The bookmark toolbar appears as a row of clickable links just below Chrome's address bar
Chrome has a bookmark toolbar built in, but it is hidden by default. To see it, open Chrome and press Ctrl + Shift + B on Windows or Command + Shift + B on Mac. A thin bar will appear between the address bar and your web pages, showing any bookmarks you have already saved there. If the bar is empty, it means you have not yet added bookmarks to it — the toolbar exists, but nothing is in it yet.
The toolbar saves you clicks. Instead of opening the bookmark menu every time, you can click a bookmark name directly from the toolbar. This works best for sites you visit several times a week or more often.
Key Takeaways
- Press Ctrl + Shift + B (Windows) or Command + Shift + B (Mac) to show or hide the bookmark toolbar.
- Drag the star icon from the address bar to the toolbar to add a bookmark, or right-click any link and choose "Add to bookmarks toolbar".
- Rearrange toolbar bookmarks by dragging them left or right, or delete one by right-clicking it and selecting "Delete".
- Folders on the toolbar show a dropdown menu when you click them, letting you organize bookmarks by category without cluttering the bar.
Adding bookmarks to the toolbar
The fastest way is to use the star icon in Chrome's address bar. Visit a page you want to bookmark, then click the star on the right side of the address bar. A small box will pop up. In the dropdown that says "Bookmarks bar" or "Bookmarks folder", select Bookmarks bar. Then click "Save". The page now appears on your toolbar.
You can also right-click any link on a webpage and choose "Add to bookmarks toolbar" from the menu. This adds that link without visiting the page first. For bookmarks you have already saved elsewhere, open the bookmark manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + O (Windows) or Command + Shift + O (Mac), find the bookmark, right-click it, and select "Move to bookmarks bar".
Organizing bookmarks with folders
If you add many bookmarks, the toolbar becomes crowded. Create a folder to group related bookmarks instead. Right-click any empty space on the toolbar and select "Add folder". Give it a name like "News" or "Work". Now when you click that folder on the toolbar, a dropdown menu shows all the bookmarks inside it.
To move a bookmark into a folder, drag it onto the folder name. You can also right-click a bookmark, select "Move to", and choose the folder. Folders take up only one spot on the toolbar but can hold dozens of bookmarks, keeping your bar clean and organized.
Rearranging and removing bookmarks
Drag any bookmark left or right on the toolbar to change its order. Chrome saves the new position automatically. To delete a bookmark from the toolbar, right-click it and select "Delete". This removes it from the toolbar only — if you saved it in other folders too, those copies stay.
You can also drag bookmarks between folders. Click and hold a bookmark, then drag it onto a folder name. The bookmark moves into that folder and disappears from the toolbar (unless it is in multiple places). This is useful when you want to clean up the toolbar but keep the bookmark saved for later.
Showing bookmark names or icons only
By default, Chrome shows both the bookmark icon and its name on the toolbar. If your toolbar is crowded, you can hide the names and show only icons, which takes up much less space. Right-click any bookmark and select "Show icon only". The name disappears, leaving just the small icon. Hover over the icon to see the bookmark name in a tooltip.
To show the name again, right-click the icon and select "Show icon and name". You can mix and match — some bookmarks can show names while others show icons only, depending on how often you use each one.
Syncing bookmarks across devices
If you sign into Chrome with a Google account, your bookmarks sync automatically across all devices where you use that account. This includes bookmarks on your toolbar. Open Chrome on another computer or phone, sign in with the same Google account, and your toolbar bookmarks appear there too.
To turn on syncing, click the profile icon in the top right corner of Chrome, then select "Sync is on". If you turn off syncing or sign out, your bookmarks stay on that device but stop updating on others. You can also manage which data syncs by clicking the profile icon, selecting "Settings", then "Sync and Google services".
Troubleshooting a missing toolbar
If you press Ctrl + Shift + B and nothing appears, the toolbar may already be hidden. Press the shortcut again to toggle it back on. If the toolbar still does not show, try restarting Chrome completely — close all windows and open it again.
If the toolbar shows but bookmarks are not appearing, check that you are saving them to the "Bookmarks bar" and not to another folder. Open the bookmark manager (Ctrl + Shift + O), look for a folder called "Bookmarks bar", and verify your bookmarks are inside it. You can also drag bookmarks from other folders into the Bookmarks bar folder to move them to the toolbar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have multiple bookmark toolbars?
No, Chrome has only one bookmark toolbar. However, you can create folders on the toolbar and use them as submenus, which gives you a similar effect. Each folder holds multiple bookmarks in a dropdown, so you can organize by category without adding more rows.
Will my toolbar bookmarks stay if I uninstall Chrome?
If you are signed into a Google account, your bookmarks are saved in your account and will return when you reinstall Chrome and sign back in. If you are not signed in, uninstalling Chrome removes all local bookmarks. Always sign into Chrome to back up your bookmarks.
How do I bookmark a folder of multiple pages at once?
Chrome does not have a built-in way to bookmark multiple pages into a folder in one action. Instead, open each page, click the star, and save it to a new folder you create. Or use a Chrome extension designed for bulk bookmarking if you need this feature regularly.
Can I export my toolbar bookmarks to use somewhere else?
Yes. Open the bookmark manager (Ctrl + Shift + O), click the three dots in the top right, select "Export bookmarks", and choose where to save the file. This creates an HTML file you can import into another browser or back up for safety.