Bookmarks Diff

Ignore tracking parametersIgnore #fragmentsCount folder moves as changes

Links are matched by address. utm_ parameters, fbclid and gclid are ignored when the first option is on, and a link that only changed folder counts as changed when the third is on.

Add both files to compare them

Upload or paste an older bookmarks.html under Before and a newer one under After. The differences appear here as soon as both sides have text.

Downloads

Both files are read in this tab. Nothing is uploaded and no link is opened.

Why Use Our Bookmarks Diff?

A bookmarks export is a snapshot, and two snapshots rarely tell you what happened between them. After a sync goes wrong, a colleague reorganizes a shared set, or a browser migration finishes, the question is simple: what is new, what disappeared, and what was renamed or moved? Opening two files of hundreds of links side by side does not answer it, and a plain text diff drowns in reordered lines and tracking tags. Bookmarks Diff reads both bookmarks.html files, matches links by address, and lists only the differences, with the new and the removed links ready to download as files a browser imports.

Every major browser exports bookmarks in the Netscape bookmark file format: an HTML page of nested DL lists in which each folder is an H3 heading and each link is an A element with an HREF and an ADD_DATE. Bookmarks Diff reads both exports with the same parser as Dedupe Bookmarks, tracking the folder of every link.

Links are paired by a normalized form of their address. The host is lower-cased, the default ports 80 and 443 are dropped, a trailing slash is removed from the path, and by default utm_ parameters, fbclid, gclid and the #fragment are ignored. A link found only in After is added, a link found only in Before is removed, and a link found in both is changed when its title differs or, with Count folder moves as changes on, when it sits in a different folder. Everything else is counted as unchanged.

The report has one row per difference with the columns change, url, before_title, after_title, before_folder, after_folder and fields, where fields says whether the title, the folder or both changed. Folder paths are joined with a slash. The added and removed links also come as bookmarks.html files, so you can import them straight back into a browser, or combine them with another export in Merge Bookmarks. No link is opened or checked at any point, and this is a one-time comparison of two files, not a live sync.

How it compares

A text diff tool such as Diff Checker compares two bookmarks files line by line, so a moved folder, a reordered list or a tracking tag shows up as a wall of changes. Bookmarks Diff compares the links themselves: it pairs them by address, ignores the order they were saved in, and reports each addition, removal, rename and move once. Extensions that compare bookmarks need permission to read every bookmark you have; this page works on exported copies inside the tab and never uploads them.

Tips for Comparing Bookmarks

Links are matched by address, not by title or position. The host is compared without letter case, a default port and a trailing slash are ignored, and with the options on, utm_ parameters, fbclid, gclid and the #fragment are ignored too. Every other query parameter matters.
A title change counts only when the text differs exactly, so a change in letter case or punctuation shows as a rename.
An address saved more than once on one side is compared once, by its first copy, and the Notes list says how many addresses that affected.
The added and removed files keep each link's title, address, folder and date. Descriptions, favicons, Firefox tags, separators and empty folders are not carried over.
Importing a file adds its links to the bookmarks already in the browser, so the removed links file is a way to put lost bookmarks back without touching the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I compare two bookmarks files?

Export bookmarks from the browser as bookmarks.html at the two points you want to compare, or take two existing backups. Put the older one under Before and the newer one under After. The page lists every link that was added, removed or changed, with counts for each and a count of the links that stayed the same.

How are links matched between the two files?

By address. Two links are the same when their addresses match after lower-casing the host and dropping a default port and a trailing slash. With the default options, utm_ tracking parameters, fbclid, gclid and the #fragment are ignored as well. Titles and positions are not used for matching, so a link that was renamed or moved is still recognized as the same link.

What counts as a changed bookmark?

A link found in both files is changed when its title is different, or when it sits in a different folder and Count folder moves as changes is on. The table labels each one as Renamed, Moved, or both, shows the old title struck through above the new one, and shows the old folder, an arrow, then the new folder.

Can I ignore links that only moved to another folder?

Yes. Turn off Count folder moves as changes. A link that moved but kept its title is then counted as unchanged, and only renames, additions and removals are listed.

How do I get back bookmarks that disappeared?

Compare an older backup with your current export, then use Removed as bookmarks.html. The file holds only the links that are missing from the newer file, in their original folders with their titles and dates, and the browser's import adds them next to the bookmarks you already have.

What is in the report CSV and JSON?

The CSV has one row per difference with seven columns: change, url, before_title, after_title, before_folder, after_folder and fields. The JSON holds the same differences plus the four counts. A link at the top level has an empty folder in both, and folder paths are joined with a slash.

Does it check whether my links still work?

No. No bookmark is opened, fetched or checked. The comparison uses only the addresses, titles and folders written in the two files.

Does it work with Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari exports?

Yes. All four export the same Netscape bookmark file format. Comparing two exports from the same browser works best: each browser names its top folders differently, such as Bookmarks bar in Chrome and Bookmarks Toolbar in Firefox, so between two browsers most links would show as moved. Turn off Count folder moves as changes for that comparison.

Are my bookmarks uploaded?

No. Both files are read and compared in your browser and no request carries them. It is also not a live sync: the page compares the two files you give it, once, and never touches the bookmarks in your browser.

What happens to links saved twice in one file?

An address saved more than once on one side is compared once, using its first copy, and the Notes list says how many addresses that applied to. To clean those copies out first, run the file through Dedupe Bookmarks.

Run it from code

$ curl -X POST \
  api.findutils.com/api/tools/bookmarks-diff/execute \
  -d '{"before":"<!DOCTYPE NETSCAPE-Bookmark-file-1>\n<DL><p>\n    <DT><A HREF=\"https://example.com/\">Example</A>\n    <DT><A HREF=\"https://old.example/\">Old</…'

$ claude mcp add findutils \
  --transport http https://mcp.findutils.com/
# then call findutils:bookmarks_diff

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