Getting started with Bookmark Manager for Chrome

Back in May, Google was testing a new bookmark feature it called Stars. Unfortunately, the feature didn’t go public, except for one — probably unintentional — day on the Chrome Web Store.

Now Google is offering a similar feature to Stars, called Bookmark Manager. Before you start using it, you’ll need to a check a couple of Chrome settings. Here’s how:

Setup

Step 1: Make sure you are on Chrome version 38 or later by going to Menu > About. If not, perform the required update.

Step 2: Check that Chrome sync is enabled to access the new features. Click this link for more information on how to set up Chrome sync.

Step 3: Install the new Bookmark Manager extension from the Chrome Web Store. This will replace your current bookmark manager.

Once installed, the new Bookmark Manager can be accessed the same way as the older one by going to the Chrome menu > Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+O.

Features

Now that you’re setup, here’s the highlights from the new features:

Saving a link

This process is still the same, but with one new cool feature. After you adjust the title, description, URL, and folder, you also pick a picture from the site to represent your bookmark. Additionally, if Google thinks a particular folder is a good place for the link, it will be suggested to you.

Searching your stash

The new search ability can look at the content of the actual page, not just the title, description, and URL that you have saved. That will definitely make finding bookmarks easier!

Organization

Bookmarks can be organized by topic automatically, but you can also organize them yourself (as seen in the top image above) just like like the old bookmark manager allowed.

Sharing

When creating a new folder in your bookmarks, you can choose to make it Private or Public. This way you can share a collection of bookmarks with friends, family, or even students.

Bonus

Existing bookmarks will get a facelift with images and the information card style entry.

Should you decide that this new bookmark interface isn’t for you, reverting is easy. Just go to Menu > More tools > Extensions and click the trash icon next to Bookmark Manager to remove it from Chrome.

What do you think of the look and features in the new Bookmark Manager? Share your thoughts in the comments below.