Where Does Google Chrome Store Bookmarks on Windows 7?
Google Chrome is undoubtedly one of the most widely used web browsers in the world, and for good reason. It offers users a fast and user-friendly experience, with an array of useful features that make browsing the web a breeze. One such feature is the ability to save bookmarks, allowing users to quickly access their favorite websites with just a few clicks.
But where exactly does Google Chrome store those bookmarks on a Windows 7 operating system? In this article, we will take a deep dive into the depths of your computer’s files and uncover the answer to this question. So, let’s get started!
Finding the Default Bookmarks Folder
Before we delve into the location of the bookmarks folder, it is important to understand that Google Chrome stores your bookmarks in a file called “Bookmarks”. This file contains all the bookmarks you have saved, along with any folders you may have created to organize them. So, where can you find this file on a Windows 7 computer?
By default, the “Bookmarks” file is stored in the “User Data” folder of the Google Chrome directory. To find this folder, open File Explorer and navigate to the following path: C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default. You should see the “Bookmarks” file listed among other Google Chrome files.
However, please note that the “AppData” folder is hidden by default, so you may need to enable hidden files and folders in order to access it. To do this, open File Explorer and click on the “View” tab, then check the box next to “Hidden Items” in the Show/Hide section.
Customizing the Bookmarks Location
While the default location for bookmarks in Google Chrome is the “User Data” folder, some users may want to change this location to better suit their needs. Thankfully, this is possible and can be done easily by following a few simple steps.
First, close Google Chrome if it is open. Then, navigate to the location where you want to store your bookmarks. For example, you may want them in a different folder or on a separate hard drive. Next, open the “User Data” folder mentioned earlier and locate the “Bookmarks” file. Copy this file and paste it into the new location you have chosen.
Now comes the slightly tricky part. You will need to create a symbolic link to the new location so that Google Chrome can find the bookmarks folder. This is a fancy term for creating a shortcut that tells Google Chrome to look for the bookmarks in the new location.
To create a symbolic link, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Then, type “cmd” and press Enter to open the Command Prompt window. In the command prompt, type “mklink /J Bookmarks [New Location]” without the quotation marks, using the location where you pasted the “Bookmarks” file in place of [New Location].
For example, if you pasted the “Bookmarks” file into a folder on your desktop called “Chrome Bookmarks”, the command would look like this: mklink /J Bookmarks C:\Users\[Your Username]\Desktop\Chrome Bookmarks. Press Enter and you should see a message stating that the symbolic link was created successfully.
Next time you open Google Chrome, the bookmarks will be found in the new location. If you ever want to revert back to the default location, simply delete the symbolic link and replace it with the original “Bookmarks” file.
In Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the location of the bookmarks folder in Google Chrome on a Windows 7 operating system. By default, the bookmarks are stored in the “User Data” folder, but it is possible to customize this location to better suit your needs.
We hope this article has been helpful in answering the burning question of where Google Chrome stores bookmarks on Windows 7. Now that you know the answer, you can easily access your bookmarks and even customize their location if needed. Happy browsing!