How to import bookmarks from chrome in Safari on Mac: File menu steps and fixes

Before you start: what Safari imports from Chrome

Safari can import bookmarks, history, and passwords from Chrome. You pick what comes across in a checklist, so nothing moves unless you check the box. Most people only want bookmarks, and this guide focuses on them. History and passwords are optional, and you can import them later with the same steps.

Chrome has to be on the same Mac. Apple's help says Chrome or Firefox must be installed before Safari can import from it. If you removed Chrome after an earlier move, reinstall it before you try again. An old copy on a different Mac will not help you here.

• Install Google Chrome if it is not on this Mac.
• Quit Chrome so it is not running during the import.
• Decide now whether you also want history and passwords.
• Keep Chrome installed afterward, since some sites may not work in Safari.

Keeping Chrome around costs nothing, and it gives you a fallback. iDownloadBlog's January 2026 guide recommends keeping Chrome or Firefox, because some sites may not work in Safari. Keep that advice in mind before you uninstall anything.

Steps to import Chrome bookmarks in Safari on Mac

Follow these steps in order. Match each menu name against your own screen. Menu labels change between Safari versions, so yours may read a little differently. The order stays the same either way, and the next sections cover older labels.

Quick reference: the File menu path

The whole job comes down to one menu path: File > Import From Browser > Google Chrome. After that, you check boxes and click one button. Apple's help does not list a keyboard shortcut for this import, so use the menu. Do not spend time hunting for a shortcut that may not exist.

What happens after you click Import

Safari adds the imported bookmarks after the bookmarks you already have. Apple's help says so directly. Each kind of item lands in a different place, as the table shows.

The start page can change what you see next. If Chrome was your default browser, Safari's start page shows a message at the bottom. It asks whether to keep the imported bookmarks, history, and passwords. Choose Keep, Remove, or Decide later.

Missed that message? Choose Bookmarks > Show Start Page to bring the start page back. The prompt appears there, so you can still make your choice.

Where Chrome and Safari stand in desktop use

StatCounter put Chrome at 66.98% of worldwide desktop browser use in October 2026, and Safari at 7.83%. Those are worldwide figures, not Mac-only numbers. StatCounter lists macOS at 5.81% and the older OS X label at 9.86% of worldwide desktop operating system use.

The browser numbers show that Chrome is the dominant desktop browser worldwide. If you are moving to Safari, your bookmarks may have built up in Chrome for years. Some sites may not work in Safari, which is one reason to keep Chrome installed after the import.

When the quick import fails: export and import an HTML file

Sometimes the quick import from Chrome does not work. Macworld says the quick import can fail, and then the manual route is the fix. The manual route uses an HTML file. Chrome exports it, and Safari imports it.

1. In Chrome, click More, the menu near the top right of the window.
2. Choose Bookmarks and lists, then Bookmark Manager.
3. In the Bookmark Manager, click More, then Export Bookmarks.
4. Save the file to your Desktop, where it is easy to find later.

Google's Chrome help gives this path. Macworld's 2015 article uses older labels, such as Customize and Control > Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager > Organize > Export Bookmarks to HTML File. The idea is the same. Find the export command and save an HTML file.

Now bring that file into Safari. In older Safari builds, choose File > Import From > Bookmarks HTML File. Newer builds may show a different item. iDownloadBlog describes a File menu item called Import Browsing Data from File or Folder, which it ties to a Google Takeout export. I could not confirm that label for a Chrome HTML file, so check the menu and then check the result.

Older Safari versions use different menu labels

The menu label is the part that moves around most. Apple's current help and iDownloadBlog's January 2026 guide say File > Import From Browser > Google Chrome. Macworld's 2015 article and a 2024 Apple Community thread say File > Import From > Google Chrome. It is the same command with an older label.

Open the File menu and read what it says. Click whatever label your Mac shows. If you see Import From Browser, you have the current wording. If you see only Import From, look through its submenu until you find Google Chrome.

A worked example: moving 200 bookmarks in one import

A user in a 2024 Apple Community thread had more than 200 Chrome bookmarks. They ran File > Import on macOS 14.5 and saw no new bookmarks and no Imported folder. The thread closed without a confirmed fix, so treat that case as a warning, not a solution.

You can test an import like that without guessing. Note how many bookmarks you see in Chrome's Bookmark Manager, folder by folder. Then run the import and compare the two lists. If the numbers do not match, move to the HTML route.

• Note how many bookmarks you have in Chrome's Bookmark Manager, folder by folder.
• Import Bookmarks only, and click Import.
• Scroll to the bottom of Safari's Bookmarks list.
• Look for an Imported folder if the new items are missing.
• If nothing new appears, export bookmarks.html from Chrome and import that file.

Check that the import worked

Check three places. First, scroll to the bottom of the Bookmarks list in the sidebar. Second, search the sidebar for a bookmark title you know came from Chrome. Third, if you chose History, open the History menu and look for a site you visited in Chrome.

Check passwords in the Passwords app on your Mac, since Apple says imported passwords go into iCloud Keychain.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Skipping the quit step. iDownloadBlog advises quitting Chrome first, so do it.
• Removing Chrome before the import. Safari needs Chrome or Firefox installed to import from it.
• Hunting for a keyboard shortcut. Apple's current help does not mention one.
• Assuming the import failed when the bookmarks sit at the bottom of the list.
• Missing the start page prompt, then forgetting which option you chose.
• Opening the HTML file and assuming it is already imported.

Most of these mistakes come down to looking in the wrong place. The fix is usually a quick look at the bottom of the bookmark list, or at the start page message.

Edge cases to check before you finish

If you run the import a second time, look for duplicates in the sidebar before you change anything. Make the cleanup a separate step, after the import is done. Open each folder before you delete it.

If you use more than one Chrome profile, the Apple and Google pages do not say which profile Safari reads. Test with a bookmark you know is in the profile you use. Imported history joins Safari's existing history, so look for Chrome sites in the History menu.

If Chrome is no longer on your Mac

The direct import needs Chrome or Firefox installed, according to Apple's help. If you already uninstalled Chrome, you have two options. You can reinstall Chrome, run the import, and then decide whether to keep it. Or you can import a bookmarks file you exported earlier from Safari's File menu.

iDownloadBlog also describes a Google Takeout route. Its File menu item, Import Browsing Data from File or Folder, is for Takeout exports. Use that route only if you have a Takeout file. Otherwise the HTML file from Chrome is the simpler choice.

What to do next after the import

Keep Chrome installed for now, and test the sites you use most in Safari. If a site breaks, open it in Chrome until you find a fix. Then tidy your bookmarks in Safari's sidebar, delete the duplicates, and move the rest into folders.

If you imported history you do not want, clear browsing history in Safari removes it. If you want separate workspaces for your tabs, create a tab group in Safari is the next step. If pop-ups get in the way on the sites you moved, block pop-ups in Safari covers that.