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How to Organize and Sync Your Browser Bookmarks

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How to Organize and Sync Your Browser Bookmarks
Have your browser bookmarks turned into a disorganized mess? The more web pages you save as bookmarks, the longer and more unmanageable your bookmark list can become, especially if you fail to store and arrange them in their own unique folders.
Fear not. You can work with your current bookmarks to reorganize them and save each one in a logical spot. Whether you use Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Edge, you can get a handle on your bookmarks so they're easier to access. You can also sync your bookmarks and favorites so they’re consistent across the same browser—and even different browsers—on multiple PCs and devices.
First, let's assume you have gathered lots of favorites or bookmarks over the years but haven't organized them properly. As a result, searching for a specific bookmark can take a while. Let’s go over how to organize and sync everything in each browser.
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  • Add Bookmarks in Chrome

    To add a bookmark in Chrome, click the star on the top-right corner of the browser window. A drop-down menu pops up where you can change the name of your bookmark and where to store it, such as in the bookmarks bar or in a specific folder.

    You can also click the Settings icon on the top right (the one with three dots) and select Bookmarks > Bookmark this page, which will produce the same drop-down menu, as will selecting Ctrl + D on Windows and Command + D on a Mac.

  • Add a New Folder in Chrome

    But if you add bookmarks without storing or organizing them in some logical way, they can easily grow out of control. To clean things up, select Settings > Bookmarks > Bookmark manager.

    You can now add a folder to store certain bookmarks together. Right-click just outside your list of bookmarks. A pop-up menu offers commands to Add new bookmark or Add new folder. Select the command to Add new folder and type a name for it.

  • Organize Bookmarks in Chrome

    The new folder appears at the bottom of the list, but you can drag and drop it anywhere you'd like it to reside. You can then drag specific bookmarks into that new folder.

    To remove a bookmark from a folder, open that folder in the bookmark manager, click on the site to remove, and then drag it to its new folder. You can also right-click and select Delete if you wish to get rid of it entirely.

  • Sync Bookmarks in Chrome

    If you use Chrome across multiple devices, you probably want to keep your bookmarks synced across the board. You can trigger the browser's internal synchronization feature by clicking the Settings icon and selecting Settings. In the People section, click the Sign into Chrome button if you’re not already signed in, and log in with your Google account.

    When you’re prompted to turn on sync, click the button for Yes, I’m in. Return to settings and click the entry for Sync and Google services. Then click the entry to Manage sync. In the Sync menu, turn on the switch for Bookmarks.

  • Add Bookmarks in Firefox

    The process for bookmarking a site in Firefox is similar to that in Chrome. Click the star icon in the URL bar. You can also press Ctrl/Command + D or click the icon that looks like books on a bookcase and go to Bookmarks > Bookmark This Page. Name and then save your bookmark.

  • Organize Bookmarks in Firefox

    To organize your bookmarks in Firefox, click the Bookmarks icon and go to Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks. A Bookmarks library menu pops up. Right-click any area. From the popup menu, you can create a new folder. Then drag and drop bookmarks into and out of specific folders to move and organize them. To remove a bookmark, right-click on it and select Delete.

  • Sync Bookmarks in Firefox

    Like Chrome, Firefox can also be synced across multiple devices so all your bookmarks will follow you no matter where you access the internet from. In Firefox, click the hamburger icon in the upper right and select Options. At the Option screen, click the entry for Firefox Account.

    If you already have a Firefox account, click the Sign in button and fill in your credentials. If not, click the Get Started link to create an account. After you have signed in, go to the Sync Settings section and check the box for Bookmarks.

  • Add Favorites in Internet Explorer

    For those of you who still use Internet Explorer, click the star icon in the top right corner of the screen. You can choose to add a page to your favorites or use the dropdown menu and add the page directly to your favorites bar. If you have the menu bar visible in IE, click Favorites, then choose between Add to favorites or Add to Favorites bar.

  • Manage Favorites in Internet Explorer

    If you want to manage your favorites, you can do so either by navigating to Favorites > Organize Favorites or by clicking the star icon on the top right and then going to Add to favorites > Organize favorites.

  • Add a New Folder in Internet Explorer

    If you have dozens or even hundreds of favorites, you can store similar sites in their own unique folders. At the Organize Favorites window, click the New Folder button. Give the folder a name.

    Now look through your favorites to find a site that you wish to store in the new folder. Drag it to the new folder. You can also right-click on the favorite and select Cut. Then right-click on its new folder and select Paste.

  • Organize IE Favorites in File Explorer

    Using Internet Explorer’s Organize Favorites window can be slow and clumsy. Instead, you can work more easily with your folders and favorites through File Explorer. Open File Explorer (or Windows Explorer on older versions of Windows). Browse to the folder: C:\users\[your username]\Favorites.

    Now you can create new folders, move favorites, and perform other tasks in a wider and more user-friendly landscape. You can even open two Explorer windows side by side to more easily move favorites to different folders.

