from the old place, import it into the new one. Most problems come from picking the wrong file format, skipping a check, or deleting the old copy too early. This guide walks through the whole process and points you to detailed guides for Chrome, Pocket and Raindrop.io.
How to transfer bookmarks between tools
Almost every browser and bookmark app can write your bookmarks to a file and read one back. There are two families of files you will meet.
The browser bookmarks HTML file
This is the common denominator. Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge all export bookmarks as an HTML file, and most bookmark apps can read it. Chrome's own help page describes exporting as an HTML file (Google Chrome Help). Raindrop.io describes its HTML export as a Netscape Bookmarks file that "is supported by all browsers and most third-party apps" (Raindrop.io Help).
What it keeps well: titles, URLs and the folder tree. What it often does not keep: tags, notes, highlights, or read/unread state, because the format was designed for plain browser bookmarks.
App-specific exports (CSV and others)
Read-later and bookmark apps usually offer their own export, often a CSV, because they store more than a URL: tags, notes, highlights, dates. Raindrop.io, for example, can export HTML, CSV or TXT (Raindrop.io Help). A CSV is the better choice when you want tags to survive, as long as the app you are moving to knows how to read that particular CSV.
The rule of thumb: use the richest export that your destination can import. If the destination reads your source's own format, use that. Otherwise fall back to the browser HTML file.
Before you export: a short checklist
- Decide what you are moving. One browser profile, one app, or everything. If you have several Chrome profiles, each has its own bookmarks and its own export.
- Clean up first if it is cheap. Deleting dead folders before the move is easier than after. Do not spend a weekend on it, though. Moving first and cleaning in the new tool works fine.
- Keep the source intact. Do not delete the original library, or sign out of sync, until you have checked the result.
- Note what you rely on. If you use tags or highlights, plan to export in a format that includes them.
Step by step: export, check, import, verify
1. Export from the old place
Every browser puts this in its bookmark manager. Look for "Export bookmarks" or an export option in the bookmark manager menu; Raindrop.io's import page also links to export guides for the major browsers (Raindrop.io Help). For Chrome specifically, see how to export Chrome bookmarks.
For an app, look in settings for Export, Backup or Download my data. Two app-specific guides:
- How to export your Raindrop.io bookmarks
- What to do with a Pocket export
Save the file somewhere you can find it again, and do not rename the extension.
2. Check the file
Open the file before importing it. An HTML bookmarks file opens in any browser and shows a nested list of links. A CSV opens in a spreadsheet. Look for three things:
- The total is plausible. A library of 3,000 links should not produce a file with 40 rows.
- Folders or tags appear where you expect them.
- Characters look right (accents, non-Latin scripts). If they look garbled, re-export rather than editing by hand.
3. Import into the new place
In the destination, find Import. Pick the file type that matches what you exported. A good importer shows a preview before it commits. NestMarks, for instance, shows an import preview with counts, duplicates skipped and invalid rows, so you can see what will happen first.
4. Verify, then keep the old copy for a while
Compare a few folders by hand. Pick your biggest folder and your most recently used one and make sure the counts match. Search for three links you know you saved. Only then consider the old library redundant, and even then keep the export file as a backup.
What commonly gets lost
| What | Why it goes missing | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Tags | Browser HTML has no standard place for them | Use a CSV or the app's own export if the destination reads it |
| Notes and highlights | Same reason | Export them separately if the app supports it |
| Folder order | Some importers sort alphabetically | Check the biggest folders and reorder if it matters |
| Duplicates | The same link saved in two folders | Let the importer skip them, or run a duplicate check afterward |
| Saved page copies | Not part of bookmark files | Download separately where the source offers it |
| Read/unread state | Not in browser HTML | Look for a CSV export with a status column |
Raindrop.io, for example, notes that its backup covers bookmarks, collections, tags, highlights and notes, but that uploaded files such as PDFs and images are stored separately and are downloaded as a ZIP (Raindrop.io Help). Expect something similar from any app that stores files.
Moving to NestMarks
NestMarks is a hosted bookmark manager, and it is one possible destination. It imports:
- browser bookmark HTML from Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge, where folders become nested collections,
- Raindrop.io CSV (including tags, notes and highlights) or HTML,
- Pocket CSV (unread items go to the Read later list and tags are kept),
- Instapaper CSV.
A file can hold up to 20,000 rows, and an account can hold up to 50,000 bookmarks under a fair-use limit. Going the other way, NestMarks exports your bookmarks as browser-compatible HTML at any time, either the whole library or a selection, and exports are not paywalled. That matters for a migration guide: whichever tool you pick, you should be able to leave it. NestMarks does not export bookmarks as CSV or JSON; notes, highlights and links can be exported as JSON or Markdown.
If you are weighing options rather than just moving, the principles in how to organize bookmarks apply wherever you land.
Common migration problems
The import finished but folders are flat
You probably imported a CSV or text list, which has no folder tree. Re-export as HTML if the source offers it, or use tags if the destination reads them.
The file will not import at all
Check that you are importing the right type. An HTML file will not import in a CSV-only importer, and the reverse is also true. Pocket is a good example: tools differ on whether they read the HTML or the CSV version of its export, so check what your destination expects.
Everything landed in one "Imported" folder
Some importers group everything under one folder named after the import. Chrome's help page describes imported bookmarks landing on the bookmarks bar or in "Other bookmarks" (Google Chrome Help). Drag folders where you want them afterward.
Numbers do not match
Importers drop duplicates and invalid URLs. A difference of a few percent is normal. A large gap means the file was cut short or the wrong format was used.
If you would rather keep your library somewhere searchable, you can start a free NestMarks library and import your file from Import/Export in the app.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best file format for moving bookmarks?
The browser bookmarks HTML file is the most widely supported, so it is the safest default. If your tags, notes or highlights matter, use the source app's CSV or native export when the destination can read it.
Will I lose my folders when I transfer bookmarks?
Not if you use an HTML export and the destination reads folders. CSV and text exports usually lack a folder tree, so check the result after importing.
Can I move bookmarks without exporting a file?
Sometimes, for example with browser sync on the same browser, but a file export is the most portable route across different tools and keeps a backup as a side effect.
Should I delete the old bookmarks after importing?
Wait until you have verified the new library. Keep the export file even after that, since it costs nothing and works as a backup.
Sources
- bookmarks
- import
- export
- migration