Chrome stores your bookmarks in a file named Bookmarks (no file extension) inside your Chrome profile folder — for the default profile, User Data\Default on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default on Mac, and ~/.config/google-chrome/Default on Linux. To see the exact folder for your profile, open chrome://version and look at Profile Path.
Two answers: inside Chrome, and on your disk
Inside Chrome, bookmarks live in the bookmark manager. Open it with Ctrl+Shift+O (⌘+Option+B on Mac) or by typing chrome://bookmarks. You will see the Bookmarks bar, Other bookmarks, and, if you use Chrome on a phone with sync, Mobile bookmarks.
On your disk, all of that is kept in one plain text file called Bookmarks in your profile folder. Next to it you will usually find Bookmarks.bak, an older copy Chrome keeps as a backup.
The default location on each system
| System | Default profile folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default |
| Mac | ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default |
| Linux | ~/.config/google-chrome/Default |
The Bookmarks file is directly inside that folder. A few things to know:
- Windows: AppData is a hidden folder. The quickest way in is to press Win+R, type
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data, and press Enter. - Mac: the Library folder is hidden too. In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder (⌘+Shift+G) and paste the path above.
- Linux: folders starting with a dot are hidden; press Ctrl+H in most file managers to show them. If you use Chromium rather than Google Chrome, the folder is usually
~/.config/chromium/Default.
Using more than one profile?
Each Chrome profile has its own folder and its own Bookmarks file. The first profile is called Default; the ones you add later are usually named Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on — not by the name you see in Chrome.
To be sure which folder belongs to the profile you are using, open chrome://version in that profile. The line Profile Path shows the full folder path. The Bookmarks file is inside it.
What is inside the Bookmarks file
It is a JSON text file. You can open it in any text editor to look, and you will see each bookmark’s name, URL, the date it was added, and which folder it sits in. Looking is fine. Editing it by hand is risky:
- Chrome only reads the file when it starts, and rewrites it while it runs. Changes made while Chrome is open are lost.
- If you use Chrome sync, the copy in your Google account can overwrite what you change on disk.
- One missing comma can make the file unreadable.
For moving or changing bookmarks, use the bookmark manager or the export and import options instead.
How to back up your bookmarks safely
Option 1: Export to an HTML file (easiest)
- Open the bookmark manager (Ctrl+Shift+O, or ⌘+Option+B on Mac).
- Click the ⋮ menu at the top right of the bookmark manager and choose Export bookmarks.
- Save the HTML file somewhere outside your computer too — a USB drive or cloud storage.
This file can be imported back into Chrome, or into most other browsers, from the same menu with Import bookmarks.
Option 2: Copy the Bookmarks file
Close Chrome completely, then copy the Bookmarks file from your profile folder. This keeps an exact copy, including folder order. To restore it, close Chrome and put the copy back in the same place. If you use sync, turn sync off first, or the synced copy may replace it.
Option 3: Chrome sync
If you are signed in to Chrome with sync on, your bookmarks are also kept in your Google account and copied to your other computers. This protects you against a broken computer. It does not protect you against deleting a folder by mistake — the deletion syncs too. Keep an export as well.
Moving bookmarks to a new computer
The easiest way is Chrome sync: sign in to Chrome with the same Google account on the new computer, turn on sync, and your bookmarks arrive on their own. Without sync, export an HTML file on the old computer and use Import bookmarks on the new one. Copying the Bookmarks file also works, as long as Chrome is closed on both computers while you do it — but the HTML export is harder to get wrong.
Bookmarks disappeared? Check these first
- Are you in the right profile? Click your profile picture at the top right of Chrome. Each profile has its own, separate bookmarks.
- Is sync working? If bookmarks are missing on one computer but present on another, check in Settings → You and Google that you are signed in and that sync isn’t paused.
- Search the bookmark manager. A folder may simply have been dragged somewhere else. The search box in the bookmark manager looks through every folder.
- Look at Bookmarks.bak. If the change was very recent, the older copy may still have what you lost. Close Chrome, copy both files somewhere safe first, then replace Bookmarks with a copy of Bookmarks.bak renamed to Bookmarks. If you use sync, turn it off before trying this, or the synced copy may undo it.
The surest protection is the boring one: export your bookmarks every month or so, and keep the file somewhere other than your computer.
Where LB TAB Layers keeps your tabs
LB TAB Layers is a tab manager for Chrome’s side panel, and it stores your saved tabs in the same place as everything above: your Chrome bookmarks.
- It creates a folder called LB TAB Layers in your bookmarks (Chrome puts new folders under Other bookmarks by default).
- Each group you make is a subfolder inside it, and each saved tab is an ordinary bookmark.
- So your tabs are in the Bookmarks file, in your HTML exports, and in Chrome sync — with no separate account or server.
- If you remove the extension, the folder stays.
Settings also has Export (JSON) if you want an extra backup of your groups from inside the extension.
For tidying the bookmarks themselves, see how to organize bookmarks in Chrome.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Where is the Chrome Bookmarks file on Windows?
For the default profile it is in your user folder under AppData, Local, Google, Chrome, User Data, Default, in a file named Bookmarks. Open chrome://version and check Profile Path to see the exact folder for your profile.
Q. Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on a Mac?
In ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks for the default profile. Use Finder’s Go to Folder (⌘+Shift+G) to open the hidden Library folder.
Q. What is the Bookmarks.bak file?
An older copy of your Bookmarks file that Chrome keeps in the same folder. It is not a full backup system — export your bookmarks to an HTML file as well.
Q. Can I edit the Bookmarks file directly?
You can, but it is risky. Chrome rewrites the file while it runs, and Chrome sync can overwrite your changes. Use the bookmark manager, or export and import, instead.
Q. Where does LB TAB Layers store my saved tabs?
In your Chrome bookmarks, inside a folder called LB TAB Layers, with one subfolder per group. They are part of the normal Bookmarks file and stay if you remove the extension.
▶ See it in action
Managing bookmarks and tabs together in the sidebar. (The video shows the Japanese UI.)
Your tabs, in your own bookmarks file.
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