The fastest way to clear all bookmarks in Chrome
Open Chrome and press Ctrl+Shift+B on Windows or Command+Shift+B on Mac to show the bookmark bar. Click the folder icon on the far right of the bookmark bar — this opens the Bookmark Manager. Press Ctrl+A (or Command+A on Mac) to select every bookmark, then right-click and choose Delete. Chrome will ask you to confirm; click Delete again, and all bookmarks are gone.
If the bookmark bar is hidden, you can reach the Bookmark Manager another way: click the three-line menu in the top right corner of Chrome, hover over Bookmarks, then click Bookmark Manager. The rest of the process is the same — select all, delete, confirm.
This method removes every bookmark at once, including any you saved in folders. Chrome does not back up deleted bookmarks by default, so they cannot be recovered after you confirm the deletion. If you think you might want some bookmarks back later, export them first or move the ones you want to keep to a separate browser before deleting.
Key Takeaways
- The quickest route is the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+B (Windows) or Command+Shift+B (Mac), then selecting all bookmarks and deleting them from the Bookmark Manager.
- You can also reach the Bookmark Manager through the three-line menu under Bookmarks if the bookmark bar is not visible.
- Deleted bookmarks cannot be recovered unless you exported them to a file beforehand.
- If you only want to delete some bookmarks, you can select individual ones or entire folders instead of using select all.
Deleting bookmarks one folder at a time
If you want to keep some bookmarks but delete others, the Bookmark Manager lets you remove entire folders without touching the rest. Open the Bookmark Manager the same way — keyboard shortcut or through the menu — and look at the left sidebar. You will see folders like Bookmarks Bar, Other Bookmarks, and any custom folders you created.
Right-click on any folder name and choose Delete. Chrome removes that folder and everything inside it. This is faster than deleting individual bookmarks if you have organized your bookmarks into categories and only want to clear out one section.
The Other Bookmarks folder is where Chrome puts bookmarks you did not assign to a specific folder. Deleting this folder clears out all those unsorted bookmarks without touching your organized ones. If you want to start fresh but keep your folder structure, delete the contents of each folder instead of the folders themselves.
Exporting bookmarks before you delete them
Chrome can save your bookmarks to a file on your computer before you delete them. This file acts as a backup — you can import the bookmarks back into Chrome later, or move them to a different browser like Firefox or Edge.
In the Bookmark Manager, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner and select Export bookmarks. Chrome opens a save dialog and creates a file called bookmarks_[date].html on your computer. Choose where you want to save it — your Desktop or Documents folder is easiest to find later. Once the file is saved, you can delete all your bookmarks without worry.
To bring those bookmarks back, open the Bookmark Manager again, click the three-dot menu, and choose Import bookmarks. Select the HTML file you saved, and Chrome restores all the bookmarks it contained. You can do this in the same Chrome profile or in a different one if you are setting up a new device.
What happens to synced bookmarks when you delete them
If you are signed into a Google account in Chrome, your bookmarks are synced across all your devices — your laptop, phone, and tablet all see the same bookmarks. When you delete bookmarks on one device, Chrome syncs that deletion to the others within a few minutes.
This means if you delete all bookmarks on your computer, they will disappear from your phone and tablet too. If you only want to clear bookmarks on one device, sign out of your Google account on that device before deleting, then sign back in afterward. The bookmarks will not sync back because Chrome will not know about the deletion on your other devices.
Google keeps a version history of your synced data for about three weeks. If you delete bookmarks by mistake and realize it quickly, you can visit myaccount.google.com, go to Security in the left menu, scroll down to Your devices, and look for options to restore synced data. This is not may provide to work, so exporting bookmarks before a large deletion is still the safest approach.
Clearing bookmarks without using the Bookmark Manager
If the Bookmark Manager is not responding or you prefer a different method, you can delete bookmarks directly from the bookmark bar. Right-click on any bookmark or folder in the bar and choose Delete. This removes just that one item, so it is slower for clearing everything, but it works if you need to delete a few specific bookmarks quickly.
You can also delete bookmarks from your browsing history. Press Ctrl+H (Windows) or Command+Y (Mac) to open the History page. On the left, click Clear browsing data. A window appears with options for what to delete. Make sure Cookies and other site data is checked, set the time range to All time, and click Clear data. This removes browsing history and cookies but does not delete bookmarks — it is useful if you want a clean slate for tracking and history without touching your saved links.
Organizing bookmarks instead of deleting them
Before you delete all your bookmarks, consider whether organizing them might be more useful. If you have hundreds of bookmarks scattered across your bookmark bar, moving them into folders can make Chrome faster and your browsing easier without losing anything.
In the Bookmark Manager, you can create new folders by clicking the three-dot menu and choosing Add folder. Drag bookmarks into folders to sort them by topic — work, hobbies, reference, shopping, and so on. You can also rename folders and bookmarks by right-clicking and choosing Edit. Once organized, you can hide the bookmark bar to save screen space and open folders only when you need them.
If you have bookmarks you have not used in months, you can delete just those without clearing everything. Look through your folders, delete the outdated links, and keep the ones you actually use. This gives you a cleaner bookmark collection without starting from zero.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo deleting all my bookmarks?
Chrome does not have an undo button for deleted bookmarks. Once you confirm the deletion in the Bookmark Manager, they are gone permanently unless you exported them to a file first. If you synced bookmarks to your Google account, you may be able to restore them through your Google account recovery options, but this is not may provide.
Will deleting bookmarks in Chrome affect my other browsers?
No. Bookmarks in Chrome are separate from Firefox, Edge, Safari, or any other browser. Deleting them in Chrome does not touch bookmarks in other browsers. If you want to move bookmarks between browsers, export them from Chrome as an HTML file and import that file into the other browser.
What is the difference between deleting a bookmark and clearing browsing history?
Deleting a bookmark removes a saved link you created. Clearing browsing history removes the record of websites you visited. These are separate — you can clear your history without touching bookmarks, or delete bookmarks without clearing history. Clearing history does not delete bookmarks.
Do I need to delete bookmarks to speed up Chrome?
No. Having thousands of bookmarks does not slow down Chrome noticeably. If Chrome is running slowly, the problem is usually too many open tabs, extensions, or cached data — not bookmarks. Clearing your cache and cookies through Clear browsing data is more likely to help than deleting bookmarks.
How do I delete bookmarks on my phone or tablet?
On Android, open Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, go to Bookmarks, then tap the three-dot menu again and choose Edit. Tap the bookmark you want to delete, then tap Delete. On iPhone or iPad, tap the bookmark icon at the bottom, find the bookmark, swipe left on it, and tap Delete. These deletions sync to your other devices if you are signed into a Google account.