This free tool keeps my bookmarks synced across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge — ZDNet

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

I use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers on my desktops and laptops, both personally and professionally. As I want access to the same bookmarks, I need a way to sync them. Each browser has its own syncing method, but it works only within the system, not with other browsers. That's why I use a free and inclusive syncing tool called Floccus.

I've tried several bookmark syncing utilities in the past. But I invariably found them unreliable or incompatible with certain browsers. Floccus syncs your bookmarks not just throughout Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, but across Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, and Kiwi. The program supports Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and works in iOS and Android via its own standalone app.

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Floccus is completely free. No ads or subscriptions. Beyond that, the program gets a thumbs up for its flexibility and security.

You can store your bookmarks file in a variety of places, including Google Drive and Dropbox storage, as well as your own self-hosted Nextcloud , Linkwarden , KaraKeep , or Git services. Plus, those with a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device can set it up as a WebDAV server to house your bookmarks. You can also use WebDAV with many cloud-based services.

Since your bookmarks are stored through your own cloud-based account or on your own NAS, they remain private . If you store your bookmarks file on Google Drive or use WebDAV, you can also encrypt it with a password or passphrase to further secure your data.

Another plus for Floccus is that you can access your bookmarks through built-in menus and sidebars in each browser. This approach means nothing changes when you look for your bookmarks and how you view and launch them.

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You install Floccus through a browser extension available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and several other programs. Just search for Floccus in each browser's respective extensions store. After you set up Floccus across all your browsers, your bookmarks will automatically sync whenever you make a change.

Here's how I set up and use Floccus on the desktop, and how you can do the same.

First, open each browser you use and install the Floccus extension from the extensions store, such as Chrome Web Store , Edge Add-ons , or Firefox Add-Ons . For Chromium-based browsers without their own dedicated extensions page, use the Chrome Web Store.

For each browser, make sure the Floccus icon is visible on the toolbar. In Chrome or Edge, select the Extensions icon on the toolbar and click the Pin icon for Floccus. In Firefox, select the Extensions icon, right-click the Floccus entry, and choose Pin to Toolbar.

In your browser, click the Floccus toolbar icon to kick off the setup. The program will ask you to add a profile. The profile you set up connects to Floccus to sync your bookmarks across browsers. However, before this stage, a tricky part of the setup requires explanation.

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Typically, you may want to sync two separate bookmark lists or entries in each browser. One is your regular bookmarks menu, which contains all your individual bookmarks. The other is your bookmarks toolbar, which contains and displays your favorite bookmarks that you manually add to the bar at the top of the screen. The names for the two entries vary by browser.

The bookmarks menu is known as Other Bookmarks in Chrome, Other Favorites in Edge, and the Bookmarks Menu in Firefox. The toolbar is called the Bookmarks Bar in Chrome and Edge but named the Bookmarks Toolbar in Firefox. Because of these different names, you must create two profiles in Floccus: one for the bookmarks menu and another for the bookmarks toolbar. Confusing, I know. But after it's all set up, you won't have to worry about this distinction.

Click the Add Profile button. At the next screen, you're asked to choose the site or server where you want to store your bookmarks. Select the one you wish to use, for example, Google Drive. Click Continue.

Next, name your profile. We'll set up the bookmarks menu first. You might want to include your name followed by the phrase Floccus Menu. I named mine Lance's Floccus Menu. Click Continue.

You'll be asked to sign in to the site or service that you choose, for example, Google Drive. Follow the steps to sign in and permit Floccus to access your account on that service.

On the next screen, you create a name for the bookmarks file and set up the folder mapping.

Here, change the name of bookmarks.xbel to bookmarks-menu.xbel to indicate that this file will store all menu bookmarks. To encrypt your Google Drive or WebDAV bookmarks, click in the passphrase field and type a complex but memorable password or passphrase.

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Then choose the folder mapping, which varies with the browser. Next to the Bookmarks folder, click the field for "Select a folder." A small tree showing your bookmark folders appears. In Chrome, choose Other bookmarks. In Edge, choose the Favorites bar. In Firefox, choose the Bookmarks Menu. After you pick the right folder, click Save and then click Continue.

The next screen asks you to set up the bookmark syncing. Change-based synchronization automatically syncs your bookmarks across all your browsers and devices anytime you make a change, such as adding, removing, or modifying a bookmark. That step should be all you need, but I also like to kick off a sync whenever I launch a browser, so I also check the option for Sync on startup.

I leave the Synchronization strategy set to the recommended setting 'Always merge local changes with changes from other browsers.' You can also leave Nested profiles set to Yes. When done, click Continue. Your profile is then complete.

Now we'll create the bookmarks ...

This free tool keeps my bookmarks synced across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge — ZDNet | AIPROPX