  • How to Add and Manage Favorites in Microsoft Edge

    With the current version of Microsoft Edge, Favorites operate much like they do on IE. To save something, click the star icon on the right and save it to Favorites. To access all your favorites, click the Hub button (which looks like a shooting star). There, you can right-click to add a Folder and then drag and drop your favorites to organize them.
  • Alternative Browsers

    Sync Bookmarks Across Multiple Browsers

    The problem with the internal synchronization option for Firefox or Chrome is that it works only within that one browser, not across other browsers. If you use a combination of Firefox, Chrome, IE, and Edge, a third-party bookmark syncing tool is a better option. Let’s check out some of those.

  • Eversync

    Eversync by Nimbus is an extension that can sync your bookmarks across Firefox and Chrome in Windows, iOS, and Android. First, you must create an Eversync account to store your bookmarks online. Then, you can merge your local bookmarks with those online, download the online versions to replace your local bookmarks, or upload your local bookmarks to replace the online versions.

    You can manually sync your bookmarks whenever you want and select an option to automatically sync them in the background every 30 minutes. Bookmarks can also be manually backed up to your account at any time, and then restored from a saved data set if you run into trouble with your current bookmarks. Nimbus encrypts your bookmarks to secure and protect them as they're being synchronized.

    The free Eversync service allows up to 15,000 bookmarks and stores two weeks of automatic backups. Pay $4.99 a month (or $44.99 per year), and you can sync an unlimited number of bookmarks and restore a backup of your bookmarks from the past six months.

  • Raindrop.io

    Raindrop.io works a bit differently than Eversync. Instead of using and syncing your bookmarks locally, you do it through the Raindrop website. Accessing them online is just as convenient as accessing them locally, though not as fast.

    You can view and use your bookmarks through the Raindrop toolbar icon or through the Raindrop pane. After you install the Raindrop.io program as an app or extension and create a free account, you can import your existing local bookmarks into the service. From there, install the program for other browsers on your other devices, sign into your account, and you'll see your stored bookmarks.

    You can sort your bookmarks by name, date, and other criteria. Right-clicking on a bookmark lets you edit it or delete it. Modify or remove a bookmark in one browser, and the change immediately shows up in the other browsers, since they're all tapped into the same collection. To add a bookmark, click the Raindrop icon, select the folder in which you want to store the bookmark, and click the Add Bookmark button.

    Raindrop directly supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. The program is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. In Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, you can use Raindrop as a web app to view and open your bookmarked pages.

    A basic bookmarking account with Raindrop.io is free. For $3 a month or $28 a year, a Pro edition supports nested collections of bookmarks stored in subfolders, finds and deletes duplicate bookmarks and broken links, and lets you store your bookmark collections in Dropbox or Google Drive.

  • RoboForm

    Those of you who use RoboForm as a password manager can also use it as a bookmark syncing tool. Like Raindrop.io, RoboForm takes over for your built-in, local browser bookmarks. As such, your bookmarks automatically sync on any computer or device on which you run RoboForm.

    To set this up, right-click the RoboForm icon in the System Tray and select Options from the menu. At the Options window, select the setting for Account & Data. Click the Import button. If your bookmarks are stored in folders and subfolders, check the box to Sort imported data to sub-folders. Then click the Import button next to the browser that contains the bookmarks you want to import.

    RoboForm works with any web browser. If you want to access a bookmark in a browser that uses RoboForm, click the RoboForm icon on the toolbar and select the entry for Bookmarks. You should now see all the folders for your bookmarks. Just open the folder and select the bookmark for the page you want to launch. From here, you can also right-click a bookmark to manage it.

    You can fully manage all the bookmarks stored through RoboForm by clicking the RoboForm toolbar icon, selecting the entry for Bookmarks, and then clicking the Edit command. Right-click on a folder to create, rename, or delete it. Right-click on a bookmark to rename, move, or delete it.

  • iCloud Bookmarks on iOS

    You can use iCloud to synchronize your bookmarks between Safari on your iOS devices and Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer on your Windows PC or Mac. To first set this up on your iPhone or iPad, open Settings. Tap on your name at the top of the Settings screen. At the Apple ID screen, tap on the entry for iCloud. Turn on the setting for Safari. Tap on the option to merge any existing local Safari data on your iPhone or iPad.

  • iCloud Bookmarks in Windows

    On a Mac, the necessary iCloud program is built in. On a Windows PC, download iCloud for Windows if you don't already have it. Open the iCloud program on your computer and click on the checkmark for Bookmarks.

    At the Bookmark Options window, check the browsers you wish to include in the bookmark synchronization: Internet Explorer, Firefox, and/or Chrome. Click OK and then click Apply.

    You are then prompted to download the iCloud Bookmarks extension for Firefox or Chrome. Click the Download button. Your browser will open to the iCloud Bookmarks page. Click on the add button to add the extension to the browser, then restart your computer.

    When the computer restarts, open the browser back up and your bookmarks should now be synchronized between Safari on your iPhone or iPad and the browser on your computer.
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