Forum Discussion
Two way bookmark sync between Google Chrome and Chromium Edge?
I've enjoyed using Chromium Edge as my main work browser, but prefer to keep using Google Chrome as my personal browser. However, I'd like to use my current Google Chrome bookmarks in Chromium Edge, but also have any new bookmarks that I add to Edge sync over to Google Chrome.
I would think that since both browsers are based on Chromium; it shouldn't be too hard to implement a two way bookmark sync.
Hi Everyone, it is interesting to see this discussion. We have posted some questions on this topic here - https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/discussions/ongoing-sync-between-microsoft-edge-and-chrome-discussion/m-p/1297563
Please take a moment and share your response on the thread linked above.
cc. Keith Davis
Deleted
38 Replies
- ok
I think (for me) the issue is not overwriting I can achieve that easy enough, but its 'merging' my bookmarks from different browsers that I really need.
I use different browsers (Chrome & Edge) when at home, on phone, at work etc. and favourites get saved across 2 platforms, so overwriting one with the other does not help.
I might look into merging them as text files on Linux CLI.
asecret900 xBrowserSync to sync between chromium types (i.e. Egde vs Chrome) and the built in browser sync (i.e. Google or MS) to sync between platforms(Windows vs Android). Despite warnings in the xBrowserSync readme that it can cause duplicate bookmark entries, it hasn't happened for me yet.
Messing with the files is a fools errand IMO since their formats are, however slightly, different.
darrynbrooking , So far xBrowserSync seems to do the job after only 3days trialing. Fingers crossed 🙂
Thanks for the tip!
BryantB there is no official support for sync bookmarks between two browsers but you can do the trick because both browser uses almost same file format for bookmark.
Step 1: you need to create a "copy_bookmark.bat" script file with this codexcopy "C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks" "C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks" /Y
*use your pc user name instead of "YOUR_USER"
this will copy chrome bookmark file to Microsoft edge location
Step 2: Now open "Task Scheduler" and create new task and setup trigger to "Daily" every 15 minutes and set "Action" to start a program and choose this (copy_bookmark.bat) file
Now this will copy all your chrome bookmarks to Microsoft edge on every 15 mins.
The only issue is that you have to restart the edge to view new bookmarks, but in future maybe we will find solution for that 🙂
Raheel605 Instead create a symlink for bookmarks and bookmark.bak file so that both browsers access the same file.
vignesh1501Thanks for this suggestion.
On testing I found creating a symlink works but only in one direction. So you need to pick which web browser is your primary one where you create and delete favorites / bookmarks. The secondary browser will correctly pickup all changes from the primary but not save and delete new or existing bookmarks.
(Maybe I setup the symlinks wrong if you got it working bi-directionally?)
For myself, I chose Chrome as the primary browser and Edge as the secondary browser. Before creating the symlink, you need to delete the Edge versions of...
bookmarks
bookmarks.bak
bookmarks.msbak files
...so the new symlink can have these names and not throw a" file already exists" error message.
Delete these files (if Edge is secondary chosen browser):
"C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks"
"C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak"
"C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.msbak"
Create symlinks (replacing "UserProfile" in path with the correct name):
mklink "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks" "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks"
mklink "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak" "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak"
mklink "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.msbak" "C:\Users\UserProfile\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks.bak"
There was no equivalent Bookmarks.msbak for Chrome so I just mapped both .bak & .msbak to the Chrome version of Bookmarks.bak. You can just leave .msbak alone and let it create its regular backup file is another option.
Anyway adding or deleting Bookmarks in Chrome mirrors correctly in Edge (after opening and closing Edge to force it to read the Bookmarks file). The Favorites in Edge do not update until the browser is opened and closed.
Adding or deleting Favorites in Edge does not mirror correcly in Chrome. So I am not sure sure why exactly this is other than there must be a data storage mismatch going on or somehow the write permissions are not allowed?
