One of the most used features of Google Chrome is the ability to bookmark important links. However, several users are complaining of an issue with bookmarks lately, saying Chrome bookmarks disappear automatically.
Chrome bookmarks disappear – what users say?
Affected users have raised the issue on product forums and a few social platforms such as Twitter and Reddit. Based on the complaints, it seems, the users have been complaining of this Chrome bookmarks disappearing thing since March, and the issue continues even now.
“Opened chrome today and went to click on one of my bookmarks. Before I could, all but 2 of them disappeared… Have not signed on to any other computers or devices recently (several weeks or months),” one affected user said.
Some users say that their entire folder of bookmarks disappeared automatically. “I have reviewed prior questions regarding similar issues. None are helpful. My folder disappeared for no reason. I did not install an update. I did not delete it. All of a sudden, it was gone. I cannot find the folder in Bookmark manager,” the user said.
Google Chrome deleted all my bookmarks today for whatever reason and me being not so tech savvy.. I did not have it synced to my account I guess. I have had the bookmarks for years and they just got deleted a while ago when I turned on my PC and browser. Can’t expect tech to work
— Viktor Kateliev (@viktor_xiii) April 9, 2019
A point to note is that most users started complaining about Chrome bookmarks disappearing after they updated to the latest version available then. Tech site PiunikaWeb says that the timing when the complaints started is in line with the release timing of the v73 and v74 update.
Moreover, users say that as they use the same Chrome account on their other devices, the Chrome bookmarks disappear on those devices as well. This problem with the Chrome bookmarks is not just limited to PCs, some Android users have reported the same issue as well.
Moreover, users say they have tried different trouble-shooting tricks, but their bookmarks won’t return, and there is no recovery option either. Also, users say there used to be a bookmark “RESTORE” option, but even that option is gone.
Google quiet on the matter
Google has still to comment on the matter despite so many users raising the same issue.
“Not a single message about solving the issue. Google is apparently ignoring it,” one Twitter user said.
PiunikaWeb was able to identify a similar bug on the Chromium bug tracker. However, the user who raised the issue was able to restore the bookmarks using forceful sync, but this resulted in duplication of entries.
“I have two PC with Chrome Dev and Chrome Canary on each + an Android with Chrome Dev. Many times during last month I’ve got situations when bookmarks removed from one profile are restored after I’d opened an older profile on another Chrome or on another machine. Also, renamed folders are doubled in these situations: an older folder with an older name is added to a newer folder with a newer name,” the user said.
The developer team acknowledged the problem at the time, and added a fix that was later included in the v73 and subsequent versions. It could be that the fix introduced then by the developer team might be responsible for the Chrome bookmarks disappearing act that users are reporting now.
Another issue with Chrome
The issue with bookmarks is not the only Chrome issue that we have heard about lately. Several users have also been complaining that Chrome’s Clear Browsing Data feature is not working for them. Users say that though they are able to access the option, it doesn’t work as intended and hangs midway.
“I have issues with resetting chrome and clearing data it take [sic] too long to reset and clear cache data and it never stops and the blue circle going around and around and never stop [sic],” one user said.
This issue with Chrome has been troubling users for about two to three weeks now. Moreover, many say that they started facing the issue after an April update. None of the usual trouble-shooting tricks are working for users either.
In this case, however, Google is aware of the exact issue. “Confirming that we’re seeing another spike on M74 stable with reports of users being unable to clear browsing history (it looks more cache than specifically cookies). Reports are 91% Windows, but we’re seeing reports from Mac as well,” one developer says on the Chromium bug tracker.
