Fix Chrome Bookmarks Not Syncing Between Devices

Bookmarks saved on one device never appear on the other, even though Chrome shows sync as on. The cause is usually a different Google Account, a separate Chrome profile, or a sync setting that stopped without warning.

Confirm the account and the sync controls on each device, then test with one new bookmark before you go near Reset sync.

In this guide, I have covered:

Check that both devices use the same Google Account

Bookmarks show up on the laptop but not the phone, or the other way round. Before you touch any other setting, rule out the simplest cause: two different Google Accounts.

Chrome only shares bookmarks between devices signed in to the same account. Signing in and turning on sync are separate steps, so confirm both on each device.

1. Open the profile icon in the upper-right corner of Chrome.
2. Select your account name and check that the email address matches the account on the other device.
3. If no account is listed, select Sign in to Chrome, enter the Google Account details, and select Next.
4. Repeat the check on the other device, signing in with the same account if needed.

Google’s guide to signing in to Chrome covers the account requirement in more detail. For the full list of data that travels between devices, see how bookmarks and other Chrome data sync.

Turn on sync and include bookmarks

Sync can be running while bookmarks sit outside it. Chrome syncs everything by default, but in a custom setup one data type can be switched off and nothing warns you.

1. Open the three-dot menu.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select You and Google in the left column.
4. Select your account name, then open Sync and Google services.
5. Select Manage what you sync.
6. Choose Sync everything, or select Customize sync and turn on the Bookmarks toggle.
7. Repeat these steps on the other device.

If the profile menu offers Turn on sync, select it before you open the sync settings. Then give Chrome a minute or two to push the change to the other device.

If a screen looks different on your version of Chrome, this walkthrough for signing in and managing sync data follows the same controls step by step.

Resume sync if it is paused

A paused sync session is easy to miss. Chrome keeps showing your profile and your bookmarks as normal, but nothing new leaves the device.

1. Open the profile icon in the upper-right corner.
2. Look for a message saying that sync is paused.
3. Select Resume sync if it is offered.
4. Open the Bookmark Manager and check whether the bookmark appears on the second device.

Google’s Chrome sync troubleshooting page also explains how to keep sync running after you quit the browser.

Check for a Chrome profile mismatch

Chrome can hold several profiles on one computer. Each keeps its own bookmarks and its own sync state, so the wrong profile looks like broken sync when it is really the wrong window.

1. Click the profile icon in the upper-right corner.
2. Review the email address shown for each Chrome profile you use.
3. Switch to the profile that holds the missing bookmarks.
4. Select Turn on sync, or open Sync and Google services if that profile is not syncing.
5. On the other device, confirm that the active profile uses the same Google Account.

If you use more than one Google Account regularly, give each one its own Chrome profile. Switching accounts inside a single profile is where these mix-ups usually start.

Check the connection and browser data permissions

Nothing syncs if Chrome cannot reach Google’s servers. A flaky network, blocked site data, or an old installation stops the update while everything on screen still looks fine.

1. Open another website in Chrome and confirm that the page loads normally.
2. Check that Chrome is allowed to save site data and talk to Google services.
3. Close and reopen Chrome on both devices.
4. Open Settings → You and Google and confirm that the correct account is still listed.
5. Open the Bookmark Manager and check for the latest bookmark.

You do not have to hunt through menus to get there. Type @bookmarks in the address bar and press Enter, or use the three-dot menu → Bookmarks and lists → Bookmark Manager.

Update Chrome on both devices

If one device has not been updated in months, start here. An older Chrome build can keep an old sync configuration and behave differently from the other device.

1. Open the three-dot menu in Chrome.
2. Select Help.
3. Select About Google Chrome.
4. Select Relaunch if an update is ready, or let Chrome finish the update it is showing.
5. Repeat the update check on the other device.

Once both browsers restart, save a throwaway bookmark on one device and look for it on the other. That single bookmark tells you more than any settings screen.

Reset sync only after the other checks fail

Reset sync is the last step, not the first. It clears the current sync setup and rebuilds it from scratch, which fixes stubborn cases and can also take data with it.

1. Open the three-dot menu and select Settings.
2. Select You and Google.
3. Select Sync and Google services.
4. Select Review your synced data.
5. Select Reset sync.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions and sign in again when prompted.
7. Repeat the account and bookmark checks on the second device.

You can also open chrome://settings/syncSetup in the address bar and select Reset sync from that page.

ALERT: Resetting sync can remove the current local sync setup and may affect data tied to it. Back up the bookmarks you care about before you continue.

Reset sync will not fix a problem caused by two different Google Accounts or two different Chrome profiles. Clear those first, then reset only as the final troubleshooting step.

Confirm that bookmark sync is working

One test settles it. Save a new bookmark on the first device, then open the Bookmark Manager on the second and look for it.

1. Create a temporary bookmark on the device where the missing folders originated.
2. Open the Bookmark Manager on the second device.
3. Look for the temporary bookmark and for the folders holding your existing bookmarks.
4. Wait a moment and reopen the Bookmark Manager if the first update has not appeared yet.
5. Delete the temporary bookmark once it shows on both devices.

If the test bookmark arrives but an older folder does not, check which profile that folder was created in. The problem is then local to that device or folder, not the sync connection.

Sync is working when a bookmark saved on one device shows up on the other within a minute or two. Until then, work back up the list: account, sync toggle, paused session, profile, connection, version.

RELATED: Chrome Profiles: Sign In and Use Multiple Google Accounts