Rewind browser research · 2026
Browsers agree on one bookmark file.
Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari can all move bookmarks through the same HTML format. Their export containers, backup formats, merge behavior, and treatment of adjacent browser data are where portability breaks down.
Headline finding
The portable layer is real—but deliberately narrow.
All four browsers document an HTML import path. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox export that file directly. Current Safari exports a ZIP whoseBookmarks.html entry uses the same de facto Netscape bookmark format. That common layer carries links and hierarchy; it is not a full browser backup.
Portability matrix
Same destination, different route.
“HTML import” below means the browser’s current documentation exposes a path for adding a standard bookmark HTML file. Import generally merges or adds; it should not be read as a lossless restore promise.
| Browser | HTML import | Export artifact | Direct import |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Yes | Bookmarks HTML | Browser-dependent import wizard |
| Edge | Yes | Favorites HTML | Chrome and Internet Explorer |
| Firefox | Yes | Bookmarks HTML | Installed browsers and profiles |
| Safari | Yes | ZIP containing Bookmarks.html | Chrome, Firefox, or a browsing-data archive |
HTML imports are added to the bookmark bar or an imported/other-bookmarks folder instead of replacing the current library.
HTML imports are added to an imported folder. The current favorites manager exports a portable HTML file.
HTML imports merge into the existing library and can create duplicates. Firefox JSON/JSONLZ4 backups are for Firefox restore, not cross-browser transfer.
The current export can include passwords and payment data in readable files. Select bookmarks only; the bookmark file itself uses the Netscape bookmarks format.
The common layer
A 1990s-shaped format still does the transfer work.
Browser exports use a nested HTML list commonly called the Netscape bookmarks format. Folders are headings followed by nested lists; bookmarks are anchor elements. Apple’s developer documentation explicitly identifies this format for Safari’s current Bookmarks.html export.
<DT><H3>Research</H3>
<DL><p>
<DT><A HREF="https://example.com"
ADD_DATE="1784156400">Example</A>
</DL><p>This structure is simple enough to inspect without a browser account. Try the local bookmark analyzer to see the folders, domains, dates, and duplicate destinations in your own export.
Where portability diverges
Export is not the same thing as backup.
Firefox separates transfer from restore.
Mozilla documents HTML as the cross-browser export, while JSON/JSONLZ4 backups are intended for Firefox restore and can overwrite the current structure.
Safari changed the container, not the bookmark payload.
Current Safari packages selected browsing data in a ZIP. The bookmark entry is still standard HTML, while history, extensions, payment cards, and passwords use separate files.
Import usually adds to what is already there.
Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla describe imported bookmarks appearing in an imported, other-bookmarks, or bookmarks-menu location. Mozilla explicitly warns that the merge can create duplicates.
Transfer boundary
What the HTML layer can—and cannot—promise.
Usually represented
- Bookmark title and destination URL
- Nested folder structure
- Optional creation timestamps
- Safari Reading List as a special subfolder
Outside the portable core
- Passwords, history, open tabs, and payment data
- Browser sync identity and account state
- Extension-specific tags, notes, highlights, or thumbnails
- A guarantee that destination browsers preserve every date field
Methodology
A documentation audit, not a compatibility benchmark.
We reviewed the current first-party help or developer documentation for desktop Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on July 16, 2026. We recorded documented HTML import support, the export artifact, direct-import paths, and explicit merge or security caveats. The dataset contains one row per browser and is available as CSV.
We did not measure import speed, compare mobile UI across every operating system version, or claim byte-for-byte preservation after a round trip. Browser interfaces change; the dated source links below are the reproducible evidence layer.
Primary sources
Browser documentation used in this report.
- Google Chrome Help — Import Chrome bookmarks & settings
- Microsoft Support — Import favorites and passwords in Edge
- Microsoft Q&A — Export favorites from the current Edge favorites manager
- Mozilla Support — Export Firefox bookmarks to HTML
- Mozilla Support — Import bookmarks from an HTML file
- Apple Safari User Guide — Export Safari data to another browser
- Apple Developer — Importing data exported from Safari
Use the research
Audit the file before you import it.
See duplicate destinations, tracking variants, folder sizes, and save dates without uploading your library.