How to delete bookmarks in Chrome
Chrome gives you three ways to remove bookmarks, depending on whether you're clearing one link, several, or starting over completely. On a computer or Chromebook, all three go through the same Bookmark manager.
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Quick answer
Press Ctrl+Shift+O (Cmd+Shift+O on Mac) to open the Bookmark manager. Right-click a bookmark and choose Delete — or click inside a folder, press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) to select everything, and press Delete. Ctrl+Z undoes it immediately.
- Open the Bookmark manager: three-dot menu → Bookmarks and lists → Bookmark manager, or press Ctrl+Shift+O (Cmd+Shift+O on Mac).
- For one bookmark: right-click it and choose Delete, or click the three-dot menu next to it and choose Delete.
- For several: click the first, hold Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) and click the rest, then choose Delete from any selected item's menu.
- For everything in a folder: click inside it, press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) to select all, then press Delete.
- Made a mistake? Press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z) immediately to undo the deletion.
The fastest way to remove one bookmark
You don't need the Bookmark manager for a single link. Click the filled star icon at the end of the address bar on the page you've bookmarked, then click Remove. That's the whole process.
Deleting every bookmark at once
There's no single “delete all” button. Chrome has three top-level folders — Bookmarks bar, Other bookmarks and Mobile bookmarks — and you clear each one with Ctrl+A → Delete. The folders themselves can't be deleted, only emptied.
On Android and iPhone
The Chrome app works the same way on both: open ⋮ (Android) or ⋯ (iPhone) → Bookmarks. On Android, long-press a bookmark to start selecting, tap any others, then tap the trash icon. On iPhone, tap Edit, select bookmarks, then tap Delete.
Sync deletes everywhere
If you're signed into Chrome with sync on, deleting a bookmark on one device deletes it on all of them within minutes. Export an HTML backup first if you're clearing out more than a handful — it takes one click and nothing else can bring a bulk deletion back later.
Deleting versus just tidying up
A lot of “delete” intent is really “I can't find anything in here anymore” — which deleting doesn't actually fix, since the ones you keep are still in the same unsearchable pile. Tags and folders solve the underlying problem without losing anything.
- Tag by status — read, reference, archive — instead of choosing keep-or-delete
- Move stale links into an archive folder rather than losing them for good
- Search by title, URL or description finds a link again even if you half-remember it
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but only immediately — press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z on Mac) right away and it comes back. After that, the only built-in fallback is Chrome's automatic Bookmarks.bak file in your profile folder.
Open the Bookmark manager, click into Bookmarks bar, press Ctrl+A to select everything, then press Delete. Repeat for Other bookmarks and Mobile bookmarks.
Exactly as on Windows: Ctrl+Shift+O opens the Bookmark manager, then right-click → Delete, or Ctrl+A → Delete to clear a folder.
No — it's a built-in folder. You can empty it (Ctrl+A → Delete inside it) or hide it with Ctrl+Shift+B (Cmd+Shift+B on Mac).
No, deleting a bookmark only removes that link. Deleting a folder removes the folder and everything inside it, so check what's in a folder before deleting it.
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