How to Export Chrome Bookmarks to JSON
Chrome's built-in bookmark manager can save your bookmarks, but the file it produces is HTML—not JSON. If you specifically need a structured JSON file for a backup or another data use, exporting bookmarks chrome offers a way to choose what to include, preview the selection, and download it as JSON. This guide walks through the basic workflow, covers how to export everything or only selected bookmarks, and explains when JSON is the right choice versus browser-import HTML.
Can Chrome export bookmarks directly to JSON?
Chrome itself does not have a built-in menu option that exports bookmarks as JSON. According to Google's Chrome Help, when you use Bookmark Manager's Export Bookmarks option, Chrome downloads your bookmarks as an HTML file. That HTML file is designed to be imported into another browser through the normal bookmark import flow.
A JSON export is not part of Chrome's documented one-click export path. If your goal is a structured JSON file for backup or data use, you need a separate method—such as a bookmark export extension that can create JSON output. This distinction matters because a JSON file is not the same as the HTML file Chrome expects when you use its import feature.
How to export Chrome bookmarks as a JSON file
Export Bookmarks Chrome is an extension that can save browser bookmarks as JSON or browser-import HTML. The basic workflow is:
- Install or open the extension. Visit the Export Bookmarks Chrome page in the Chrome Web Store and add it to your browser.
- Choose Chrome bookmarks as the source. Open the extension and select your Chrome bookmarks as the item you want to export. The extension can also work with Edge, Firefox, or an imported bookmark file, but for this task you want the Chrome source.
- Decide what to include. You can export all bookmarks, a single bookmark folder, selected folders, or only specific links. Use the search feature if you need to find particular bookmarks first.
- Choose JSON as the output format. Instead of browser-import HTML, select JSON when that is what you need.
- Review the preview. Check that the folders or links you expect are shown before you download.
- Download the file. Save the JSON result to a location you can find later.
- Confirm the file is where you expect. If this is for safekeeping, keep it with your other backups.
Interface labels may vary slightly by version, but the core workflow is the same: pick a source, narrow the selection, choose JSON, preview, and download. According to the extension's Chrome Web Store listing, the export runs client-side in your browser and your bookmark data is not uploaded to the developer's servers.
Export all bookmarks or only selected bookmarks
One useful feature is the ability to create a smaller, focused export rather than dumping everything. The extension supports:
- All bookmarks, for a full backup
- A single bookmark folder, when you only need one collection
- Selected folders, when you want several groups but not the whole set
- Only specific links, when you need just a handful of saved URLs
Before downloading, search and preview the selection. This reduces the chance of exporting the wrong folder or leaving out bookmarks you intended to include. For example, if you keep a "Research" folder with links you plan to use outside the browser, exporting just that folder as JSON is often cleaner than saving your entire bookmark tree.
If you are creating a JSON backup for data use, decide whether a complete export or a targeted subset better matches what you will do with the file. A full export preserves the broadest record; a selective export keeps the result smaller and more relevant.
JSON vs. HTML: which bookmark format should you use?
The two formats serve different workflows.
| Your goal | Format to choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Save a structured bookmark file for a backup or data use | JSON | Gives you a structured file you can keep or use with other tools |
| Import bookmarks into Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or another supported browser | Browser import HTML | Follows the standard bookmark import flow that browsers expect |
Chrome's documented export produces HTML, and Chrome's documented import process uses a saved HTML file. That means if you plan to move bookmarks into Chrome through the browser's normal import screen, browser-import HTML is the safer choice. Choose JSON when you specifically need a JSON file—for example, a structured backup you want to keep separate from the browser-import path.
A simple rule of thumb: choose JSON for a JSON-specific need; choose browser-import HTML for moving bookmarks through a browser's import feature.
Starting with an existing bookmark file
The extension can also import a bookmark dump and re-export it. If you already have a saved bookmark file and want to turn it into a JSON export, check the extension's accepted input formats and follow its import-then-export flow. Because supported file types can vary, confirm what the current version accepts before relying on it for a specific file.
If your goal is simply to bring bookmarks into Chrome, the browser-import HTML route remains the documented path. Chrome Help explains how to export bookmarks as HTML from another browser and then import that saved HTML file into Chrome through the Bookmark Manager.
Keep the format choice simple
For a JSON-specific need, use the extension to select and preview the exact bookmarks you want, choose JSON, and save the downloaded file with your backups. For moving bookmarks into Chrome or another supported browser through the normal import flow, browser-import HTML is the more direct choice.
Understanding the difference upfront helps you avoid the common mistake of expecting Chrome's HTML-based import to accept a JSON file. Choose the format that matches what you will actually do with the file, and you will end up with a cleaner export and fewer surprises later.