Firefox can keep your bookmarks on every device you own, as long as each one is signed in to the same Mozilla account. The catch is that signing in alone doesn't push anything until bookmark syncing is switched on.
Start on the computer that already holds the bookmarks, turn on the bookmark toggle in sync settings, then add the second device and confirm both show the same folders.
In this guide, I have covered:
Contents
Set up Firefox bookmark sync on your computer
You have bookmarks on one computer and you want the same list on the laptop downstairs and the phone in your pocket. Firefox does that through a Mozilla account: sign in once on each device, and the bookmarks follow.
Setup starts on the computer where your bookmarks already live.
- Open Firefox and click the
menu. - Select Sign in to sync….
- Enter your Mozilla account email address and password, then finish the sign-in.
- If you don’t have an account yet, create one at accounts.firefox.com.
Firefox drops you back into the browser once the account is connected. A banner may ask you to verify your email address. Complete that before you judge whether syncing works, because an unconfirmed account holds everything back.
Curious what else the same account carries? Our guide to enabling and syncing data in Firefox between devices covers tabs, history, and passwords alongside bookmarks.
Turn on bookmark syncing
You’re signed in, so why isn’t the list moving? Firefox lets you choose which data types travel, and bookmarks may still be switched off.
- Click the menu.
- Choose Sync and save data or Manage Sync Settings.
- Find Bookmarks and turn it on if it is disabled.
- Click Sync now to push the current list.
Menu wording shifts between Firefox versions. If you can’t find a Sync entry in the menu, open Settings and look under General for the Sync panel.
Firefox keeps bookmarks in step between devices only when each one is signed in to the same Mozilla account and has bookmarks sync turned on.
Connect your other device
The second device has to join the same account before anything can travel to it. Another computer, a phone, a tablet: the steps are the same.
- Open Firefox on that device.
- Open its Firefox menu and select Sign in to sync….
- Enter the email address and password from the first computer.
- Open the sync settings and confirm Bookmarks is on.
Once sign-in finishes, Firefox sends the bookmarks from the first computer across. If nothing arrives after a minute or two, click Sync now yourself instead of waiting on the automatic check.
Sync bookmarks from another device
You saved a page on the other machine this morning and your computer still doesn’t list it. Start a manual sync from the device that holds the newer bookmark.
- On the affected computer, click the hamburger menu and choose Sign in to Sync and save data.
- Sign in with the Mozilla account used on the device that still has your bookmarks.
- Wait for the initial sync to complete. Tabs, history, and bookmarks will all merge in.
- Open the Library with + + (or + + on macOS) and confirm your folders are back.
You’ll know it worked when the item appears in the same folder, with the same title and URL, on this computer. Open the Bookmarks Manager and look before you assume the sync failed.
Check that your bookmarks synced
The bookmark you expected isn’t there, or you just want proof the transfer landed. Either way, ten seconds in the Bookmarks Manager settles it, and it separates a sync failure from a bookmark that simply went into a different folder.
- Open the menu and select Bookmarks.
- Choose Manage Bookmarks to open the Bookmarks Manager.
- Select the folder where you expect the item.
- Confirm the title and address match what you saved.
Nothing there? Go back to the sync settings and confirm bookmark sync is enabled on both devices, then confirm both are signed in to the same account. Two different accounts is the first thing to rule out.
What to do if bookmarks are not syncing
You’ve clicked Sync now twice and the bookmark still isn’t there. Work through these checks in order rather than changing unrelated settings.
- Open the menu and choose Sync and save data or Manage Sync Settings.
- Compare the Mozilla account email address on both devices.
- Verify the email address if Firefox reports the account as unverified.
- Confirm Bookmarks is on, then click Sync now.
- Check the internet connection on both devices and try the sync again.
If the two addresses differ, sign out on one device and sign back in with the account the other one uses. That single mismatch blocks everything downstream.
Don’t clear browsing data while you troubleshoot. It has nothing to do with the bookmark connection, and it can remove other local information you still want.
If a page won’t load while you’re checking a synced bookmark, treat it as a separate problem. Clearing cookies and cache in Firefox fixes plenty of page-loading failures and leaves your bookmarks untouched.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once sync is running, the questions that come up are mostly about the account rather than the bookmarks themselves.
Do I need a Mozilla account to sync Firefox bookmarks?
Yes. The account is how Firefox knows which devices should exchange bookmarks. Sign in with the same one on every device you want included.
Why are my Firefox bookmarks not syncing?
Usually one of three things: a different account on each device, an unverified email address, or the Bookmarks toggle switched off. Fix those, click Sync now, and check the Bookmarks Manager again.
Can I sync bookmarks without syncing my passwords and history?
Yes. The sync settings let you pick data types one by one. Leave bookmarks on and switch off anything you would rather keep on that device.
Will Firefox merge bookmarks from two devices?
Firefox syncs bookmarks between the connected devices, so an edit on one shows up on the other. If both machines changed while they were offline, keep them online and run Sync now to finish the exchange.
Where can I check whether the bookmarks sync worked?
Open the Bookmarks Manager from the Firefox menu and inspect the relevant folder. The transferred item should be sitting there with the title and address you expect.
Sync is a one-time setup with a long payoff: save a page anywhere, find it everywhere. When something looks wrong, check the account email first, the bookmark toggle second, and the Bookmarks Manager third.
