Edge Favorites Disappeared? Recover Them Safely (2026)

If your Edge favorites disappeared, first check the profile icon and Settings, Profiles, Sync. Then export what you can (Ctrl+Shift+O, More options, Export favorites), and only then try Re-sync, and Reset sync as a last resort. Microsoft’s own guidance puts a backup of favorites before any reset, because a reset changes your data in Microsoft’s cloud.

Edge calls bookmarks “favorites”, and they follow your Microsoft account across devices when sync is on. That is useful, and it also means one bad sync state can spread. The steps below start with changes that touch nothing and end with the ones that touch the cloud.

Triage: what does it look like?

Symptom	Likely cause	Start at
Favorites bar empty, favorites manager full	Items moved or bar view changed	Step 1
Everything gone, profile icon looks different	Different or new profile	Step 2
Missing on one device, present on another	Sync off or stuck	Step 3
Edge says it cannot synchronize	Sync problem	Step 5
Gone everywhere	Deletion synced, or sync reset	Steps 4, 6, 7

Step 1: Open the favorites manager and search

Type edge://favorites in the address bar, or press Ctrl+Shift+O. Search for a word from a favorite you remember and open the folders in the left pane. Favorites often exist but sit in a different folder than you remember, or a folder was dragged into another folder. If the manager shows them, nothing is lost, and you only need to tidy.

Then export, as in Step 4, so you have a safety copy while everything is calm.

Step 2: Check the Edge profile

Click the profile icon next to the address bar. Edge keeps favorites per profile, so a work profile, a personal profile and a new one each show a different set. After sign-in changes, an update, or a link opened from another app, Edge may open in a profile you rarely use. Switch profiles and check edge://favorites in each.

If you are signed in to a work or school profile, an organization may also manage some settings, and options can be limited. Ask your administrator in that case.

Step 3: Check Microsoft account and sync

Go to Settings and more (…) → Settings → Profiles → Sync. Confirm you are signed in with the Microsoft account you expect and that sync is on for favorites. Compare the account on each device. A device using a different account will show a different library.

If you only changed one setting, create a clearly named test favorite on one device and see whether it appears on the other. This tells you whether the problem is sending, receiving, or both, without risking the library.

Step 4: Export your favorites now

This step protects you before any reset. Microsoft’s guide to resetting Edge data in the cloud says to back up favorites like this:

1. In Edge, press Ctrl+Shift+O, then select More options (…) → Export favorites.
2. Choose where to save the file. Edge proposes a dated name like favorites_07_05_21.html.
3. Select Save.

If you need to restore favorites later, you can do so from that file. Do this on whichever device still shows your favorites, and ideally before it syncs again. Our guide to exporting Edge favorites explains the file and what it leaves out. Open the file in a browser to confirm it lists what you expect, or use the Bookmark File Viewer.

Step 5: Try Re-sync before Reset sync

Microsoft says that when Edge reports it cannot synchronize your data, you can perform a re-sync:

1. Select Settings and more (…) → Settings → Profiles → Sync.
2. Under Re-sync data to this device, select Re-sync. It can take from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on how much data is stored in Microsoft’s cloud.
3. If problems persist, select Still having sync problems? Try another option and then Reset sync. Keep the browser open until the reset is fully complete.

The order matters. Re-sync is the milder step. Reset sync is stronger, and you should not use it until you have a verified export.

Step 6: Understand what Reset sync does

Microsoft describes a data reset as clearing your Edge data in the cloud. After a successful reset, data syncs again from the device you reset only if you choose to resume sync, and you need to sign back in on your other devices. If you do not resume sync, the data is removed from the cloud and no longer synced.

That has practical consequences:

• The device you reset becomes the source of truth. If it holds an empty or wrong favorites list, resuming sync from it is the wrong move.
• If a reset reports it could not complete, Microsoft suggests waiting a few hours and trying again, and contacting Microsoft Edge Support if it still fails.
• A reset is a repair for sync, not a restore tool. It does not bring back anything that was not already on the device.

Run a reset only from a device whose favorites you have exported and checked.

Step 7: Import a file or recover from a backup

If you have an HTML file from an earlier export, import it through Edge’s import tool under Settings → Profiles, using the option to import browser data and choosing the favorites HTML file. Menu wording may differ between versions, so follow the labels you see. Imported favorites usually land in their own folder, which you can then rearrange.

Other places to look:

• A favorites HTML file in Downloads, a cloud drive or an old laptop.
• A computer backup made by your operating system’s backup tool.
• Another browser that once imported your favorites.

Older advice mentions built-in restore options and file renames inside Edge’s profile folder. Some of those come from community forums rather than Microsoft, and menus have changed between versions, so we do not recommend relying on them. A verified export is safer.

What not to do

• Do not press Reset sync before exporting favorites. Microsoft itself recommends the backup first.
• Do not turn sync off on every device at once while you are diagnosing. Change one device at a time.
• Do not resume sync from a device that shows an empty list. It can become the new source of truth.
• Do not close Edge during a reset. Microsoft says to keep the browser open until it finishes.
• Do not edit Edge profile files manually unless you have copied the folder and Edge is fully closed.
• Do not install paid “favorites recovery” tools from ads. If no copy exists, they cannot create one.

Prevent it: two copies, two places

Sync keeps devices matched but is not a backup. A routine fixes most risk:

1. Export favorites every month, naming the file with the date.
2. Keep one copy in a cloud drive and one on an external disk.
3. Export before cleanups, resets, profile changes or moving to a new computer.
4. Keep a library that does not rely on Edge sync.

The backup guide for all browsers shows the same routine for each browser. If you use others too, read the disappearing-bookmark guides for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Brave.

Why a work profile changes the picture

If your missing favorites were in a work or school profile, the rules may not be yours. An organization can manage which data syncs, and it controls the account behind the profile. Resetting sync there affects your data in the organization’s cloud space, and a lost favorite may be recoverable only through your administrator. Keep personal and work favorites in separate profiles, export each profile separately, and do not experiment with Reset sync on a managed profile without asking. If your personal profile is the one affected, the steps above apply as written.

Where Marqly fits (honestly)

Marqly does not restore Edge favorites that are gone from every device and backup, and it does not fix Edge sync. Use the steps above for that.

It gives you an independent library. Export your favorites as HTML, import the file, and your links live in a searchable web app with iOS and Android apps and a browser extension, outside your Edge profile and Microsoft account sync. If Edge sync goes wrong again, your links are not at its mercy. See the bookmark manager for Edge page and bookmark sync for details.

The free plan stores up to 100 bookmarks. Pro is $72 per year or $9 per month for an unlimited library. There is no free trial, and no card is needed to start free.

Quick checklist

• Favorites manager searched at edge://favorites.
• Profile and Microsoft account confirmed.
• Sync on for favorites in Settings, Profiles, Sync.
• Export favorites saved and opened to verify.
• Re-sync tried before Reset sync.
• Reset sync used only from a verified device, browser kept open.
• Monthly export and second copy in place.