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google-chromebookmarks

Chrome - the strange case of the disappearing bookmarks


Just had an odd problem with Chrome(v43 on Linux-Fedora) I have never had before. I have a Google account I use in conjunction with Chrome and use it to keep my bookmarks sync'd between devices. This has worked flawlessly for years.

Then in the last few days I have begun to notice that many bookmarks have simply disappeared. Since I am the only one who uses this account I figure it must be some sort of syncing issue.

Going online to solve this problem I see that the majority simply involve restoring the Bookmarks file with the Bookmarks.bak file. This is where I noticed some strangeness. First both files are identical, and second, they both contain references to my missing bookmarks. So it appears that my missing Bookmarks are still safe in my Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak file, but are simply not being picked up by chrome for whatever reason.

Any ideas as to why this might be happening and what to do to solve it?

Thanks


Solution

  • Just FYI that the answer was:

    1. turn off Chrome's bookmark syncing (settings > advanced sync settings > uncheck 'bookmarks')

    2. shut down all chrome browsers then delete your existing Chrome bookmarks file (location of this file will differ depending on your os)

    3. rename your Bookmarks.bak file to Bookmarks

    4. Important: in most cases it will be necessary to log out/reboot your machine since the bookmarks seem to cache even if you shut down and restart Chrome