Backing up your Microsoft Edge browser primarily involves exporting your favorites (bookmarks). Here's how to do it:
Steps to Backup Your Edge Favorites (Bookmarks):
-
Open Microsoft Edge.
-
Access Favorites: Click the Favorites icon (usually a star with three horizontal lines) located in the top-right corner of the browser window.
-
Open More Options: Within the Favorites menu, click the More options button. This is represented by three horizontal dots (…). It's also in the upper-right corner of the favorites menu.
-
Export Favorites: Select Export favorites.
-
Choose a Save Location: A file explorer window will appear. Choose the folder where you want to save your backup file (e.g., your Documents folder, an external drive, or a cloud storage service).
-
Name Your File (Optional): You can rename the file if you wish. The default name is usually "favorites" or something similar. The file will be saved as an HTML file.
-
Save the File: Click the Save button.
Your Edge favorites (bookmarks) are now backed up as an HTML file in the location you specified. To restore them, you'll use the "Import favorites" option from the same "More options" menu.
Important Considerations:
- What is backed up: This process only backs up your favorites (bookmarks). Other browser data, such as history, passwords, and settings, are not included in this exported file.
- Syncing: If you are signed in to Microsoft Edge with a Microsoft account, your favorites, settings, and other data are typically synced automatically across devices. This can serve as a form of backup, but it's good practice to create a manual backup as well.
- Profiles: If you use multiple profiles in Edge, you must repeat this process for each profile to back up its corresponding favorites. Switch to the desired profile before starting the export process.
- Other Data (Passwords, Settings): To back up other Edge data like passwords, history, and settings, you should rely on your Microsoft account syncing. While there isn't a direct "export all" function for everything else, consider using a password manager to back up your credentials.
