Can I use the tools on this site from my phone?

Yes, but only on a file you already have. They work fine in a mobile browser if you can hand them a bookmarks.html from Files or Drive — they just can't reach your phone's own bookmarks.

Is there an app that can export mobile bookmarks?

Not on an unmodified phone. Any app promising it faces the same sandbox as everything else. Treat such claims with suspicion, particularly if the app wants an account.

Do iPhone and Android bookmarks use the same format as desktop?

Internally, yes — Chrome on Android uses the same JSON structure as Chrome on a PC, and Firefox mobile uses the same places.sqlite. The formats are identical; the access is what differs.

Will importing a bookmarks.html on desktop push it to my phone?

Yes, if sync is on for that browser and account — that's the normal way to get a file's worth of bookmarks onto a phone. Expect duplicates if the phone already has some of them.

Does iCloud back up Safari bookmarks separately from sync?

It does, and that archive is genuinely useful: iCloud keeps restorable bookmark snapshots for roughly 30 days, independent of the live synced copy. The Safari guide covers how to reach it.

Where bookmarks are stored on iPhone and Android

Mobile browsers store bookmarks in a private app sandbox that no file manager, and no website, can read. There is no equivalent of "open the profile folder" on iOS or Android. To get a real file, sync the bookmarks to a desktop copy of the same browser and export there.

Why the file is out of reach

Both mobile operating systems isolate every app's storage from every other app. Safari's bookmarks live inside Safari's container; Chrome's live inside Chrome's. That isolation is a security feature and it applies to you as much as to a malicious app — on an unmodified phone there is no supported route to those files, and no app that claims otherwise can deliver it.

It also means the tools on this site cannot read your phone's bookmarks directly, no matter what browser you open them in. A web page can only see files you explicitly hand it, and the phone will not let you pick that one.

Where each mobile browser keeps them

Safari on iOS/iPadOS: In Safari's app container, synced through iCloud. Reachable only via iCloud or a Mac.
Chrome on Android: In Chrome's private data directory, in the same JSON format desktop Chrome uses. Not readable without root access.
Chrome on iOS: Same sandbox rules as Safari, synced through your Google account rather than iCloud.
Firefox mobile: A places.sqlite database, as on desktop, inside the app's private storage. Synced through a Firefox account.
Samsung Internet: Private app storage, synced through a Samsung account, and optionally mirrored into Chrome's bookmarks on the same device.

Getting a real file off a phone

Sync to a desktop, then export from the desktop. It is the only supported route, and it works for every browser above.

Turn on sync in the mobile browser, signed into the same account you'll use on the computer — iCloud for Safari, a Google account for Chrome, a Firefox account for Firefox.
Install or open the same browser on a computer and sign in. Give it a minute to pull everything down.
Export there: Bookmarks → Export. You now have a bookmarks.html that every browser and every tool on this site can read.

For Safari specifically, a Mac signed into the same Apple account is the cleanest path — turn on Safari in iCloud settings, wait for the bookmarks to appear, then File → Export → Bookmarks. The details are in the Safari guide.

If you don't have a computer

You have fewer options, and it is worth being straight about that. Sync itself will preserve your bookmarks across a phone replacement, which covers the common case. What it will not give you is an independent copy that survives a mistaken deletion — for that you need a file, and a file needs a desktop.

Borrowing a computer for five minutes once a year is a reasonable answer. So is signing into your account in a desktop browser on someone else's machine, exporting, emailing yourself the file, and signing out.

Deleted bookmarks on a phone

Because mobile browsers sync aggressively, a deletion on a phone is usually already everywhere by the time you notice. The recovery routes are the same ones as on desktop and they run from a computer or from iCloud, not from the phone — see recovering deleted bookmarks. The single most useful thing you can do from the phone itself is stop using that browser until you've tried, so sync has nothing new to push.

Common questions

Can I use the tools on this site from my phone?: Yes, but only on a file you already have. They work fine in a mobile browser if you can hand them a bookmarks.html from Files or Drive — they just can't reach your phone's own bookmarks.
Is there an app that can export mobile bookmarks?: Not on an unmodified phone. Any app promising it faces the same sandbox as everything else. Treat such claims with suspicion, particularly if the app wants an account.
Do iPhone and Android bookmarks use the same format as desktop?: Internally, yes — Chrome on Android uses the same JSON structure as Chrome on a PC, and Firefox mobile uses the same places.sqlite. The formats are identical; the access is what differs.
Will importing a bookmarks.html on desktop push it to my phone?: Yes, if sync is on for that browser and account — that's the normal way to get a file's worth of bookmarks onto a phone. Expect duplicates if the phone already has some of them.
Does iCloud back up Safari bookmarks separately from sync?: It does, and that archive is genuinely useful: iCloud keeps restorable bookmark snapshots for roughly 30 days, independent of the live synced copy. The Safari guide covers how to reach it.

Related: Safari · Back up your bookmarks · All guides

Bookmarks on iPhone and Android