How do you restore Safari bookmarks from Time Machine?

By Kayabyte · Last updated 2 November 2026

To restore Safari bookmarks from Time Machine, first try iCloud.com (Account Settings, Data Recovery, Restore Bookmarks), then browse Time Machine to ~/Library/Safari and restore an older copy of Bookmarks.plist to your Desktop. Do not overwrite the live file while Safari is open and iCloud is on. NoteRescue reads the bookmarks in each snapshot, lists the missing ones and writes an HTML file that Safari imports, with no file swap.

Method 1: restore bookmarks from iCloud.com

On iCloud.com open Account Settings and find Data Recovery.
Choose Restore Bookmarks and pick an archive from before the loss.
Restore it. Apple archives your current bookmarks first. It replaces the bookmarks on every device that syncs Safari with iCloud.

Method 2: get the old bookmarks file from Time Machine

Quit Safari. In Finder choose Go, Go to Folder and open ~/Library/Safari. If macOS says the folder is protected, give Finder Full Disk Access in System Settings, Privacy and Security.
Choose Browse Time Machine Backups and go back to a date when the bookmarks still existed.
Select Bookmarks.plist and restore it, but to your Desktop (hold Option, or copy it out), not over the live file.
You now have the old bookmarks as a file, but Safari cannot open a .plist directly, and replacing the live file while iCloud is on lets iCloud decide which version wins. If you do swap it, make a safety copy first, turn Wi-Fi off and expect to repeat it.

For most people the import route below is simpler and safer.

A faster way: NoteRescue

NoteRescue reads Safari’s bookmarks and Reading List in your Time Machine snapshots and iPhone backups, compares them with what Safari has today and lists the missing and changed items. It writes a standard bookmarks HTML file with the folders kept.

Steps with NoteRescue

Open NoteRescue, allow Full Disk Access and press Scan.
Open the Safari row, filter to Missing and select the bookmarks or folders.
Choose a folder and recover.
In Safari choose File, Import Browsing Data from File or Folder (older macOS: File, Import From, Bookmarks HTML File), choose the HTML file and confirm. Existing bookmarks are not touched.

Safari is USD 14.99, or USD 39.99 for all apps; one item is free as a proof. Download NoteRescue

What to know

The same address on two iPhones is listed twice, once per device.
Reading List items arrive as ordinary bookmarks. Tab groups arrive as bookmark folders.
In our tests Safari reported it had imported the bookmarks and left the existing ones as they were.
A Mac with a fresh account has no Bookmarks.plist until the first bookmark or sync.
iCloud may sync the imported bookmarks to your other devices like any new bookmarks.

Questions

Where does Safari store bookmarks on a Mac? In ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist, which also holds the Reading List.

Can I restore a single bookmark? Not from Time Machine by hand. NoteRescue lists single bookmarks and writes them to the HTML file.

Why did my Safari bookmarks disappear? Common causes are signing out of iCloud, turning Safari off in iCloud settings, or a sync conflict between devices. Check Safari in your iCloud settings on every device before restoring.

Apple, Mac, iPhone, iCloud, Time Machine, Safari and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. NoteRescue is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.