TL;DR
If your Safari bookmarks disappeared on Mac:
- Restart Safari to fix glitches.
- Check Safari settings for hidden bookmarks.
- Toggle iCloud bookmarks to refresh sync.
- Restart Mac to resolve system issues.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
Losing browser bookmarks isn’t just annoying, it can disrupt your workflow. I’ve experienced this with Safari, and I’m here to share the steps I used to get them back.
How to Restore Safari Bookmarks Disappeared on Mac
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Here are the eight best methods to restore Safari bookmarks:
Before attempting any recovery steps, consider backing up your data to prevent potential further loss during troubleshooting.
1. Quit Safari and Restart
Restarting Safari can resolve minor glitches that may be hiding your bookmarks. Here’s how to quit Safari and restart it:
- Go to Safari in the menu bar and choose Quit Safari, or simply press Command ⌘ + Q.
- Wait for a few seconds and relaunch the Safari app from your Dock.
- Once Safari opens, check to see if your bookmarks have reappeared.
2. Show Safari Bookmarks
Checking the visibility settings of your bookmarks in Safari can often reveal them once again. Here’s how to show Safari bookmarks on your Mac:
- If it’s not already open, launch Safari by clicking its icon in the Dock or using Spotlight (Command ⌘ + Space and type Safari).
- In Safari, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Bookmarks, and then select Show Bookmarks.
- This will open your Bookmarks list in the left sidebar.
3. Turn Off iCloud Bookmarks and Turn It Back On
If your bookmarks are synced via iCloud, toggling the iCloud bookmarks option can refresh the sync and possibly bring back your missing bookmarks:
- Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.
- Click the Apple ID at the top-right corner and select iCloud from the sidebar.
- In the Apps Using iCloud section, scroll down to find Safari and toggle it off. Confirm any prompts to turn off Safari bookmark syncing.
- Give it a few seconds to process. This will remove the bookmarks from your Mac but keep them in iCloud.
- Then, toggle on the Safari switch in the iCloud settings to turn bookmark syncing back on.
Open Safari and wait a few minutes for iCloud to sync your bookmarks back into the browser.
4. Restart Your Mac
Here’s how to restart your Mac:
- Before restarting, make sure to save any open documents or projects to prevent data loss.
- Click the Apple logo located in the top-left corner of your screen.
- From the dropdown menu, choose Restart.
- Allow your Mac to fully shut down and restart.
- Once your Mac has rebooted, launch Safari to check if your bookmarks have reappeared.
5. Restore Safari Bookmarks From iCloud
iCloud allows you to restore your Safari bookmarks by selecting a previous backup from its data recovery options. Here’s how to restore Safari bookmarks via iCloud:
- Make sure Safari is closed to prevent any syncing conflicts. Quit the application by pressing Command ⌘ + Q or choosing Quit Safari from the Safari menu.
- Open a different browser and navigate to www.icloud.com and click the Sign In button.
- Sign in using your Apple ID credentials or Touch ID.
- Once logged in, click the grid-like icon in the top-right corner next to your account picture.
- Select Data Recovery from the context menu.
- Click Restore Bookmarks in the new Data Recovery.
- If you have bookmarks backed up on your iCloud, a window will pop up displaying a list of bookmarks backup points.
- Choose the most recent backup where you know your bookmarks were still intact.
- Click Restore next to the chosen backup point. Confirm any prompts that appear.
- After the restoration process is complete, open Safari to check if your bookmarks have been successfully restored.
6. Restore From Bookmarks Library in Finder
Follow these steps to restore your Safari bookmarks from the bookmarks library in Finder:
- Make sure Safari is closed before you proceed. You can quit Safari by going to Safari in the menu bar and choosing Quit Safari, or simply press Command ⌘ + Q.
- Click the Finder icon in your Dock.
- With the Finder window open, click Go in the menu bar and hold down the Option ⌥ key. This will reveal the Library option; click on it.
- Within the Library folder, find and open the Safari folder.
- Search for files named Bookmarks.plist or any backups like Bookmarks-1.plist, Bookmarks-2.plist, etc.
- Copy the most recent backup file and paste it into the same folder, renaming it to Bookmarks.plist if necessary.
- Open Safari to see if your bookmarks have been restored.
7. Restore Safari Bookmarks From BackUp
Use Time Machine or manual backups to restore bookmarks by reverting to a point where they were intact. Here’s how to restore deleted files on Mac using Time Machine, including Safari bookmarks:
- If your Time Machine backups are stored on an external drive, make sure it’s connected to your Mac.
- Quit Safari by pressing Command ⌘ + Q or selecting Quit Safari from the Safari menu to ensure the app is fully closed.
- Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.
- Click General and select Time Machine.
- In the Time Machine window, use the timeline or arrows to go back to a date when your bookmarks were still present.
- Navigate to your user Library folder by following this path:
~/Library/Safari/- Look for the Bookmarks.plist file and click the Restore button.
- Time Machine will overwrite the current version with the selected backup.
- Open Safari to see if your bookmarks have been successfully restored.
8. By Using Third-Party Recovery Software
Third-party recovery software can help retrieve lost Safari bookmarks when all other methods fail. Here is how you can use Disk Drill to recover lost bookmarks:
Third-party recovery software can be a powerful tool in your data recovery arsenal, but use it as a last resort and always from reputable sources.
- Download and install Disk Drill from Setapp.
- Open Disk Drill and grant necessary permissions.
- Select the hard drive where Safari bookmarks were stored.
- Click Search for lost data and choose Quick Scan or Deep Scan.
- Look for files named Bookmarks.plist under the Safari folder.
- Select the file, preview, and click Recover to save it.
- Replace the recovered Bookmarks.plist file in the ~/Library/Safari/ folder.
- Open Safari to check if bookmarks are restored.
Why did Safari Bookmarks disappear on Mac?
If your Safari bookmarks have disappeared on your Mac, it can be disconcerting, but there are several reasons why this could happen. Here are some common culprits:
- 💥 System Crash: A sudden system crash or shutdown can lead to lost data, including bookmarks.
- 🆙 Software Update: A macOS or Safari update may temporarily move or hide bookmarks.
- ☁️ iCloud Sync Issues: Problems with iCloud syncing can cause bookmarks to disappear or not show up across devices.
- ❌ Accidental Deletion: Bookmarks or folders may have been unintentionally deleted.
- 💾 Corrupt Profile: A corrupt Safari profile can prevent bookmarks and settings from loading correctly.
Restore Safari Bookmarks on Mac
Losing Safari bookmarks can be frustrating, but solutions like restarting Safari or using iCloud can help recover them.
Here are a few more tips to enhance your Safari experience on Mac:
- Regularly delete Safari history to avoid browser slowdowns.
- Use incognito mode in Safari to hide your browsing habits.
- Block websites on Safari to prevent tracking and protect your data.
