Safari was a real treat on iOS 13 and iPadOS. It’s packed with great features like the always-on desktop mode, full-fledged support for downloads, and personalized site settings. I’m starting to use it more and more, which is surprising considering my background as a Chrome fanatic.
But switching between browsers is not easy. I can’t work without my bookmarks, although I’m afraid to gradually copy my passwords from Chrome to Safari when needed. However, neither Safari nor Chrome for iOS offer the ability to import or export bookmarks. This is infuriating.
Fortunately, there are workarounds. As long as you have access to a PC or Mac, you can import your Chrome bookmarks into Safari pretty quickly. Let me show you how.
Windows: Sync with Safari with iCloud Bookmark Extension
On Windows, you can easily use the iCloud Bookmarks extension for Chrome to sync your bookmarks with Safari via iCloud. Yes, it’s that easy. But the downside is that you also need to install the iCloud app on your computer – it’s about 200MB in size. You can choose to keep your bookmarks after syncing them with Safari or delete them later.
iCloud for Windows comes in two versions, a traditional desktop app and a Windows Store app. However, I recommend installing the latter as it has far fewer bugs compared to the desktop version. If you are interested, you can read the comparison of both versions.
And one more thing – this procedure is a two-way street. Note that I said ‘sync’, not ‘import’. Therefore, all bookmarks already in Safari are also synced to Chrome.
Now that you know what’s involved, let’s go over the steps to sync your bookmarks with Safari.
Note:
Stage 1: Open Chrome and then install the iCloud Bookmarks extension via the Chrome Web Store.
After you finish installing the extension, exit Chrome.
Sstep 2: Install the iCloud Windows Store app.
Alternatively, you can install the iCloud desktop app by downloading the iCloud installer from the Apple website.
Sstep 3 Once the iCloud app installation is complete, sign in with your Apple ID when prompted.
Then in the iCloud window that appears, click Options next to Bookmarks and then select Chrome. Finally, click Apply and then restart your computer.
Note:
Step 4: After the restart, open Chrome and then click on the iCloud Bookmarks extension next to the address bar. You should see the message ‘Your Chrome bookmarks are synced to iCloud’. This means your Chrome bookmarks are now available in iCloud.
Sstep 5: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Then tap your profile, tap iCloud, and then make sure the toggle next to Safari is enabled. This is to verify that iCloud sync is enabled for Safari.
Start Safari. Go to the Bookmarks screen and you should see the Chrome bookmarks listed in it. This was not difficult at all.
You can now choose to keep the iCloud Bookmarks extension in Chrome or delete it completely. The same goes for the iCloud app. If you keep them, both browsers will sync your bookmarks with each other every time you start Chrome on your PC. That would be nice if you intend to keep switching between both browsers on your iPhone or iPad.
Mac: Export to Safari and Sync to iCloud
On Mac, things are much easier compared to Windows. This involves simply importing your Chrome bookmarks into Safari (which is super easy) and then syncing them via iCloud. Let’s check the steps.
Stage 1: If you don’t have Chrome installed on your Mac, do it now. If you want, you can remove your bookmarks after you finish importing them into Safari.
Next, open Chrome and then sign in with your Google Account credentials to download your bookmarks.
Step 2: Open Safari and then click File in the menu bar. Hover over Import From, then click Google Chrome.
Sstep 2: In the pop-up box that appears, check the box next to Bookmarks, and then click Import. You can also import your Chrome history if you want.
Stage 3: Verify that iCloud sync is enabled for Safari. To do this, open the Apple menu, click System Preferences, then click iCloud. The box next to Safari should be checked.
Sstep 4: The same goes for your iOS device. Tap your profile in the Settings app, tap iCloud, then verify that the switch next to Safari is enabled.
Now it remains to launch Safari on your iPhone or iPad and see your Chrome bookmarks in all their glory.
Chrome Flagged!
It’s ridiculous that major browsers on iPhone and iPad lack any export/import functionality for bookmarks. It’s just the basics, right? But at least it doesn’t take long to import bookmarks into Safari using the above methods.
Next: Safari on iPadOS is a force to be reckoned with. Here are seven great tips and tricks you can try to further enhance your browsing experience.
