Top 3 Ways to Fix Chrome Bookmarks Not Deleting Issue

Usually, deleting unwanted bookmarks and folders in Google Chrome is a relatively simple and convenient task. Additionally, Chrome Sync will remove them from other devices at the same time. But what if bookmarks you deleted days or weeks ago start appearing again after a while?

The most likely reason why Chrome isn’t able to delete bookmarks permanently is because Chrome Sync isn’t saving your changes. There are odd cases where, instead of removing your bookmarks between devices, Chrome Sync may reinstall them. This will cause the bookmarks to reappear on the device you originally deleted.

Also, third-party bookmark extensions like iCloud Bookmarks may prevent you from deleting bookmarks in Chrome. So, let’s check out what you can do to fix this problem completely.

1. Reset Chrome Sync

If you’re using a Google Account, Chrome lets you sync your bookmarks (including any changes you make to them) to your other devices using Chrome Sync. Rarely, this may not happen. Opening the browser on another device instead can cause deleted bookmarks to reload and reappear everywhere. In that case, resetting Chrome Sync will help fix things.

A Chrome Sync reset removes all synced data stored on Google servers. It also forcefully logs you out of the browser on all your devices. The procedure does not delete locally stored browsing data such as cookies, bookmarks and passwords.

After the reset, remove any bookmarks you couldn’t delete before and sign in to your Google Account again. This prompts Chrome Sync to properly sync bookmarks between devices.

Stage 1: Open the Chrome menu and then click or tap Settings. Follow this up by selecting the Sync and Google Services option.

Step 2: Click Review Your Synced Data.

For Android and iOS versions of Chrome, click Manage Sync, then click Data from Chrome Sync instead.

Stage 3: Click or tap Reset Sync and then click or tap OK to confirm. This will delete your browsing data on Google servers and sign you out of Chrome on all your devices.

Step 4: Go to Chrome Bookmark Manager (Chrome menu > Bookmarks) and delete unwanted bookmarks.

Step 5: Open the profile popup (click the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the screen) and then select Turn on Sync.

On Android and iOS versions of Chrome, go to the Settings screen, tap Sign In to Chrome, select your Google Account and click Yes, I’m Inside.

Step 6: Sign in to Chrome on the rest of your devices. This will prompt Chrome Sync to successfully sync any changes made to your bookmarks.

Note: If you are using a Sync password, you must add it after signing in to Chrome to start syncing your browsing data.

2. Disable Bookmark Extensions

Do you use third-party bookmark extensions in Chrome? These extensions can cause problems especially if you use them to sync bookmarks between devices. For example, iCloud Bookmarks can result in resyncing deleted bookmarks from Safari to Chrome.

If you are using such an extension, try disabling it (go to Chrome menu > Tools > Extensions).

If you’re using iCloud Bookmarks on a Windows desktop, you can also prevent it from working from the iCloud Settings screen.

If the bookmark extension is essential to your workflow, try manually removing unwanted bookmarks from all your devices. Then delete the extension and reinstall it. This should prevent it from resyncing deleted bookmarks with Chrome.

3. Reset Google Chrome

Still having trouble with deleted bookmarks reappearing in Chrome? Try resetting the browser. This should return Chrome to its default state and help fix the issue.

A Chrome reset removes cached files and cookies, removes pinned tabs, disables all extensions, and lets you log out of the browser, while keeping data like your bookmarks and passwords intact. See our Chrome reset guide for more details before continuing.

Note: You cannot reset the Android and iOS versions of Google Chrome.

Stage 1: Go to the Chrome Settings screen. Expand the Advanced section and then click Reset and Clean. Follow along by clicking ‘Restore Settings to Their Original Defaults’.

Step 2: Click Reset Settings to reset Chrome.

Then try removing the bookmarks. If you are using Chrome Sync, you need to sign in to the browser again. You may also want to go to the Extensions screen (Chrome menu > Tools > Extensions) to re-enable your extensions.

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Resetting Chrome Sync or disabling third-party browser extensions should help resolve issues with Chrome bookmarks not being deleted. If that doesn’t apply to you, a Chrome reset should probably do the trick. While you’re here, you might want to update Chrome as well. Most of the time, the latest updates fix bugs and other common issues and minimize similar issues that may occur in the future.

Next: What is the difference between Google Bookmarks and Chrome Bookmarks? Click the link below to find out.