[Tip] How to Import/Copy Other Web Browsers Bookmarks in Opera?
Today we are going to share a useful tip for Opera users. This tutorial will allow you to:
- Import bookmarks from other web browsers in Opera
- Export or take backup of Opera bookmarks
If you are using Opera web browser, you might be aware of the new “Bookmarks Bar” which was added in Opera 19. Its not enabled by default but interested users can enable it using Opera Settings page as shown in following tutorial:
[Tip] Enabling Bookmarks bar (previously known as Quick Access Bar) in Opera
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Although Opera team has added Bookmarks bar in Opera but still a very important and essential feature is missing in the browser which is importing or exporting bookmarks.
If you have moved from a different web browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer to Opera and you want to import your bookmarks/favorites from the previous web browser to Opera, you are out of luck. Opera doesn’t provide any built-in option to copy bookmarks from other web browsers.
If you have a few bookmarks in old web browser, you can add them manually in Opera but if you have a large number of bookmarks categorized in different folders, adding them manually in Opera would not be an easy task.
Recently we received a comment from an AskVG reader “Magnus Johansson” regarding a similar problem:
Hello and thanks for your superb site. Please help me to get my Firefox bookmarks in to Opera. I’ve searched for a bookmark manager who could import and export bookmarks in Opera so I can have my bookmarks in the bookmarks bar. But nothing worked. Opera is a good browser but handling bookmarks is a real mess.
So today in this tutorial, we are going to share an easy way to import other web browsers bookmarks in Opera. After following this tutorial, you’ll be able to import all your bookmarks from your favorite web browser into Opera.
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Prerequisites:
- Google Chrome web browser
- Opera web browser
How-to Guide:
In this method, we’ll make use of Google Chrome web browser’s import bookmarks and settings feature. Since Chrome and Opera both are based on same rendering engine, they both use same bookmarks structure.
What we’ll do in this tutorial:
- First import other web browser such as Firefox or IE bookmarks into Google Chrome
- Then copy Chrome’s bookmarks file to Opera folder
So without wasting time lets start the tutorial:
STEP 1:
First of all you’ll need Google Chrome web browser in your computer. If you already have it, then no problem but if you don’t have Google Chrome in your system, you can install it from following link:
Download Google Chrome Web Browser
If you don’t want to install Google Chrome, you can take help of its portable version which doesn’t need to be installed:
Download Google Chrome Portable Version
STEP 2:
Now there are 2 cases:
- Case 1: You want to copy bookmarks from Chrome to Opera
- Case 2: You want to copy bookmarks from Firefox or Internet Explorer to Opera
Case 1: If first case applies to you, then skip to STEP 3.
Case 2: If you want to copy bookmarks from Firefox or IE to Opera, then you’ll need to first import the bookmarks in Chrome.
1. Open Google Chrome and click on Menu button and then click on “Bookmarks -> Import bookmarks and settings” option. Alternatively, you can direct open the option by using chrome://settings/importData URL.
2. Now select the other web browser from the drop-down list and then check “Favorites/Bookmarks” option only.
3. Click on “Import” button and it’ll immediately import the other web browser bookmarks into Chrome.
Now you can close Google Chrome window.
STEP 3:
Now the last step! We’ll need to copy Chrome’s bookmarks file to Opera profile folder.
1. Press WIN+R keys together to open RUN dialog box and then type appdata in the text box and press Enter.
2. It’ll open AppData folder in Windows Explorer. Now navigate to following folder:
AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default
3. Look for a file Bookmarks and copy the file.
4. Now go back to AppData folder and then navigate to following folder:
AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera Stable
5. Paste the Bookmarks file into this folder.
STEP 4:
That’s it. Open Opera web browser and you’ll see all your bookmarks taken from your previous web browser in Opera bookmarks bar.
You can watch following exclusive video to see the whole method live in action:
PS: Using the same method you can take a backup (export) existing bookmarks of your Opera web browser. You just need to take backup of Bookmarks file present in “AppData\Roaming\Opera Software\Opera Stable” folder as mentioned in STEP 3 and you can restore that file in future in any computer to get your favorite bookmarks.
I hope future versions of Opera will allow users to import and export bookmarks and other settings…
Excellent. I was searching for this since long time and stopped using Opera due to lack of import function. But now I can revert back to my favorite browser. Thanx a lot.
I solved this issue a long time ago with an extension. I simply use Xmarks. Create an account via Firefox or Chrome or any similar Mozilla of Chromium based browser. Next add the extension in Opera, sign in to Xmarks and sync. Done!
Another option is to use Transmute, a nifty little program designed to transfer bookmarks between a large variety of browsers. The free, Standard version should do the trick for most users but there are paid versions available with more features. You can compare and download them here: gettransmute.com/download/
The essential thing for me, regarding browser bookmarks usability, is to have a permanent bookmarks sidebar. This reduces the required number of clicks, and is the logical solution when working with a wide-screen desktop monitor. Because it can show much more individual items, a full bookmarks sidebar just works way easier and quicker than a rudimentary bookmarks bar at the top of the screen.
I cannot for the life of me understand why so many modern browsers dropped the option of having a bookmarks sidebar. The lack of this feature makes it difficult for me to use Chrome or “new” Opera.
It was the bookmarks sidebar that made me switch from “old” Opera to Firefox (that still has one, thankfully). I may switch back to “new” Opera once the developers come to understand that for many users, a fully functional bookmarks sidebar is the best working solution.
@Henk van Setten…Why not give FlashPeak Slimbrowser a spin? It is a Chromium based browser and there are excellent reviews for this browser. In their latest update they have in-corporated a bookmark side-bar which you can easily update, and like so many modern browser today it is fast.
@ henk van Setten.. just a correction to my post,’In their latest update they have in-corporated a bookmark side-bar which you can easily activate….’ ( I am not much of an early morning person).
Thank you so much! I just started using Opera and was already ready to stop using it due to the lack of bookmarks import.
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