How to Use the Same Bookmarks Across All Browsers on Your iPhone, iPad & Mac

If you’re like me, you use different browsers for different activities on your various Apple devices.

For example, Safari is the default browser on my iPhone and iPad. However, if I’m reading blog posts, I usually open them in Microsoft Edge because its built-in ad blocker declutters most sites and makes them easier to read.

On my Mac, Chrome is my default browser, but I sometimes use Edge or Firefox to visit sites without all the extensions I have installed in Chrome. I seldom use Safari.

One thing remains true no matter which device I’m using: I want my bookmarks to be available directly in my browsers.

This many decades into consumer web usage, you’d think syncing bookmarks between browsers would be easy. I’d expect multiple competing services to offer this feature — if I didn’t know better.

The reality is that few syncing tools exist, and the ones that do have limitations.

Over the years, I’ve solved this problem in various ways. But none of my sync methods has lasted long. Periodically, I’ve had to tweak or revamp my bookmark sync strategy as tools have come and gone and as my computing setup has changed.

About two years ago, I published a post summarizing my strategy for syncing bookmarks between Windows computers and Apple iPhones:

• How to Keep Your Bookmarks In Sync Between Windows and Apple Devices Via iCloud

At the time, my computer was a Dell Windows laptop, and my mobile devices were an iPhone and iPad. In that post, I explained how I used iCloud for Windows and the iCloud Bookmarks browser extensions to keep the Chrome bookmarks on my Dell synced to Edge and Firefox — and to Safari on my Apple devices. Additionally, I discussed alternative bookmark tools such as EverSync and Raindrop.io. 

I recommend reading that earlier post for my general bookmark management philosophy.

Why revisit this topic? The catalyst was switching from the Dell Windows laptop to a MacBook Pro several months ago. This change shook up many of my computing habits, including bookmark sync.

I had to toss out the core part of my syncing strategy: the iCloud Bookmarks browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Although you can install the extension on the Mac versions of those browsers, it doesn’t do anything. In other words, it does not sync your iCloud bookmarks to those browsers (or vice versa).

I confirmed this with web research and a ChatGPT query:

Back to the drawing board…

Fortunately, it didn’t take me long to devise a new scheme for syncing the various browsers on my iPhone, iPad, and new MacBook. The process is more manual than before, but it syncs my bookmarks more pervasively.

Tools

My new sync process leverages the following components to disperse my bookmarks from my MacBook to the various browsers on my Apple devices (plus my old Windows laptop).

• Native browser sync
• Apple iCloud
• The EverSync browser extension
• Manual export & import

I’ll describe how to set up and use my process, but first, here’s a diagram that visualizes it and makes the data flow easy to understand.

Initial Setup

Step 1: Get Your House in Order

To get started, you should still follow the setup steps in my previous post. These include:

• Disabling any existing sync automation.
• Picking a primary browser for bookmark creation and editing.
• Organizing your bookmarks.
• Backing up your bookmarks.
• Deleting your bookmarks in all other browsers.

After those steps, the process diverges from my old method. 

I still use Chrome as my “primary” browser, but now on a MacBook instead of a Windows laptop. From Chrome, my bookmarks radiate out to other browsers via various methods, including EverSync, native browser sync, and even export/import.

Step 2 Install EverSync

I use the free EverSync browser extension to sync my bookmarks from Chrome to Firefox and Edge on my Mac. EverSync isn’t available for Safari. It’s also not available as a native Edge extension, but you can install the Chrome version in Edge.

For a detailed explanation of how to use EverSync, see my previous post: 4 Helpful Browser Extensions That Solve Minor Nuisances in Chrome.

Step 3: Enable Sync for Chrome, Edge & Firefox

I use Chrome Sync & Edge Sync to automatically propagate my bookmarks to the Chrome and Edge browsers on all my other devices: my iPhone, iPad, and even old Windows laptops I’ve retired from regular use.

Chrome

• Google Support Help Page: Get your bookmarks, passwords, and more on all your devices

Edge

• Microsoft Support Help Page: Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices

Firefox

I don’t use Firefox on my iPhone or iPad, so I haven’t enabled Firefox Sync. If you use Firefox on multiple devices, then follow the instructions below:

• Mozilla Support Help Page: Sync Firefox data

Step 4: Manually Import Bookmarks into Safari

Since EverSync doesn’t support Safari, I have to manually export my bookmarks from Chrome and then import them into Safari. Below are the steps.

1. In Chrome
   1. Bookmarks menu > Bookmarks Manager > Export bookmarks > Save to Finder.
2. In Safari
   1. File menu > Import Browsing Data From File or Folder… > Choose File or Folder… > Select the Chrome backup file saved in step 1 > Import button.
   2. Bookmarks menu > Edit Bookmarks
      1. Delete any existing bookmarks in the “Favorites” folder.
      2. Expand the “Imported MM/DD/YY” folder > expand “Bookmarks Bar” folder > move all bookmarks and/or subfolders to the “Favorites” folder.
      3. Delete the now empty “Imported MM/DD/YY” folder.

Step 5: Enable iCloud for Safari on All Apple Devices

To sync your Safari bookmarks between Apple devices, you have to enable iCloud for Safari. It’s an all-or-nothing option; you can’t choose which components (history, settings, bookmarks, etc.) to sync.

macOS

1. Open System Setting.
2. Select your Name at the top left.
3. Select iCloud.
4. Select See All.
5. Enable Safari.

iPhone & iPad

• Settings > Profile Name > iCloud > See All > Enable Safari

Sync Cadence

With the setup complete, I can sync my bookmarks whenever I want. The process is manual (with one exception), but it’s quick and easy.  

If I add, modify, or delete any bookmarks in Chrome on my MacBook, then those changes automatically will propagate to Chrome on all my devices (via Chrome Sync). I don’t use Chrome on my iPhone or iPad typically, but I do have it installed. Hence, if I need to access any bookmarks that I haven’t manually synced to other browsers, I can temporarily use Chrome.

My bookmarks don’t change frequently, so I’ve settled on weekly and monthly schedules for my manual syncs.

Weekly

I export my Chrome bookmarks to my MacBook Documents folder, so I have a backup in case something funky happens with Chrome Sync. If I feel like it, I also use EverSync to sync my bookmarks from Chrome to Edge.

Monthly

I perform a “full” bookmark sync. 

1. I tidy up my bookmarks in Chrome (e.g. deleting any now extraneous bookmarks in my “Temp” folder).
2. I backup my Chrome bookmarks and then import them into Safari. 
3. Via EverSync, I sync my bookmarks from Chrome to Edge and Firefox.
4. I sometimes import my bookmarks into Raindrop.io.

My current syncing methodology for bookmarks is probably the most complex I’ve ever used. However, so far, it’s proven to be reliable and easy to run. 

Except for EverSync, my new process doesn’t rely on any third-party tools. Should EverSync shut down, I could manually import my Chrome bookmarks to Edge and Firefox (as I do with Safari). And the rest of the system would continue to work.

The process mostly leverages automatic native browser sync, and that’s a core feature I highly doubt Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari would ever discontinue. Hence, I’m hopeful I can use this sync approach for a long time. At least until someone creates a multi-browser, multi-device universal syncing tool.

Your Turn

How do you sync your bookmarks? If you have ideas for sync tools or strategies I haven’t mentioned, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

(Note: I moderate all comments, so you may experience a delay before your comment appears on the post. For any SPAMMERS out there, don’t waste your time submitting as I will reject your comment.)