Where Chrome stores your bookmarks on Windows, Mac and Linux

Q: Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on Windows 11?

In C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks, the same place as on Windows 10. Paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data into File Explorer’s address bar to get there.

Q: Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and paste the folder path.

Updated 18 October 2026

Chrome keeps your bookmarks in a file called Bookmarks (no extension) inside your profile folder. On Windows that’s C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks, and next to it sits Bookmarks.bak, a backup copy.

Bookmarks file location by system

System	Profile folder (the `Bookmarks` file is inside)
Windows 10 and 11	`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default`, which is `C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default`
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default`
Linux	`~/.config/google-chrome/Default`
Android, iPhone, iPad	Inside the app’s private storage (on Android, `/data/user/0/com.android.chrome/app_chrome`), which a normal file manager can’t open

Default is your first profile. Others are named Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on. Chrome Beta, Dev and Canary keep separate folders: on Windows they’re Chrome Beta, Chrome Dev and Chrome SxS in place of Chrome.

Find the exact folder with chrome://version

Type chrome://version in the address bar and press Enter.
Find the Profile Path line. It points to the folder of the profile you’re using right now.
Copy the path and paste it into File Explorer’s address bar on Windows, or into Finder’s Go > Go to Folder (Shift+Cmd+G) on a Mac.

These folders are hidden by default. On Windows you can also turn on Hidden items in File Explorer’s View menu. On Linux the folder name starts with a dot, so press Ctrl+H in most file managers to show it.

The bookmark files in the folder

File	What it holds
`Bookmarks`	Your bookmarks as JSON text. Chrome rewrites it about 2.5 seconds after every bookmark change.
`Bookmarks.bak`	A copy of `Bookmarks` that Chrome makes the first time your bookmarks change after it starts, so it shows them as they were at the start of the session. Chrome’s only built-in bookmark backup.
`AccountBookmarks`	On newer versions, the bookmarks Chrome saves in your Google Account while you’re signed in. Chrome keeps no `.bak` copy of this file.
`EncryptedBookmarks2` and `EncryptedBookmarks2.bak`	An encrypted copy that recent versions write alongside. Text editors and converters can’t read it.

What’s inside the Bookmarks file

It’s plain JSON, so Notepad or TextEdit will open it. Under roots you’ll find bookmark_bar, other (Other bookmarks) and synced (Mobile bookmarks). Each bookmark has a name, a url and a date_added, counted in microseconds since 1 January 1601.

Read it as much as you like, but don’t edit it while Chrome is open: Chrome keeps your bookmarks in memory and writes them back over the file seconds after any change. To turn the file into something you can import or browse, convert it with our free Chrome bookmarks JSON to HTML tool, which gives you a normal HTML bookmarks file.

Back it up

The simplest backup is an export: Bookmark Manager > three-dot menu > Export bookmarks (full steps). Copying the Bookmarks file to another drive also works for bookmarks kept on the computer, and the recovery guide shows how to bring a copy back. If you also have an AccountBookmarks file, prefer the export, which includes both kinds. Extensions that store links as Chrome bookmarks, Stackboard among them (in Other bookmarks › Stackboard), live in the same file, so one backup covers them.

Bookmarks in your Google Account

When you’re signed in, Chrome also saves new bookmarks in your Google Account, which is how they reach your other devices. Signed out, they stay on the computer only. Google’s page for managing the account copy is chrome.google.com/sync.

Other browsers

Edge and Brave keep a Bookmarks file of the same kind in their own profile folders, Firefox stores bookmarks in places.sqlite and Safari in Bookmarks.plist. The paths for each: Edge, Brave, Firefox and Safari.

Questions

Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on Windows 11?

In C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks, the same place as on Windows 10. Paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data into File Explorer’s address bar to get there.

Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and paste the folder path.

Are Chrome bookmarks stored locally or in the cloud?

Always on your computer, and also in your Google Account when you’re signed in to Chrome. Signed out, they exist only on that device.

Can I open the Chrome Bookmarks file?

Yes, in any text editor, because it’s JSON. Don’t edit it while Chrome is open, and convert it with our JSON to HTML tool if you want to import it.

Where are Chrome bookmarks stored on Android?

Inside Chrome’s private app storage, which you can’t browse without rooting the phone. To get them out, sign in on a computer with the same Google Account and export from there.

Try Stackboard

A free Chrome extension that turns your new tab into a board of your own bookmarks. No account, nothing leaves your browser.

Add to Chrome, it’s free