Bookmarks HTML to Markdown

Folders as

Include datesYAML front matterKeep empty folders

Markdown

The Markdown appears here

On this page, the file is read in your browser. It is not uploaded, and no bookmark is opened.

How to Convert a Bookmarks Export to Markdown

Export your bookmarks as HTML

in Chrome, open the Bookmark manager and choose Export bookmarks; in Firefox, open the Library and choose Export Bookmarks to HTML; in Safari, choose File > Export Browsing Data to File and unzip the file it saves, which holds the bookmarks as HTML.
Drop the bookmarks.html file on the input panel, or paste its contents
Pick Nested headings or Flat list, and turn on dates, front matter or empty folders if you want them
Check the Markdown on the right, then choose Download .md and open the file in Notion, Obsidian or any Markdown editor

Common Use Cases

Moving years of browser bookmarks into an Obsidian vault as one searchable note

Importing a reading list into Notion, where a Markdown file becomes a page with headings and links

Publishing a curated link collection as a README or a GitHub awesome-list style page

Keeping a plain-text backup of your bookmarks that any editor can open and diff

Why Use Bookmarks HTML to Markdown?

Every browser exports bookmarks as a bookmarks.html file in the old Netscape format, and that file is built for importing into another browser, not for reading. Pasting it into Notion or Obsidian gives you raw HTML, and a general HTML to Markdown converter flattens the folder tree into one long run of links. This page reads the export's folder structure and writes Markdown that keeps it: each folder becomes a heading one level below its parent, and each bookmark becomes a - [title](url) list item under its folder, in the order the browser listed them. You can switch to one flat list with the folder path before each link, add the date each bookmark was saved, or start the file with YAML front matter for a notes vault.

A bookmarks.html export is a Netscape bookmark file: a <DL> list where each folder is an <H3> heading followed by its own list, and each bookmark is an <A HREF> link with optional ADD_DATE and ICON attributes. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Brave all write this shape. This page reads it with the same parser as Bookmarks HTML to CSV and writes Markdown instead of CSV.

In Nested headings mode the document starts with a # heading named after the export, a top-level folder becomes ##, the folder inside it ###, and so on to ######. Each folder's own links come first as - [title](url) items, then its subfolders. In Flat list mode every link is one list item, prefixed with its folder path such as Bookmarks bar / Work. Entities such as & are decoded, characters that Markdown would read as formatting are escaped, and favicon data stored in the ICON attribute is never written.

The page refuses an ordinary web page: an article has links but no bookmark folder list, and turning it into a list of its links would not be a bookmarks export. Use HTML to Markdown for that. No link is opened or checked, so a dead bookmark converts like any other.

How it compares

A general HTML to Markdown converter treats a bookmarks export as a web page: folder names become plain text lines and the nesting is lost. Pasting the file into Notion or Obsidian keeps the raw HTML. Scripts such as bookmarks2md need a local Python setup. This page keeps the folder tree as headings, escapes titles so they stay literal, offers a flat list and dates, and works on the file in the tab.

Tips for Bookmarks in Markdown

Nested headings start at ## for a top-level folder because the file's # heading is the export's own title. Markdown has six heading levels, so folders nested deeper are written in one ###### heading with their path.
Flat list keeps the export's order exactly and puts the folder path before each link, which suits a long list you want to sort or filter later.
Include dates adds (added YYYY-MM-DD) after a link only when the export recorded when it was saved; Chrome and Firefox exports do.
A bookmark with no title is named after its site, such as docs.example.com, so no list item is empty.
To tidy the export first, run it through Dedupe Bookmarks or Merge Bookmarks and convert the result here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert my browser bookmarks to Markdown?

Export them as HTML from the browser, drop the bookmarks.html file on this page and choose Download .md. Folders become Markdown headings and each bookmark becomes a - [title](url) list item under its folder, in the same order as in the browser.

Which browsers' exports does it read?

Any export in the Netscape bookmark format, which is what Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Brave write when you export bookmarks to HTML. A hand-made file with the same <DL> and <DT> structure also works.

How do folders appear in the Markdown?

As nested headings by default: a top-level folder is ##, the folder inside it ###, down to ######, with the links of each folder listed under its heading. Choose Flat list for one bullet list instead, where each link starts with its folder path, such as Bookmarks bar / Work.

Can I import the result into Notion or Obsidian?

Yes. Obsidian opens the .md file as a note with clickable links and a heading outline. Notion's Markdown import turns it into a page with headings and linked list items. Turn on YAML front matter if your vault uses a title property.

Why was my file refused?

It is not a bookmarks export. The page needs the Netscape bookmark structure, a <DL> list of <DT> entries, which every browser writes. An ordinary web page has links but not that structure; convert it with HTML to Markdown instead. An export with folders but no links is refused too, because there is nothing to write.

Does it keep the dates and favicons?

Dates are optional: turn on Include dates to add the day each bookmark was saved, when the export recorded it. Favicons are never written, because the export stores them as long base64 images that would bury the links.

What happens to separators and empty folders?

Separators are skipped and counted, because a Markdown list has no equivalent. Empty folders are left out by default; turn on Keep empty folders to write a heading for each one.

Does the page open my bookmarks?

No. Addresses are copied as text and never requested, so no site learns about your bookmarks and a link that no longer works still appears in the Markdown.

Is my bookmarks file uploaded?

Not on this page. The file is read and converted by JavaScript in your browser tab, and the Markdown is created there. A bookmarks export can reveal accounts, internal tools and reading habits, which is why it stays in the tab. The REST API and MCP tool are a separate path: a call sends the input you include to FindUtils over HTTPS, where it is processed and the result returned. FindUtils does not store that input, and logs the request without its content.

How is this different from HTML to Markdown?

HTML to Markdown converts any web page and does not know what a bookmark folder is. This page only reads bookmarks exports and keeps their folder tree as headings or folder paths. Use HTML to Markdown for articles and pages, and this page for a bookmarks.html file.

Run it from code

$ curl -X POST \
  api.findutils.com/api/tools/bookmarks-html-to-markdown/execute \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"input":"<!DOCTYPE NETSCAPE-Bookmark-file-1>\n<TITLE>Bookmarks</TITLE>\n<H1>Bookmarks</H1>\n<DL><p>\n    <DT><H3 ADD_DATE=\"1600000000\">Work</H3>\n    <DL>…'

$ claude mcp add findutils \
  --transport http https://mcp.findutils.com/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
# then call findutils:bookmarks_html_to_markdown

Running a tool needs an API key. Keys are not for sale yet: ask for early access. About API keys

The REST API and the MCP tool are a separate path from this page: a call sends the input you include to FindUtils over HTTPS, where it is processed and the result returned. FindUtils does not store that input, and logs the request without its content.

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