Once you close Edge and reopen it, those Favorite changes made revert back to those in Chrome. In conclusion if you don't need bi-directional synchronizing (which I don't) this solution works for a chosen primary browser.
Aly
Raheel605 one could also use a symlink or even an hard link. That way both edge and chrome are synced automatically, and one could also do this for extension folders. In any case this could damage something because edge and chrome could take two different ways in future. Beside that, you must have edge and chrome installed at the same time anyway. I would like to not do this. I would like to use chrome on Android and edge chromium on windows for example, without have to keep both installed to sync fav, pages, chronology, etc. But Microsoft removed from chromium the google syncing, and this regrets me on using edge. I would like to mix environments: Android+Chrome on mobile and Windows+Edge on desktop. But actually this is nearly impossible if you want keep things synced. Best option for now is to symlink the bookmarks file keeping chrome and edge installed on desktop. But i don't like to do so. I hope Microsoft could bring to us Google Sync
Agree with syncing of Edge on Android. I did read where that may be fixed. I too use Edge on desktop and Chrome on Android.
Since I use Edge on Desktop more than Chrome on Android, Edge to Chrome was the way to go.
I previously tried copying Edge Bookmarks to Chrome on Desktop but what ended up happening is the file on Chrome doubled in size and nothing from Edge Bookmarks would show. It's like it synced Google's bookmarks and ignored Chrome. I shut down all instances of Chrome in the task manger and repeated.
I tried to symlink Edge's Bookmarks to Chrome Bookmarks and it wrote the file but it never would show the differences.
Thanks for the tip I got this .bat to work between Chrome & EdgeBeta with the following path tweaks (as at Jan20 anyway):
xcopy "C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Bookmarks" "C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge Beta\User Data\Default\Bookmarks" /Y
Rated!
asecret900 What about extensions? The great thing would be to have Edge and Chrome syncing extensions besides the bookmarks. Any ideias on how this could be achieved?
Edge uses MS account, Chrome uses Google account...
- Elliot Kirk
Microsoft
Hi BryantB, while we would like you to feel like Microsoft Edge could be your one and only, we understand the need to use multiple browsers. Unfortunately, we don't have any control over what Chrome does in their browser with regards to sync. You can always import your Chrome bookmarks into Microsoft Edge by going to the Profiles page in the Settings menu, and selecting Import browser data. This will open a small pop-up that allows you to select what browser data you would like to import and from what profile and browser. There may be some extension that makes this unnecessary, but I am not an expert there. Maybe someone in the community has a good recommendation.
Thanks - Elliot
I tried this i want to switch from Google Chrome to Microsoft Edge! On first use it synced fine, but after that nothing get automatically synced again? Not even when i followed your instructions. 😞
Sure i can add them all manually including all the open tabs , but if this doesn't even work (synchronization) , is Edge the right browser for me? This should be fixed M.S. too bad before i make the switch i suppose.
Kind regards,
EelkoIt seems like this could be an easy feature now with Microsoft Edge Chromium beta, which I absolutely think is a major Edge improvement. I barely open Chrome now.
Also, it seems like one of MS's coders could build an extension for both Chrome and Edge Stores.
Certain Google apps and extensions that are necessary, esp if you use Android devices, won't work in Chromium Edge which makes me leave Chrome open part of the day. Would love to close that resource hog down completely.
Maybe some good soul will do a cross-platform extension.
p37307 I have been looking for such a tool also as I have found Edge simply works better on my Surface Pro than Chrome does. Chrome is still my preferred browser from desktop but want Edge to sync up with Chrome bookmarks when I do use. I came across XBrowser Sync and while it doesn't yet support Edge, its the only one I've found that at least has on its roadmap. I've bookmarked their site and will be checking back until they do release. In the meantime I am stuck in the world of manually syncing monthly.
https://www.xbrowsersync.org/#download
I have no association with XBrowser sync so can't speak to its capabilities and reliability.
