To move bookmarks out of a Chrome profile when you have no export, convert the profile's Bookmarks file to bookmarks.html and import that. FindUtils Bookmarks JSON to HTML reads the Bookmarks file from Chrome, Edge or Brave, or a Firefox JSON backup, and writes a bookmarks.html that every browser imports. The file is read in your browser and not uploaded.
This guide covers where the file is, which JSON shapes the tool reads, what survives the conversion, and how to import the result.
Why Is There No bookmarks.html in the Profile?
Chrome, Edge and Brave do not keep bookmarks as HTML. They keep them in a JSON file named Bookmarks, with no file extension, inside the profile folder. The browser's own export writes bookmarks.html, but the export needs the browser running with that profile.
That leaves a gap in common situations:
- A dead or wiped computer whose disk you can still read.
- A backup of the user data folder, restored somewhere else.
- A second profile you do not want to sign in to just to export.
In all three, the Bookmarks file is there and the export button is not.
Where Is the Bookmarks File?
The file sits in the profile folder, usually called Default. These are the default locations, from the browsers' own documentation and source code:
| Browser | System | Path |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks |
| Chrome | macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Bookmarks |
| Chrome | Linux | ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Bookmarks |
| Edge | Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks |
| Brave | Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks |
| Brave | macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks |
| Brave | Linux | ~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks |
A second profile uses its own folder name instead of Default. In a running Chrome, chrome://version shows the profile path. Copy the file first, then work with the copy.
How to Convert It
Step 1: Open the file in the tool
Open FindUtils Bookmarks JSON to HTML and upload the copied Bookmarks file, drop it on the input, or paste its text. The upload dialog shows every file, because this one has no extension.
Step 2: Check what was found
The tool names the format it detected (a Chrome, Edge or Brave profile file, a Firefox JSON backup, or a simple JSON tree) and counts the root folders, folders and links, plus any entries skipped for having no address.
Step 3: Choose what to include
Three options, all on by default: include the Mobile / synced bookmarks, include Other bookmarks, and keep the date each bookmark was added.
Step 4: Download and import
Download bookmarks.html and import it with your browser's bookmark import.
Which Files Does It Read?
| Input | Where it comes from | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium profile file | The Bookmarks file of Chrome, Edge or Brave | Bookmarks bar, Other bookmarks and Mobile bookmarks become top-level folders |
| Firefox JSON backup | Firefox Library, then Import and Backup, then Backup | Toolbar, Menu, Other and Mobile become top-level folders; separators are left out |
| Simple JSON tree | Your own export or script | Objects with title or name, url, uri or href, and children, or an array of them |
Firefox's automatic backups are compressed .jsonlz4 files. They are not plain JSON, and this tool does not read them; use Backup to write a plain .json file instead.
What Survives the Conversion
| Carried over | Not carried over |
|---|---|
| Titles (a link with no title gets its address as its title) | Favicons |
| Addresses | Descriptions, Firefox tags and keywords |
| Folders and their nesting | Folder dates |
| The date each bookmark was added | Separators and empty folders |
Chromium stores the added date in microseconds since 1601, and Firefox in microseconds since 1970. Both are converted to the Unix seconds bookmarks.html uses. A date that falls outside 1990 to 2100 after conversion is left out rather than written wrong.
Root folders are written as ordinary folders. After importing, the old bookmark bar arrives as a folder called Bookmarks bar, not as the browser's own toolbar; move its contents where you want them.
Practical Examples
Rescuing bookmarks from an old laptop. Copy Default/Bookmarks from the old disk, convert it, and import bookmarks.html into the new browser.
Two profiles into one browser. Convert each profile's Bookmarks file, then combine the two with Merge Bookmarks before importing once.
Moving to Firefox without Chrome installed. Convert the copied Bookmarks file and import it in Firefox with Import Bookmarks from HTML.
Common Mistakes
Looking for a .json file. Chrome's file is named just Bookmarks. Next to it there may be Bookmarks.bak, an older copy.
Uploading a Firefox .jsonlz4 backup. It is compressed and is refused as not JSON. Make a plain backup from the Library window.
Expecting a live sync. The converted file is a snapshot of the JSON you gave it. Nothing connects to a browser account, and no link is opened.
Tools Used in This Guide
| Tool | Use |
|---|---|
| Bookmarks JSON to HTML | Convert a profile Bookmarks file or Firefox backup to bookmarks.html |
| Merge Bookmarks | Combine several converted files into one |
| Dedupe Bookmarks | Remove duplicate links before importing |
| Bookmarks HTML to CSV | Review the converted bookmarks in a spreadsheet |
FAQ
Where is Chrome's Bookmarks file on Windows?
By default at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks. A second profile has its own folder instead of Default, and chrome://version shows the profile path of the one you are using.
Why can't I find the Bookmarks file in the upload dialog?
It has no file extension, so dialogs that filter by type hide it. Bookmarks JSON to HTML's upload shows every file. On a Mac, the profile folder is inside the hidden Library folder; in the file dialog, Command-Shift-G opens a path directly.
Does it work with Edge and Brave?
Yes. Both are built on Chromium and keep bookmarks in the same Bookmarks JSON format as Chrome.
Can I convert a Firefox bookmarks backup?
Yes, a plain JSON backup made with Library, then Import and Backup, then Backup. The compressed .jsonlz4 automatic backups are not read.
Is my bookmarks file uploaded?
No. The file is read and converted in the browser tab, and no request carries it.
Next Steps
Copy your profile's Bookmarks file and convert it with Bookmarks JSON to HTML. To combine it with other exports, use Merge Bookmarks.
