Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers because it's fast and reliable, but also because Google has done a good job of marketing it.
Chrome web browser allows its users to sync various devices used by the same account, allowing users to use the same bookmarks, browsing history, autofill data, and various other logs across multiple devices.
This synchronization feature is convenient and useful, however, it can clutter the account profile with so many bookmarks that you stop using the bookmarks feature. When this happens, sometimes it's best to just clear the clutter and start fresh.
Luckily, Chrome offers several ways to clear your bookmarks.
Delete bookmarks one by one from bookmark bar
Sometimes you just want to remove some bookmarks from your bookmarks bar:
- Right-click the bookmark in the bookmarks bar.
- Select Delete from the context menu.
Be aware that this method does not require any confirmation, so once you select Delete, the bookmark is gone.
Use bookmark manager
Bookmarks Manager is a feature in Chrome that lets you view and organize all of your bookmarks. You can classify them in different folders or organize them according to their importance.
If you've synced your devices and are accessing Chrome with your Google account, you'll be able to browse all bookmarks created on your other devices. Also, if you decide to use the bookmark manager, you will be able to delete entire folders. This makes clearing your list much easier.
- In Chrome, navigate to the Favorites drop-down menu and select Favorites manager, you can also type Ctrl+Shift+O.
- Select the bookmarks you want to delete
Note that for synced accounts, mobile bookmarks will have their own folder. Alternatively, you can also type " chrome://bookmarks”. This will open the bookmarks manager in your current tab.
Either method will work. You should see the following folders.
- Favorites bar
- Other favorites
- Mobile bookmarks
The list will be longer if you have created your own folders. To delete them, simply right-click on the folder and select Delete.
From the bookmark manager page, you can also use keywords to search for specific bookmarks. This allows you to perform very precise searches and only remove entries you are sure of.
Delete browsing history or all saved data?
If you want to delete your browsing history and all the information saved in your Google account, be aware that you cannot also delete your bookmarks using the same method. Using the Clear browsing data feature only deletes cookies, browsing and download history, autofill data, passwords, cached files, etc.
Chrome doesn't have a profile folder, so deleting all bookmarks at once is a different process.
How to Delete Bookmarks Folder in Windows
- Open the Run dialog or search box, you can press Windows key + r or type run in your start menu.
- Type "%LocalAppData%GoogleChromeUser DataDefault" and press Enter.
- Locate the bookmark file, you may need to scroll down until you see it.
- Right-click on it and choose Delete.
This will remove all bookmarks created since you installed Chrome on your device. However, it will not delete bookmarks saved on other devices, even if the devices are synced under the same account. Also note that for this to work you need to close all instances of Chrome.
If you only want to delete bookmarks from a specific account and you deleted something important by accident, you can use the same folder path to recover it. Occasionally, Chrome makes backups. These backups include bookmark data.
This data can be found in the bookmarks.bak file under User DataDefault. If you change the file extension from .bak to .old, you may be able to recover your recently deleted bookmarks.
How to Delete Bookmarks Folder in macOS
If you feel comfortable with the command line, you can invoke Terminal and navigate to the following directory in your user account.
$ cd ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/
Then delete the Bookmarks file with this command:
$ rm Bookmarks
Then the next time you open Chrome there will be no bookmarks and you can start from scratch. Add your first bookmark to get started. If you go back to ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/ you will notice that the bookmarks file has been recreated. You can delete it again in the future if your bookmarks are too cluttered and you want a fresh start.
One last thought
Deleting the bookmark file is quite a drastic measure. If you're worried that your list of bookmarks has grown too large to manage, deleting everything might not always be a good idea. You might also lose important shortcuts to pages that might take a long time to find in the future.
Sometimes it is better to delete bookmarks one by one, even if it takes more time. Keep in mind that a long list of bookmarks does not consume as many resources as too many cached video files and cookies stored in your account.
Of course, if you want to be more efficient, it would be ideal to organize all your bookmarks in specific folders and do this with all new bookmarks as soon as you save them.
If you liked this article, you might enjoy other TechJunkie articles on Google Chrome, including How to Browse and Open Folders and Files with Google Chrome.
If you have any tips and tricks for deleting or organizing bookmarks, leave us a comment below!
