How to Back Up Safari Bookmarks on macOS 13

Backing up your Safari bookmarks on macOS 13 (Ventura) is a quick and essential process to ensure you never lose access to your saved websites. This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions on two manual backup methods: exporting your bookmarks directly to a universally compatible HTML file and manually copying the raw Safari database file via Finder.

Method 1: Export Bookmarks to an HTML File

This is the standard and most versatile method, allowing you to easily import your bookmarks into Safari or any other web browser in the future.

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click File.
3. Hover over Export and select Bookmarks....
4. A save dialog will appear. Enter a name for your backup file (by default, it will be named "Safari Bookmarks.html").
5. Choose your desired save location, such as your Documents folder, an external drive, or cloud storage.
6. Click Save.

Method 2: Manually Copy the Bookmarks.plist File

If you want an exact system-level duplicate of your Safari data structure, you can manually copy the actual property list file macOS uses to store bookmarks.

1. Completely quit Safari by pressing Command + Q.
2. Open Finder.
3. In the menu bar, click Go, then select Go to Folder... (or press Shift + Command + G).
4. Enter the following path in the text field and press Return: ~/Library/Safari/
5. Locate the file named Bookmarks.plist.
6. Right-click (or control-click) Bookmarks.plist and select Copy "Bookmarks.plist".
7. Navigate to your backup destination (such as a USB drive or secondary folder), right-click in an empty space, and choose Paste Item.

How to Restore Your Backed-Up Bookmarks

• To restore an HTML file: Open Safari, navigate to File > Import From > Bookmarks HTML File..., select your saved file, and click Import.
• To restore a .plist file: Quit Safari, open ~/Library/Safari/, and paste your backed-up Bookmarks.plist file into the folder, replacing the existing file when prompted.