How to sync bookmarks across devices in Chrome on Mac: a step by step guide

What bookmark sync does on a Mac

Chrome sync copies your bookmarks to your Google Account. Every Chrome install that signs in to that account can then download the same list. Your Mac is one of those installs. A bookmark added on one Mac can show up on another without you copying anything.

Google's Chrome homepage describes the idea in one line: sign in to Chrome on any device to access your bookmarks, saved passwords, and more. The steps below use a Mac, but the idea stays the same on any device where you sign in. You sign in, and you choose what to share.

Sync is not a backup, and it is not Safari. If you delete a bookmark on one Mac, it can disappear from the others too. Safari keeps its own list, so Chrome sync does not fill Safari's bookmarks. Those are separate jobs, and this guide covers Chrome only.

Before you start: what you need

• A Google Account. Google's help says you need one to sign in to Chrome.
• Chrome open on every Mac you plan to sync, signed in with the same account.
• The sync passphrase, if you set one, and the password for your Google Account.
• A bookmark list under the account limit. Google caps the total at 100,000.
• A few minutes for each Mac, plus a moment to check the results.

Check your Chrome version too. Wikipedia lists 157.0.8103.39 as the current stable build for Windows and macOS, released 3 November 2026. Wikipedia is a secondary source, so use that number as a guide. If sync fails for you, updating Chrome is one of the fixes Google's help names.

Sign in to Chrome on Mac and turn on sync

Start on the Mac with the most bookmarks you care about. Sign in there first, then add the others. The sign-in control lives inside the Chrome window. Look at the top right corner of Chrome, not the menu bar across the top of the screen.

The sync options sit under More, then Settings, then You and Google. More is the three-dot button. Google's help uses that exact label. Select your account name in that section, and Chrome shows what it saves for that account.

This is where people get stuck. Google's sync help tells you to turn on History and tabs. The same page does not name a separate bookmarks switch. So do not treat History and tabs as proof that bookmarks sync. Open Choose what to save in your Google Account and check the list yourself.

Move the bookmarks already on each Mac

The second Mac may already have bookmarks of its own. Chrome can save those into your account instead of leaving them on that one machine. Google's help describes a Save items in Account option under the Profile menu. You choose what to save, then select Save in account.

Read the choices before you confirm. Old folders from years back often come along with the bookmarks bar, and every item you save becomes part of the shared list. Uncheck anything you do not want on every Mac.

If the second Mac is signed in to a different account, switch it to the right account before you save. Otherwise the bookmarks go into the wrong list. Check the account name under the Profile icon first.

A worked example on two Macs

Take a common setup. You have a laptop for travel and a desktop Mac at home, both signed in to the same account. At lunch you save an article on the laptop with ⌘D. That evening, you open Bookmark Manager on the desktop with ⌘⌥B and find the article in the list.

The article shows up because both Macs read the same account. If it does not show up, check the account first, then the sync setting, then the passphrase. Work through them in that order before you change anything else.

Setting up a brand new Mac

Chrome starts empty on a new Mac, so there is no local list to merge. Sign in, turn on sync, and let the bookmarks arrive. Give Chrome a little time on the first download, especially if the list is long.

If you move from an old Mac, export from the old Chrome first. Then sign in on the new one. If sync does not show the list you expect, import the HTML file. Compare the two lists before you wipe the old Mac.

Back up your bookmarks as an HTML file

A one-time export takes a minute, and it gives you a file you can store outside Chrome. Open Bookmark Manager, select More at the top of that window, then select Export Bookmarks. Chrome saves an HTML file. Keep a copy in a folder your backup software covers.

The reverse trip uses the import path. Select More > Bookmarks and lists > Import bookmarks and settings, choose the file, select Open, then select Done. Use it on a new Mac that is not signed in, or to bring the list into a Chrome setup without sync.

The 100,000 bookmark limit

Google says you can save up to 100,000 bookmarks in your Google Account. Past that limit, you can delete bookmarks or export them. Google's help offers both choices, and you should pick one before the list grows further.

The cap matters most for long archives. A folder of research links from years back counts the same as the bookmarks bar. Export the full list before you trim, so the old links still exist in one HTML file.

Passphrases and new devices

Chrome can use your Google credentials for sync, or a sync passphrase you set. Wikipedia describes both options. If you set a passphrase, you need it to sign in on a new device. You also enter it on devices that are already signed in, according to Google's help.

Keep the passphrase in your password manager before you set up the second Mac. Without it, a new device cannot finish signing in. Google's help also says that if syncing fails with a passphrase, you may need to update Chrome to the latest version.

Keyboard shortcuts for bookmark work

These shortcuts cover most bookmark work once sync is on. ⌘D bookmarks the page you are on. ⌘⌥B opens Bookmark Manager, where you sort and search. ⌘⇧B shows or hides the Bookmarks Bar. ⌘, opens Settings, which is where the sync options live.

Shortcuts only work when Chrome is the active app. Click the Chrome window first if a shortcut does nothing. A bookmark you add with ⌘D goes into the same list as one you add from the menu.

Check that sync works

Test sync before you trust it. On your first Mac, press ⌘D on a page you want to keep. Give Chrome a moment, then open Bookmark Manager with ⌘⌥B on the second Mac. If the bookmark is there, sync works in that direction.

Test the other way too. Create a throwaway bookmark on the second Mac, then check the first. Changes usually travel both ways, so one passing test does not prove the reverse. Delete the throwaway bookmark when you finish.

Sync, export, and import compared

Common mistakes to avoid

• Signing in with two different Google Accounts across Macs. Each account holds its own list.
• Skipping Choose what to save, then wondering why a list did not appear.
• Losing a sync passphrase. A new device cannot finish sign-in without it.
• Looking for sync in the macOS menu bar. Sign-in and sync live inside Chrome.
• Deleting bookmarks before exporting. Sync can carry that deletion to every Mac.
• Expecting Chrome sync to fill Safari. Export and import for that.

Why Chrome bookmarks are not syncing on Mac

Start with the account. Open the Profile icon at the top right of Chrome and confirm the account name matches the other Mac. Then reopen Choose what to save in your Google Account and check that bookmarks is on.

If you use a passphrase, enter it on the device that shows the error. Google's help names updating Chrome as a fix when passphrase sync fails. Some fixes you see online do not appear in Google's pages, so this guide leaves them out.

Edge cases worth knowing

Each Chrome profile has its own sign-in. Check which profile you are in before you sync or save anything. If you need a second account, create a separate profile for it instead of mixing accounts.

Folder structure travels with the list, so a folder you rename on one Mac is renamed on the others. Plan your folders before you sync a long archive, because reorganizing a large list on several Macs at once is slow work.

Where Lazur fits in

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask it where a setting is. It sees your screen only while you hold the shortcut, circles the spot, and labels it. It does not click the button for you, and it does not run the sync. Chrome does that part.

Next steps

If you also use Safari, read how to import bookmarks from Chrome in Safari on Mac. It covers the File menu steps and the common fixes. If you want Chrome to open links from other apps, set Chrome as your default browser first.