If your Safari bookmarks suddenly disappear, it can be frustrating to lose all your saved links. But don’t worry, there are several ways to restore them. In this article, we’ll discuss seven different methods for restoring your bookmarks in Safari.
Option #1: Restore from Bookmarks Library in Finder
One of the reasons your bookmarks might be missing is due to the corruption of .plist files. These are specific documents that store your bookmark data in the Safari library. To restore the corrupted .plist files, you have to:
1. Open Finder and go to your Mac folder → Macintosh HD.
2. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + . (dot) to reveal the hidden folders and files. This shortcut is available in macOS Sierra. For older versions of the operating system, go to Terminal and paste chflags nohidden ~/Library to get the files.
3. From the menu on top of the screen, click on Go and select Go to Folder.
4. Paste ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist and hit Enter to open the Bookmarks file.
5. Press and hold the Option key and simultaneously drag the Bookmarks.plist file to another location on your Mac. This will create a copy of the file while keeping the original in its initial location.
Option #2: Restore Safari Bookmarks from Time Machine
Time Machine is Apple’s tool to back up and restore your data, including Favorites in Safari. Here’s how to rediscover them with Time Machine:
1. First, unhide the hidden Library folder in Finder as described in the previous option.
2. Click on Go in the menu on top of the screen and select Go to Folder.
3. Paste ~/Library/Safari and hit enter to open the hidden Safari folder.
4. Open Time Machine.
5. Find the time at which you think your bookmarks were deleted.
6. Right-click on the Bookmarks file and select Restore from the drop-down menu.
7. Turn on iCloud bookmarks and update your software.
Option #3: Restore Safari Bookmarks from iCloud
You can access your lost bookmarks from iCloud. Just make sure it’s turned on and your software is up to date. Outdated macOS can create system bugs making your Safari bookmarks disappear. Here’s how to restore your bookmarks from iCloud:
1. Go to the Apple menu → System Preferences.
2. For macOS Big Sur, choose Apple ID and then go to iCloud.
3. In the panel on the right, check the box next to Safari.
4. You can also retrieve any deleted bookmarks from the iCloud website.
5. Sign in to your account and go to Account Settings.
6. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and look for the Advanced heading in the bottom left corner.
7. Click on Restore Bookmarks to see all the recently deleted links.
Option #4: Check Your Internet Connection
If the internet connection is faulty on your Mac, iCloud won’t sync properly. To check it:
1. Quit and reopen the browser.
2. Try going to a website or searching for something.
3. Check your Wi-Fi connection.
4. Go to the Apple menu → System Preferences → Network — look for the confirmation of the status of your Wi-Fi.
Option #5: Check Your Account Details
If you have several Apple IDs and can’t see your bookmarks on one particular device, chances are it’s not included in the same Apple ID network. To check it, go to Apple menu → System Preferences → iCloud. For macOS Catalina, go to Apple ID in System Preferences instead.
Option #6: Turn Off iCloud Bookmarks and Turn It Back On
Rebooting iCloud will force it to resynchronize the data and restore your lost bookmarks. To restart Safari syncing:
1. Go to Apple menu → System Preferences → iCloud and deselect the box next to Safari.
2. Wait a few seconds and check the box again.
3. In macOS Catalina, you’ll find these settings in the Apple ID section.
Option #7: Restart Your Computer
Restarting your Mac can solve many issues, including Safari bookmarks disappearing. Open the Apple menu and choose Restart. You can also shut the Mac down completely and start it up again.
That’s it! If you have any questions, the MacKeeper support team is available for you 24/7. Hopefully, one of these methods helped you restore your lost bookmarks in Safari.