restore favourites

Press Ctrl+Shift+O in Edge first: if your favorites appear there, they have not been deleted and only the Favorites bar needs to be displayed.

1. If the favorites are present but the bar disappeared

1. Select … (top-right) → Favorites.
2. In the Favorites pane, select ….
3. Select Show favorites bar → Always. ^1^

2. Check that Edge opened the correct profile

Select the profile picture at the top-right and switch to the Microsoft account or Edge profile previously used. Different Edge profiles maintain separate favorites.

If favorites were synchronized previously:

1. Open … → Settings → Profiles → Sync.
2. Verify that this is the original account and that Favorites sync is enabled.
3. Allow several minutes for the favorites to download.

Edge synchronizes favorites between devices only when the relevant account is signed in and sync is enabled. ^2^

Do not clear browsing data while investigating: deleting synchronized data while signed in can remove it from other synchronized devices.

3. Recovery for Edge versions earlier than 128.0.2739.42

Check the version by entering edge://settings/help in the address bar. If it is earlier than 128.0.2739.42, the favorites vanished within the last 28 days, and account sync was enabled:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+O.
2. Select Restore deleted favorites at the top-right.
3. Select the missing favorites or folders.
4. Select Restore.

To restore everything shown, press Ctrl+A, then select Restore. Microsoft removed this recovery feature in Edge 128.0.2739.42 and later. ^3^

4. Restore the local Favorites file

If the built-in recovery option is unavailable, try the local backup. Close every Edge window first, because replacing the file while Edge is running can overwrite the restored copy.

1. Press Windows+R.
2. Enter: %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default If the affected account is not Edge’s Default profile, use its corresponding profile folder instead.
3. Copy both Bookmarks and Bookmarks.bak, if present, to a safe folder before changing anything.
4. If Bookmarks.bak exists:
   • Rename the current Bookmarks file to Bookmarks.current.
   • Rename Bookmarks.bak to Bookmarks.
   • Reopen Edge and check the Favorites manager.

A matching Edge recovery case reports that renaming Bookmarks.bak to Bookmarks allows Edge to load the older favorites. ^4^

If there is no usable .bak file:

1. Right-click Bookmarks → Properties.
2. Open Previous Versions.
3. If Windows lists a copy dated before the favorites disappeared, preserve the current file and then select the older version → Restore.
4. Restart Edge.

This works only when Windows File History or an applicable restore mechanism previously captured the file. ^5^

5. Import an existing HTML backup

If favorites were exported previously:

1. Open … → Settings → Profiles → Import browser data.
2. Under Other import locations, select Import beside Import browser data now.
3. Choose Favorites or bookmarks HTML file.
4. Select the backup file and choose Open.

The recovered entries normally appear in an Imported folder on the Favorites bar. ^6^

If the favorites are absent from the correct profile and synchronized account, and there is no recovery entry, Bookmarks.bak, previous file version, or exported HTML file, Edge may no longer have a recoverable copy.

References

1. How restore Favorites bar - Microsoft Q&A
2. Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices
3. Recover lost or deleted favorites in Microsoft Edge
4. Microsoft Edge Version 135.0.3179.73 (Official build) (64-bit) - No restore option for deleted bookmark folder? - Microsoft Q&A
5. How do I recover deleted favorites in Edge AFTER version 128.0.2739.42? - Microsoft Q&A
6. Import your favorites and passwords in Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Support