--- title: "How to find where bookmarks are stored in Brave | VaultForYou" description: "Brave keeps bookmarks in a JSON file named Bookmarks in its profile folder, with a Bookmarks.bak copy." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/where-bookmarks-are-stored/brave lang: en published: 2026-11-03 updated: 2026-11-03 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # How to find where bookmarks are stored in Brave > A JSON file named Bookmarks in the profile folder, on every operating system. Published 2026-11-03 - Updated 2026-11-03 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team - Checked against each browser's help pages, November 2026 ## Quick answer Brave stores bookmarks in a file named Bookmarks (no extension, JSON inside) in the profile folder: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks` on Windows, `~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks` on a Mac, `~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks` on Linux. A copy named Bookmarks.bak sits next to it. - **Windows:** `%LOCALAPPDATA%\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Bookmarks` - **macOS:** `~/Library/Application Support/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks` - **Linux:** `~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Bookmarks` - **Backup copy:** Bookmarks.bak in the same folder, written when the browser starts ## Find the Bookmarks file in Brave 1. **Close the browser** Brave rewrites the file while it runs; close it before copying or editing. 2. **Open the profile folder** Paste the path for your system into the address bar of File Explorer or Finder's Go to Folder (⌘+Shift+G). "Default" is the first profile; others are named Profile 1, Profile 2... 3. **Find Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak** Two files, no extension. Bookmarks is live; Bookmarks.bak is the copy from the last start. 4. **Copy, don't edit** Copy the file for a backup. To read it, open it in a text editor; it is JSON with every bookmark's name, address and date. ## Which profile Each Brave profile has its own folder and its own Bookmarks file. The first profile is Default; the rest are Profile 1, Profile 2 and so on, in the order they were made. Open `brave://version` in Brave to see the exact Profile Path of the profile you are using. ## What else is in the folder History, cookies, saved passwords and extension data live in the same profile folder, so the folder as a whole is sensitive. Anyone with access to this user account on the computer can read the Bookmarks file in a text editor; it is not encrypted. ## Keep some bookmarks out of Brave altogether Because the Bookmarks file is plain text, hiding a bookmark inside Brave doesn't keep it from someone who can open the file. [Private Bookmarks](/private-bookmarks) is our free extension that saves pages into an encrypted vault on this computer: AES-256-GCM, a key derived from your password, no account, no sync and no network access. Saved pages never appear in the bookmarks bar, in `brave://bookmarks` or in a Brave Sync chain (no account; devices join with a code or QR), and the vault locks itself after a few minutes. > **Add Private Bookmarks to Brave.** Free. Installs from the Chrome Web Store. [Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/private-bookmarks-by-vaul/laonjbpehlabehhllohfaffbcpholdho) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I open the Bookmarks file? Yes, in any text editor. It is JSON. Don't change it while Brave is open, because the browser writes its own copy over yours on exit. ### What is Bookmarks.bak? A copy of the Bookmarks file taken when Brave starts. If your bookmarks vanish during a session, close Brave and rename Bookmarks.bak to Bookmarks to get the previous list back. ### Is the file the same in Chrome, Edge and Brave? Yes: the same JSON format in each browser's own profile folder. You can copy it between two of them, but an HTML export is the supported way. ### Is the Bookmarks file encrypted? No. Anything you want kept private needs its own protection, which is what Private Bookmarks does: its vault is a separate, AES-256-GCM-encrypted store that only opens with your password. ## Sources - [Brave Help Center: How do I import bookmarks and settings?](https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019782291) - [Brave Help Center: How do I set up Sync?](https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021218111) - [Brave Help Center: Keyboard shortcuts](https://support.brave.com/hc/en-us/articles/360057714351) ## Where bookmarks are stored in other browsers - [How to find where favorites are stored in Microsoft Edge](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/where-bookmarks-are-stored/edge) - [How to find where bookmarks are stored in Opera](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/where-bookmarks-are-stored/opera) - [How to find where bookmarks are stored in Vivaldi](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/where-bookmarks-are-stored/vivaldi) - [Where Chrome stores your bookmarks, and how to back them up](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/where-are-chrome-bookmarks-stored) - [All browsers: where bookmarks are stored](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/where-bookmarks-are-stored) ## More for Brave - [How to show the bookmarks bar in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/show-bookmarks-bar/brave) - [How to bookmark a page in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/add-bookmark/brave) - [How to delete bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/delete-bookmarks/brave) - [How to export bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/export-bookmarks/brave) - [How to import bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/import-bookmarks/brave) - [How to restore lost bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/restore-bookmarks/brave) - [How to organize bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/organize-bookmarks/brave) - [How to edit bookmarks in Brave](https://www.vaultforyou.app/bookmarks/edit-bookmarks/brave) --- Private Bookmarks by VaultForYou is a Chrome extension made by VaultForYou. Add to Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/private-bookmarks-by-vaul/laonjbpehlabehhllohfaffbcpholdho