Share Bookmarks in Chrome

Bookmarks are such a vital part of our everyday workflow. Often, after someone has spent the time gathering bookmarks and meticulously structuring all their saved links inside folders, the next step is to share their bookmarks with others.

However, Chrome has restricted native support for sharing bookmarks. So, in the spirit of sharing, we have compiled a list of some available options to start sharing bookmarks.

Multi-Select Copy and Paste

The most basic way to share a list of bookmarks is to copy & paste them into an email or your preferred text-based communication. This method is perfect for sharing a small number of bookmarks in a single folder.

1. Open Bookmark Manager by clicking ⋮ in the top right of Chrome and then selecting Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager from the dropdown (alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+O on Windows & Linux or ⌥+⌘+B on Mac).
2. Hold Shift and select all of the bookmarks you’d like to copy.
3. Right-click and select Copy.
4. Paste the bookmark URLs wherever you want to send them or store them.

Pros

• Quick and straight-forward method.
• No third-party extensions required.

Cons

• This method won’t work well if you often change your shared bookmarks.
• It is very tedious, especially if you have multiple folders worth of bookmarks to send.
• Bookmark names are not copied, only their URLs.
• Folder structure is not preserved with this method, as it doesn’t allow copying folders, only bookmark URLs inside the folder.

Full Export to HTML

If you are looking for a way to preserve the structure of your bookmarks, this method will work for you.

Unfortunately, Chrome doesn’t support exporting a single folder. Instead, you must export all your bookmarks to an HTML file. You can then edit the export file to remove any personal bookmarks. However, this approach isn’t very accessible to those unfamiliar with HTML.

1. Open Bookmark Manager by clicking ⋮ at the top right of Chrome and then selecting Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager from the dropdown (alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+O on Windows & Linux or ⌥+⌘+B on Mac).
2. Click the ⋮ in the top right of the Bookmark Manager window and select Export Bookmarks.
3. Save the HTML file and then send this file to whomever you’d like to share your bookmarks with.

The bookmarks can then imported by following the same steps, except you’ll need select Import Bookmarks at step 2 and import the HTML file that was sent.

Pros

• Preserves folder and bookmark structure.
• Quick and easy method.
• No third-party extensions.

Cons

• All folders are exported, even if you might only want to export a single folder.
• If you want to narrow the scope of the export, you will need to edit the HTML file and this can be quite daunting for anyone who does not have much experience with HTML.
• It’s problematic if you want to make changes after they have already imported a version of the bookmarks and folder structure. Any changes will require your recipients to delete the existing bookmarks and import the new version.

Partial Export to HTML with a temporary Chrome profile

This method allows for a narrower scope of bookmark exports without having to modify an HTML file. This method is quite a work-around and not a typical use-case of chrome profiles, but it allows you to overcome all of the limitations of the previous steps without a third-party tool.

1. Click your profile icon in the top right of Chrome.
2. Select + Add from the profile menu list.
3. Select Continue without an account.
4. Enter a temporary name for the profile and click Done.
5. A new Chrome window will open with an entirely new profile. Open Bookmark Manager by clicking ⋮ in the top right of Chrome and then selecting Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager from the dropdown (alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+O on Windows & Linux or ⌥+⌘+B on Mac).
6. Copy the bookmarks you want to export between your existing chrome profile and the newly created one by right-clicking and selecting Copy and then pasting to the other profile. This will even allow you to copy entire folders and paste them on your Bookmark Manager page in your other profile.
7. In the newly created profile, click the ⋮ in the top right of the Bookmark Manager window and select Export Bookmarks.
8. Save the HTML file and then send this to whomever you’d like to share your bookmarks with.

Pros

• This method preserves the bookmark structure.
• There is complete control over what will be inside the export file without having to modify the HTML.
• There is no need for any third-party extensions.

Cons

• There are a lot of steps to follow that can be are tedious.
• It is problematic if you’d like to make changes after recipients have already imported a version of the bookmarks. This will require them to delete the existing bookmarks’ structure and import the new version.

Partial Export via Export Selective Bookmarks

Sometimes it’s easier to reach for a simple third-party tool. This nifty extension allows you to select exactly the bookmarks you’d like to export without needing to edit HTML or create Chrome profiles.

1. Install the extension from here.
2. Click the extension icon to open the export menu.
3. Tick the relevant folders you would like to export and click the Export button in the top right.
4. The bookmark HTML will now be downloaded, and you can send this to whomever you’d like to share your bookmarks with.

Pros

• The tool preserves the bookmark structure.
• Easy to use tool.

Cons

• It is problematic if you’d like to make changes after recipients have already imported a version of the bookmarks. This will require them to delete the existing bookmarks’ structure and import the new version.

Bookmark Llama

Bookmark Llama makes sharing bookmarks with others feel like a native feature of Chrome. Any changes to bookmarks within shared folders are instantly synced for anyone who has been given access, and any changes can be made directly in the browser. Additionally, the Bookmark Llama supports sharing bookmarks across Chrome, Firefox and Edge.

1. Install the extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.
2. Sign-up up for an account.
3. Create a shared folder from the extension.
4. Start inviting people to your shared folder.

Pros

• Easy to use tool.
• Bookmarks are synced for everyone who has access to the shared folder.
• Any changes to bookmarks can be made natively in the browser and are automatically synced.
• Folder structure is not only preserved but changes are synced for all users who have access to the shared folder.
• Folders can be encrypted to keep data private from third-parties (on the Enterprise plan)

Cons

• Free Plan is limited to 3 users and 1 shared folder.

Though each method has its own merits, Bookmark Llama definitely ticks a lot of boxes when sharing bookmark folders in Chrome. The tool preserves folder structure, only shares some folders rather than the whole Bookmark Bar and opts for real-time updates on bookmarks and folders without needing to manually export and import new versions.