How to Export Favorites from Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge makes it easy to export your entire favorites collection, but it does not include a native option for exporting only selected bookmarks or a single folder. If you need a smaller, more focused file, this guide to export specific Edge favorites covers the alternative approach.

Edge uses the term favorites for saved bookmarks. The right export method depends on whether you want everything or only part of your collection.

Full export vs selective export

There are two common reasons to export bookmarks from Edge.

If you are moving to a new computer, changing browsers, or creating a backup, exporting everything usually makes sense. Edge already has a built-in tool for this.

If you only want to share a few links, save one project folder, or move part of your collection, the built-in tool is much less useful. Edge's native exporter saves the complete favorites collection rather than letting you choose individual items.

In short:

Full collection: Edge supports this natively.
Selected bookmarks: Edge does not support this natively.
One favorites folder: Edge does not provide a native folder-only export.
Selective export: You need a third-party method.

Export every favorite using Edge

For a normal backup or browser migration, use Edge's built-in export option.

Open Microsoft Edge.
Open the Favorites panel.
Click the three-dot menu inside the Favorites panel.
Select Export favorites.
Choose where you want to save the file.
Enter a file name and click Save.

Edge creates an .html file containing your saved favorites and their folder structure.

This HTML format can later be imported into Edge or many other browsers.

The exact location of the Favorites menu may change slightly between Edge versions, but the export option is normally found inside the Favorites panel rather than the main browser settings.

What is actually stored in the HTML file?

The export file is a copy of your favorites, not your complete Edge profile.

It can contain:

Saved website URLs
Bookmark names
Favorites folders
Nested folder structure

It does not normally include things such as:

Passwords
Browsing history
Extensions
Open tabs
Autofill information
Other Edge settings

That makes the HTML file useful when the only thing you want to preserve is your saved links.

Why Edge's built-in export can be a problem

The limitation becomes obvious when you only need a small part of your collection.

Imagine you have 2,000 saved favorites but want to send someone a folder containing 20 research links. Edge's built-in exporter does not give you a way to select that folder and export only those 20 items.

Instead, it exports the entire collection.

That can create two problems. First, the file contains far more information than the recipient needs. Second, it may include personal, work-related, or private links that you never intended to share.

For this kind of task, you need a third-party selective export method.

When selective bookmark export is useful

You probably do not need a full browser export if your goal is simply to move or share a small group of links.

Selective exporting is better suited to situations such as:

Sending a project folder to a colleague
Moving only work bookmarks to another profile
Backing up one collection of research links
Separating personal and business favorites
Sharing bookmarks without exposing the rest of your collection

Because this functionality is not built into Edge, you will need an extension or another third-party method that lets you choose the items included in the export.

How Edge organizes saved bookmarks

As a favorites collection grows, folders become useful for keeping related links together. You might have separate folders for work, research, shopping, clients, or personal projects.

Frequently used bookmarks can also be kept in the browser's bookmarks bar, which gives you quicker access to saved pages without opening the full Favorites panel.

This organization matters when you are thinking about selective exports. A folder may represent a clean group of links that you want to move or share, but Edge's native exporter still treats the favorites collection as a whole.

Check a full export before sharing it

If you do use Edge's built-in exporter, check the HTML file before sending it to another person.

A favorites collection can reveal more than you might expect. It may contain links to:

Internal company tools
Client dashboards
Banking or financial sites
Personal services
Shopping accounts
Private project folders

Even though the file does not contain your passwords, the URLs and folder names themselves may still contain information you would rather keep private.

This matters most when you created the file simply because Edge did not offer a native selective export option.

Save the export somewhere sensible

For a temporary browser transfer, keeping the HTML file on your desktop or in Downloads may be enough.

For a proper backup, move it somewhere more permanent, such as your normal backup folder or encrypted storage.

Before removing bookmarks from the original browser, confirm that the exported file contains what you expect and that it imports correctly on the destination browser.

Keeping the original HTML file until the migration is complete also gives you an easy fallback if something goes wrong.

Import your favorites when you need them again

Edge can later import the HTML file back into the browser.

Open Edge's import options, choose the option for importing favorites or bookmarks from an HTML file, and select the file you previously saved.

For complete backups and migrations, Edge's built-in export is usually all you need.

For anything more selective, such as exporting individual bookmarks or one folder, Edge does not offer native support. In that case, a third-party selective export method is required.