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How to Auto-Sync Safari and Chrome Bookmarks on iPhone (with help of PC)?

Chrome is my iPhone and PC web browser of choice. For some time, I was looking for a solution to automatically sync bookmarks of Safari and Chrome web-browsers on my iPhone. Unsuccessfully. When using iPhone’s default Safari iOS app, I had had to manually send web pages (I wanted to keep and open later in Chrome) to Chrome bookmarks using the Safari’s share option.

Manual Safari to Chrome Bookmark on iPhone

But then, while installing iCloud on my Windows PC, I noticed this option:

Safari Chrome Bookmark Sync on iPhone via PC

This option found in iCloud software for PC merges the existing bookmarks from Safari and Chrome. All bookmarks on Safari and Chrome will be the same and will be synced. It looks like the primary goal of the feature is to sync Safari bookmarks from the Apple devices – iPhones, iPads, and Macs with bookmarks of browsers used on the PC. But as a side-effect, the bookmarks are auto-synced as well with Chrome (and Safari) you use on your iPhone or other Apple device.

However, my test showed that the bookmarks sync in the REAL TIME requires that iCloud client and Chrome RUN on the same PC. If any of them – the PC, iCloud client, or desktop Chrome, is turned off, synchronization will be delayed until the PC, iCloud client, and desktop Chrome are all running again. So, this probably isn’t a good solution for those who don’t use their PCs often.

Here are requirements to enable Safari-Chrome bookmarks syncing on iPhone via PC:

  • Installed iCloud on a PC which has Google Chrome installed on it.
  • Installed Chrome extension on the PC’s Chrome browser called iCloud Bookmarks, by Apple.
  • Enabled Safari iCloud sync on iPhone (Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Safari switch on)
  • The account (Apple ID) on the installed iCloud software on the PC has to match iCloud account on your iPhone. And your Google account you use in Chrome on the PC and iPhone have to be the same. You have to be signed-in iCloud software and Chrome using these accounts in order to set up the sync feature.
  • In addition, for the real-time synchronization iCloud software and Chrome have to be up and running on a PC, with the corresponding Apple ID and Google accounts signed in.

Here’s a quick guide for installing iCloud on Windows PC and enabling Safari – Chrome bookmarks sync.

On your PC, download iCloud for Windows setup file from Apple’s website. Run the downloaded iCloud setup file. During installation, this window will show up:

Safari Chrome Bookmark Sync on iPhone via PC

Make sure the checkbox near Bookmarks is checked. Click on the Bookmarks Options… button, select Chrome, and click on the OK button:

Safari Chrome Bookmark Sync on iPhone via PC 2

After clicking on the Apply button a pop-up window saying “iCloud Bookmarks extension for Chrome is required” will show up.

Safari Chrome Sync on iPhone via PC - Install Chrome iCloud Bookmark Extension

Click on the Download… button which will redirect you to the iCloud Bookmarks extension web page on google.com.

Chrome iCloud Bookmark Extension

Click on the Add to Chrome button on that webpage to install the extension. Then click on Add extension.

Add Extension for iCloud Safari - Chrome Syncing

That’s it. Now Safari bookmarks on your iPhone and other iOS and Mac devices will be in sync with bookmarks in Chrome browser on your iPhone, PC and other devices.

I still don’t know if there’s a way to enable the feature on iPhone, without a PC. I was looking for it on iPhone and on iCloud.com in web browser without success.

In: ,

Dan

Hi, I’m Dan. On this site I share pieces of my digital work – blog posts, visuals and audio – and give them away for free.

10 responses to “How to Auto-Sync Safari and Chrome Bookmarks on iPhone (with help of PC)?”

  1. Gene Avatar
    Gene

    Tried all of this. It does not work. Not able to sync Safari and Chrome bookmards on my iphone x. Using a win 10 PC. Horrible experience. My chrome browser on the Iphone does not have any bookmarks despite spending all day on this.

    Reply
    1. GG Avatar
      GG

      Yes, this method does work. Not sure why it’s not working for you, but I have been using this method for years now. You could be missing an important step that is described above. Or it’s possible your bookmarks are not syncing with the cloud (either Safari or Chrome) and you should check on this.

      I had this problem: my Mac’s Safari bookmarks were not in sync with my iPhone’s Safari bookmarks (and thus the iCloud version too). The solution was to delete my Mac Safari’s bookmarks plist file and that caused Safari to get a new copy from the cloud. All is well now.

      Reply
      1. GG Avatar
        GG

        I might need to eat my words because it looks like it’s no longer working for me… maybe something with the plugin broke recently and I didn’t notice? It was working for the past few years! Hoping whatever is broken gets fixed! Maybe it’s Apple’s Chrome plugin.

        Reply
        1. GG Avatar
          GG

          OK, I’m back in action. The iCloud app needed to be updated from the Windows Store. After it was installed, it took about 5 minutes for my Windows’s Chrome bookmarks to be updated with the latest Safari/iCloud bookmarks.

          Reply
          1. Steve Jones Avatar
            Steve Jones

            I still can’t get it to work, see my latest comment for details….
            Really need this to sync, lost 90% of my safari bookmarks on my iPad, extracted from an old backup and added to chrome, now need to get back into safari thanks

        2. Steve Avatar
          Steve

          I can’t get it to work either did exactly as instructed any idea what’s wrong ?

          Reply
    2. Steve Avatar
      Steve

      I can’t get it to work either did exactly as instructed any idea what’s wrong ?
      Have a W10 PC any ideas 🤞

      Reply
    3. Steve Avatar
      Steve

      I can’t get it to work either did exactly as instructed any idea what’s wrong ?
      W10 PC

      Reply
  2. Steve jones Avatar
    Steve jones

    I can’t get it to work either did exactly as instructed any idea what’s wrong ?

    W10Pc

    Reply
  3. Steve Jones Avatar
    Steve Jones

    Can’t get it to work, kept asking me to install the chrome extension and enable it, uninstalled iCloud for windows and reinstalled then this error went but still didn’t sync, uninstalled reinstalled again, now get the message box again, telling me to add chrome extension and enable it when he it already is, Amy help please ? Or is this broken ?

    Reply

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